Caroline and a team from City Hall went on an afternoon walk in Islington on Tuesday 3rd August with Sustrans officers Carl and Matt. The fact finding walk is part of Caroline’s investigation into making walking easier and safer in London. The report will look at what the Mayor is doing to make walking safer in London and suggest things he can do in the short, medium and longer term to encourage more Londoners to walk around our great capital city.
The walk started at Highbury and Islington station and finished at Finsbury Park station and followed an entire Connect2 project. Connect2 is a UK-wide programme to develop 79 cycling and walking routes by 2013. Funded the Big Lottery Fund, with matching grants from other sources. The walk showed a number of different walking environments which have been redesigned to increase their attractiveness including a “pocket park” and a “DIY Street” on Monsell Road.
“It was very interesting to see the different ways walking can be made more attractive through improved street environments” said Caroline.
“It was also noticeable how the Seven Sisters Road which we came to at the end is a huge barrier to walking due to its busy nature and different vehicles fighting for road space” added Caroline.
Photo - Caroline by Monsell Road DIY Street