A Charity Born from the Zebra Crossing

Living Streets is approaching its centenary in 2029, and Catherine is quick to remind us that the charity’s legacy runs deeper than most people realise. The zebra crossing, the Highway Code, drink driving offences: all of these started with the work of Living Streets’ founders. Catherine joined the charity in August 2024 and describes her role as a natural fit. “I’m a very passionate walker,” she says. “It feels like I’ve been here all the time really. In heart and soul.”

The charity’s mission has evolved alongside the changing nature of our streets and the pressures that come with them. Today, Living Streets works to make school streets safer, helps older people access group walks, and campaigns for the changes that make walking possible and enjoyable for everyone, whether for transport or for fun.

The Pedestrian Pound

Living Streets released the third edition of the Pedestrian Pound report just over a year ago, covering England, Scotland and Wales. Catherine shared some standout examples from the road shows that followed the launch. In Swansea, a monthly street closure for a market was drawing 3,000 people a day, winning awards and sparking new shop openings. In another community, an unused public toilet was converted into a community hub, and a nearby shop sold out of freezers because of the sheer volume of people returning to the area.

The takeaway is clear. When people can linger, they spend. When high streets are walkable, businesses thrive, communities feel safer, and people can access what they need locally and on foot.

Walk to School Week and Happy Shoes Day

Walk to School Week runs from 18 to 22 May, and this year’s theme is secret agents. Schools can order packs with wall charts, stickers and daily missions. Katherine made a compelling case for why walking to school matters beyond the obvious health benefits. Children who walk understand their communities. They build intergenerational relationships. They arrive at school less stressed. And the habit of walking and talking, side by side without the pressure of eye contact, creates a foundation for the kinds of conversations that matter most as children grow up.

On the Tuesday of Walk to School Week, Living Streets is also running Happy Shoes Day. Children wear their favourite shoes to school and make a small donation, split between the school and Living Streets’ campaign for safer streets.

Walk Out: A Campaign for Women

Towards the end of May, Living Streets is asking women to Walk Out. The campaign, launched alongside Active Travel England and Transport Minister Lillian Greenwood, responds to the stark reality that nine out of ten women and girls feel unsafe walking in the dark. But it goes further than safety. Catherine pointed out that women often walk to do things for other people: the school run, errands, deliveries for neighbours. Rarely do they walk simply for themselves. The Walk Out campaign encourages women to reclaim that. Walk with friends. Walk alone. Just walk for you.

Catherine walks once a month with a group called the Red Hot Chilly Steppers. “We all talk regularly about how important that one walk a month is to us,” she says. “A group of women that can just come together and talk about anything that’s on our minds.”

The campaign also ties into broader work on street design. Living Streets has been collaborating with government on guidance for designing streets with women and girls in mind: better lighting, clearer sightlines around corners, thoughtful access routes, and alternative paths through areas that can feel intimidating after dark or when crowds have been drinking. The call is not just for women to walk out, but for women to get involved in the planning and design of their local areas.

Pavement Parking

Catherine has been campaigning against pavement parking since childhood, and she admits it freely. The problem is growing as car sizes increase. She lives on a terraced street where neither pavement is passable. Her neighbour in his 70s, unsteady on his feet, is forced to walk in the road.

In London, pavement parking has been banned for 50 years. Elsewhere in England, Living Streets has been campaigning hard for change, and progress is now on the horizon. Transport Minister Lillian Greenwood confirmed that moves towards prohibition are coming, giving local authorities the power to assess their communities and act. Scotland has already made the shift, and the planning and consultation work done in both Scotland and Wales means there is a wealth of knowledge to draw on.

Catherine is realistic about the challenges. She has spoken to her own neighbours about what might change and watched the concern cross their faces. But she is also pragmatic. There is an unused car park two streets away. Walking two minutes to your car in the morning is a small trade-off for pavements that are safe for everyone. “I have to remind them there’s people in the house that they probably value more than the car,” she says.

Walking Networks: Emma Griffin and Footways

Emma Griffin arrived mid-recording, having outpaced a taxi from across town (because walking is faster than driving through central London). As co-founder of Footways, Emma has been working on a pilot project across five cities and towns in England, exploring how to identify and prioritise walking networks.

The core idea is that people walking need a different network to cars and bikes. We move more slowly, we are not enclosed in metal, and the environment matters to us: low traffic, trees, things to see and smell. Emma argues for a hierarchy of walking routes, modelled on the approach already used for motor traffic. A strategic network connecting key destinations like train stations, hospitals, major workplaces and shopping areas. A secondary network linking GP surgeries, schools and local services. And a wider network beyond that. This kind of framework helps local authorities prioritise funding and safety improvements, and gives walking the strategic weight it currently lacks in planning.

The proof is in central London. Emma traced a walking route from the British Museum down to Charing Cross, passing through the transformations at Seven Dials, the Holborn area changes, and Westminster Council’s work on St Martin’s Lane. When you connect individual improvements into a continuous route, the effect is transformative. People walk it without even thinking about it, because the conditions are beautiful and they connect.

Footways is now applying this methodology to London, with plans to focus on routes like the British Museum to the new London Museum, due to open later this year. The aim is to identify missing links and work with local authorities and Transport for London to close them.

Emma also highlighted the power of wayfinding. Information desk staff at London stations have told Footways that tourists routinely get on the Tube to reach the British Museum, not realising it is only a 10 to 15 minute walk. A map or clear signage could change that, but even better, if you step out of a station and see an inviting square rather than a taxi rank, you are far more likely to walk.

Side Road Zebras and Other Wins

The conversation turned to some of the quieter infrastructure changes making a real difference. Side road zebras, currently being trialled in Westminster, are relatively cheap to install. They do not require a Belisha beacon. Placed at the end of a side road, they reinforce the pedestrian priority that already exists in the Highway Code but that many drivers do not observe. The results so far are promising.

Catherine and Emma both pointed to Mansion House as an area that has been dramatically improved for walkers, and flagged two current consultations worth responding to: Bank Junction and a proposed walking route from Regent’s Park to St James’s Park, which could transform central London.

From Shopping to Lingering

The high street has changed. It is no longer just a place to shop; it is a place to experience. Both Catherine and Emma made the case that infrastructure is what enables that shift. Covent Garden, Seven Dials, the pedestrianised streets around King Street and Queen Street: these are places that feel like they have always been car-free, but the transformation is relatively recent. Oxford Street’s pedestrianisation is the next major chapter, and both guests expressed excitement about what it will mean not just for the street itself but for the surrounding area.

How to Get Involved

Living Streets local groups are the foundation of the charity. Anyone can set up a group, and the charity provides support, connects groups to each other through monthly surgery sessions, and helps members get a seat at the table with the right people. Catherine urges anyone connected to a school in London to sign up for Walk to School Week (130 London schools are already registered), and to visit livingstreets.org.uk to find or start a local group.

Footways maps are available free from Westminster libraries and housing estates during the London Walking Festival. Pick one up and discover how much of London you can reach on foot.

Links & Resources:

Living Streets: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk

Walk to School Week: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/walk-to-school

Walk Out campaign: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/walkout

Footways: https://www.footways.london

London Walking Festival: https://www.londonwalkingfestival.com

Guests: Catherine Woodhead, CEO, Living Streets Emma Griffin, Co-founder, Footways

Host: Michael Shilling, London Walking Festival Coordinator, London National Park City