Kingston Council is encouraging its residents to walk and cycle as part of the London Mayor’s Healthy Streets scheme this August.
Various events will include led walks by Active Kingston and parkruns, where the Go Cycle team, part of the Healthy Streets scheme, will be present to provide more information to attendees on sustainable travel options.
The council has produced maps of five walking routes while Kingston University has also developed three trails.
Back in 2014, the borough was allocated £30m for the mini-Holland programme to implement a new network of cycle and walking routes.
The Go Cycle programme states the increase of safety provided by a separate cycling route from cars and other vehicles will decrease the number of car-bicycle accidents in the road and encourage the formerly discouraged to adopt cycling.
By facilitating its residents with improved options to cycle or walk, the council hopes to improve public health by increasing their daily step count.
Kingston’s environment and sustainable transport lead, Councillor Hilary Gander, said: “Active travel choices like walking and cycling help improve air quality, reduce congestion and make Kingston a greener, healthier and more attractive borough to live, play and do business.
“For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking or cycling instead of using the car to get around. And the more we do the healthier we’ll all be.
“Our Go Cycle schemes aim to provide better and safer cycle links, footways and crossings throughout the borough.”
Go Cycle’s first development in Kingston was opened in Portsmouth Road in Autumn 2016, and further construction works in Kingston Station, Wheatfield Way, and Kingston High Street will be continued throughout this August.
