Recent announcements such as the “Superloop” bus service (which will provide orbital journeys around London) and the reintroduction of Local Implementation Plan funding (local authorities’ main source of funding for transport infrastructure projects), albeit at a substantially reduced rate, are welcome.

However, on their own they are unlikely to do enough to meaningfully improve access to sustainable modes of transport for most people in outer London.

The following recommendations aim to highlight priorities for change that would help to close that gap.

Plan for and fund sustainable transport

1. Provide sufficient funding: To implement the following recommendations, local authorities and Transport for London need both additional funding and the ability to plan spending with certainty. Additional funds could come from central government or be generated by granting greater powers to raise money in the capital. We discuss these options further in Chapter 3.
2. Improve planning and funding decisions: The Mayor of London should develop an Outer London Transport Strategy to systematically consider people’s travel needs – with more weight given to local journeys that don’t commence or terminate in central London. This will support the shorter trips that are disproportionately made by women, as opposed to longer trips for commuting. Decision makers should always consider the equality impacts of transport planning decisions.
   

   Improve the transport enviorment

3. Improve the rail network: The Department for Transport should work with Transport for London to improve the reliability, speed and frequency of services in outer London. Although capital investment will be needed, improvements will deliver a range of long-term benefits – including making it easier to travel into and around London.
4. Increase the coverage of the cycle network in outer London: Transport for London and local authorities should prioritise safe, segregated cycle lanes suitable for a range of micromobility vehicles. New routes should support local journeys for leisure and family purposes as much as journeys into central London.
5. Improve the quality of the active travel environment: Local authorities should use evidence-based interventions to make walking and cycling more pleasant. These could include better lighting, segregated cycle lanes, and more parking for small vehicles like bikes and e-scooters – especially around key transport hubs such as bus stops and train stations. At some stations, providing access to car club vehicles alongside active travel can expand sustainable travel options.
6. Commit to new public transport routes for new developments: Transport for London should commit to introducing new bus routes for new developments before those developments are completed, so that they can offer better public transport links and less car parking. This could be paid for partly through the early release of developer funding (or borrowing against such funding), but additional funding may also be required.
7. Prioritise space for sustainable modes: Local authorities should commit to finding on-street space for cycle hangars, shared micromobility schemes, and car club vehicles – even if this means reallocating space allocated to private cars.
8. Deliver shared transport more consistently: London Councils or the GLA should work with local authorities to design a procurement framework for shared transport modes such as car clubs and shared bike schemes, making it easier to share best practice. Local authorities may choose to jointly procure shared services, temporarily reduce fees for operators to increase coverage in areas with lower population density, or to require new developments to provide space for shared vehicles by default.
   

   Bring people with you as you create change

9. Listen to people’s concerns and opinions: Local authorities should engage with the public to discuss major changes, including with those less likely to use sustainable modes of transport. Early and comprehensive public engagement will improve both public trust and the quality of schemes. For example, in Suwon in South Korea, the city invited residents to be directly involved in the design of its urban transport strategy through participation in roundtables – this then led to local policy change.
10. Encourage the shift away from private cars: Local authorities should engage with people who don’t currently walk, cycle, ride public transport, or use car clubs much – with the aim of helping them find out how they can use these modes and what support is available to them. Work with local third sector and community groups to inform people about local changes.

Many of these recommendations are not new. There is good evidence to support changes that encourage people to make more sustainable journeys, and a lot of good practice within outer London. However, leaders sometimes find it hard to create change, especially when this involves restricting driving or car ownership.

We discuss these issues further in Chapter 5.