Hounslow Council is aiming for a significant shift in how residents get around, with a target of 40% of all trips to be made by walking and wheeling by 2030.
The ambitious goal is part of the council's newly adopted Walking and Wheeling Action Plan, which sets out a vision for Hounslow to be a place where people of all ages and abilities choose walking and wheeling as the natural mode of transport for short journeys. The plan aims to create a well-connected environment that improves health, safety, air quality, and overall quality of life. It also aligns with several other Hounslow Council initiatives, including Hounslow's Transport Strategy, the Health and Wellbeing Strategy, and the Climate Emergency Action Plan. The action plan sets out how the council will deliver the Transport Strategy for active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling), supports priorities in the Health and Wellbeing Strategy such as participating in physical activity and living in pleasant neighbourhoods, and supports the Climate Emergency Action Plan by aiming to increase sustainable mode share and reduce carbon emissions from road transport.
To achieve this, the council has outlined 17 actions aligned to six key themes:
- Changing travel behaviour
- Enhancing the walking and wheeling network
- Maps and wayfinding
- Pavement maintenance and coordination
- Sustainability
- Local centres and new development
The plan builds upon data from Transport for London (TfL), which indicates that walking and wheeling currently account for 37% of all daily trips within the borough. The council aims to increase this figure to 40% by 2030, with a longer-term target of 43% by 2041. TfL has already identified several locations as having a high potential for walking and wheeling trips such as Feltham, Hounslow town centre, Spring Grove and Chiswick.
The action plan is supported by targets which include that by 2030, 50% of Hounslow residents will walk, wheel or cycle for at least 10 minutes, twice a day.
Priorities include:
- Developing a behaviour change campaign, 'Walk it. Wheel it.' Key performance indicators for the 'Walk it. Wheel it.' campaign include the number of walking and wheeling trips for leisure and the number of active users of BetterPoints and Greentalk apps.
- Promoting the Travel for Life programme and engaging with schools.
- Implementing improvements to the walking and wheeling network, including wayfinding. The council plans to ensure these improvements are accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities by listening to disabled people and acting on their feedback; keeping pavements clear and reducing clutter; reducing the impact of waste removal; auditing pavements and installing dropped kerbs where they are missing; protecting blue badge parking, with relocation kept to a minimum; and working with disabled experts. Eight routes were audited in 2024, two of which were in collaboration with members of the community representing a range of equality characteristics.
- Investing through the Local Implementation Plan to improve crossings, install dropped kerbs, and remove barriers.
Funding for both the Walking and Wheeling Action Plan and the Cycling Action Plan will come from a variety of sources, including developer contributions (Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)), the TfL Local Implementation Plan (LIP) settlement, the Parking Revenue Account (PRA), and third-party sources. Actions in the short-term (1-3 years) will be funded by the LIP. Funding for schemes and initiatives in the medium and long term will need to be sought from TfL and other partners as well as internally.
The Walking and Wheeling Action Plan details how the council aims to create a transport network and public realm that encourages a prosperous, healthy, accessible, and safe environment for all.