The financial support is part of London Council’s plan to reduce the use of cars in the city and curb pollution in the capital.
The London Councils Grants Committee’s Councillor, Paul McCannah, said: “London is one of the most polluted cities in the world. Unless we do something now, this will get worse especially with London’s population expected to keep increasing”.
Walking London
Living Streets, a campaigning organization for pedestrians, was billed more than half of the total sum to raise awareness of the benefits of walking among Londoners.
The organization will support a brand new project to improve crossings and pathways in town centres.
The head of the Workability Officer, Simon Barnett, said: “This money will be tremendously helpful. It will allow us to improve specific schemes for London and it will give us the resources to support the “Walking Works”, a new national program aim at getting people to walk to work”.
“In four years time Londoners will be making more every day walking trips and with that carrying a healthier life style”, he added.
After the cycle fever
Councils’ financial support is also aimed at improving the cycling conditions in London.
The move follows the announcement of a new national £140 million funding plan to support cycling.
London’s Mayor, one of the candidates for the forth coming mayoral elections, Ken Livingston, promised last month to create 12 cycling super-highways in the city.
A spokesperson for London Cycling Campaign, an organization that was billed almost half a million pounds, said: “The funding is part of a bigger program of transformation of the way people see the streets and the public spaces. It will help to make cycling an alternative way of transportation”.
