Policy information sourced from the Westminster City Plan

25. Walking and cycling

A: Development must promote sustainable transport by prioritising walking and cycling in the city.

WALKING

B: Development must:

  • Prioritise and improve the pedestrian environment and contribute towards achieving a first-class public realm particularly in areas of kerbside stress, including the provision of facilities for pedestrians to rest and relax (including seating) and high-quality and safe road environments and crossings, where needed.
  • Contribute towards improved legibility and wayfinding including signage to key infrastructure, transport nodes, green spaces and canal towpaths (such as through TfL’s Legible London).
  • Be permeable, easy and safe to walk through, enhance existing routes which are adequately lit, creates stepfree legible access and entrance points whilst providing direct links to other pedestrian movement corridors and desire lines.
  • Facilitate the improvement of highquality footpaths to Department for Transport minimum standards with regard to existing street furniture and layout including through the provision of land for adoption as highway.
  • Enable footway widening, re-surfacing and de-cluttering where increased footfall is expected, to be suitable for vulnerable road users including older people, people suffering from dementia and disabled people.

CYCLING

C: Development should contribute to improvements to deliver a first-class public realm which supports cycling by improvements to legible signage, provision of access and facilities that do not conflict with the needs of pedestrians or compromise safety and addresses risks posed to cyclists from other transport modes.

D: To promote cycling and ensure a safe and accessible environment for cyclists, major development must:

  • provide for and make contributions towards connected, high quality, convenient and safe cycle routes for all, in line with or exceeding London Cycle Design Standards;
  • enable and contribute towards improvements to cycle access, including the delivery of current and planned cycle routes identified in the council’s Local Implementation Plan and existing and potential Cycle Permeability Schemes;
  • meet the cycle parking and cycle facilities standards in the London Plan. Where it is not possible to provide suitable short-stay cycle parking off the public highway an appropriate on-street location should be considered provided it does not conflict with improvements to and the quality of the public realm;
  • provide links to public transport nodes;
  • contribute towards improved wayfinding; and
  • promote and contribute towards the introduction and expansion of cycle hire facilities.

For more information please see the City Plan