Walkability Project

The Walkability Project is a project to improve conditions for people on foot in, and around, four district centre sites in Outer London - Harlesden, Harold Hill, Hanwell and Dagenham Heathway.

Community Street Audit underway in Harlesden

Living Streets believes that district centres are the type of place that people should be walking to, to access daily, and weekly, goods and services. There are 156 district centres in London and countless similar centres nationally. Walking to such centres promotes a number of benefits including:

• sustainable living as longer unnecessary trips by car or bus or train are reduced
• a healthier community as more people are active
• a safer community as more residents get to know each other, and
• a more vibrant community as more people are out and about.

Funded by London Councils the project is built upon Living Streets Community Street Audits. A Community Street Audit is a method for assessing streets and public space from the viewpoint of the end user. Living Streets believe that local people know their neighbourhoods better than anyone and that local people are best placed to identify the issues and present a range of potential solutions.

This local flavour is mixed with expertise from Living Streets to report a series of short, medium and long term recommendations. The report is cross cutting, and recommendations include maintenance and enforcement issues such as litter and graffiti, crossing points and desire lines, ideas to improve feelings of safety and also proposals relating to facilities such as toilets and seating.

Pedestrian counts, on-street surveys investigating travel habits, detailed observation and some movement analysis have been conducted in addition to the Community Street Audit at each site to build up a variety of information from different sources.

At the back end of 2004 four Community Street Audits were conducted with the valued support of local people. As well as local residents in Hanwell auditors included members of Hanwell Steering Group and Ealing Centre for Independent Living ("A disability organisation in the Borough of Ealing run for and by disabled people"), Ealing Police, Hanwell District Scout Council, local Churches and officers and councillors from the London Borough of Ealing.

As each site is unique, the project has been taken forward differently by each borough. Some short term recommendations have already been implemented such as drop kerb improvements in Hanwell, a new cleansing regime in Harold Hill and Operation Flowsafe an exciting scheme, led by the Safer Neighbourhoods police team, in Harlesden.

It appears that larger engineering schemes will take place at each district centre, varying from routine carriageway maintenance with an extra emphasis on pedestrian requirements in Hanwell through to a multi million pound redevelopment of the public realm in Dagenham Heathway. The development of plans by each borough is being underpinned by key lessons learnt from the Walkability Project. Living Streets continues to be involved at each centre and is seeking opportunities for local people to be closely involved as concepts become plans and then reality.

The project is as much about process as it is about change on the ground. Key lessons are being learnt and will be shared more fully nearer the end of the project. To date it has become apparent that the best boroughs have taken forward the project recommendations by forming a cross departmental steering group to ensure a co-ordinated and thorough area based approach to improve walkability.

News items are regularly added to the website and bi-annual updates are available either as hard copies or electronically. Future updates include progress reports from each of the four sites and the lessons learnt about the process.

To be added to the database to receive future updates please state whether you would like paper or electronic copies and send with your Name; (Organisation if appropriate); Address; Postcode and Email address to simon.barnett@livingstreets.org.uk