Residents who walked more when rat-running traffic was removed have spoken out.
Report and videos by road safety campaigner Lee Baker
Resident Jane left her car behind for a lot of trips when the low traffic neighbourhood was in place. Since high traffic is back on her streets, Jane, who lives off Avenue Road, says: “It’s really unpleasant to walk or cycle and I don’t do it as much now.”
Renae, who was also encouraged to walk more, remembers: “Auckland Road was really pleasant to walk down, you had loads of parents walking with their children to school.” She doesn’t walk as much now that there are “more speeding cars”.
Residents are sharing their stories after Lambeth Council found that walking trips went up by more than a third in just one month. And in our neighbourhood there was at least a threefold increase in walking up Sylvan Hill in one year.
Shape Better Streets is urging Croydon Council to act on its decision to stop rat-running for at least another 12 months. Cllr Ali backed the move to see how much of a difference having healthy streets for one whole year would make to walking and cycling.
See also: Holmesdale Road residents live in hope
This is what they managed to achieve in Lambeth. Let’s do better Croydon.
Shape Better Streets Croydon & Bromley 
Of COURSE there was an increase in walking…they had no choice.
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