Walking and wheeling – experiences of older Londoners

The walkability of our streets was recently discussed by the London Assembly Transport Committee and Age UK London submitted the views of 200 older Londoners following a request for feedback. Elodie Pinn, Campaign Support Officer at Age UK London writes here about those views and how Age UK London were able to make this important contribution to the discussions. 

We know that walking safely on London’s pavements is an important issue to many older Londoners. Well-maintained pavements and streetscapes are vital to ensuring older Londoners can continue to get out and about to access local services and contribute to their community.  

We recently heard from over 200 older Londoners about the problems they face when walking and wheeling around London’s pavements. You can read about some of the key findings below.  

Street clutter: E-bikes and e-scooters are a significant issue for many older Londoners. These vehicles are frequently ridden on pavements strictly for pedestrians, leaving people fearing that they will be knocked over. Not only are these vehicles being ridden where they’re not allowed, but they are also being abandoned instead of being parked in appropriate docking stations. This poses a trip hazard to many people, with people with vision impairments being particularly at risk.  

Other street clutter poses problems, including fly-tipping, discarded refuse bags, and dog litter, whilst signage and outdoor seating from shops and restaurants is obstructing walkways too.  

“not only dodging inanimate objects, you have to constantly be on guard for fast-moving, silent bikes/scooters. It is no longer a desirable experience walking the pavements.” 

Quality of pavements: Many older Londoners are also concerned with uneven and slippery pavement slabs, and tree roots pushing up pavements, making walking and wheeling very challenging.  

Fear and vigilance: Many older Londoners fear for their safety, describing navigating London’s pavements as an “obstacle race” as many are forced to walk/wheel into busy roads or fear being injured.

Older Londoners are often forced to negotiate their way through London with a high level of vigilance and caution, “running a daily gauntlet”, with many deciding to go out at quieter times, planning their routes in advance or changing their routes altogether to find more suitable pavements.

Some even described injuries they’d sustained on London’s pavements, including broken bones, bruising and bleeding. This is made more challenging for disabled people, especially wheelchair users and people with vision impairments. People also mentioned it is much more difficult to walk when it is darker due to poor street lighting.  

Many would like to see Transport for London and their local councils proactively monitoring the condition of pavements rather than waiting for an incident, whilst others feel the situation in their borough is only getting worse. With many councils facing funding cuts, it is no surprise that there is insufficient efforts to reduce street clutter and improve pavement conditions in London.  

London Assembly Transport Committee 

We shared these findings with the London Assembly Transport Committee to discuss at their meeting on 25th September about the walkability of London’s pavements. Several Assembly Members highlighted the impact London’s pavements have on older Londoners, including how trips and falls on uneven pavements can have devastating consequences for older people, impacting people’s confidence and often facing a longer recovery period.  

At the Committee meeting, other interesting issues were raised in relation to making walkable and wheelable pavements. These included Caroline Russell AM mentioning Age UK London’s work to campaign for better public toilet provision and how public toilets can help to enable more people to make journeys via walking. More information about our work to improve public toilet provision across London can be found here: London Loos 

We look forward to seeing the outcome of the committee’s investigation and we will continue to raise the importance of improving London’s pavements for older Londoners. All older Londoners should be able to walk/wheel around London with confidence and without fear.  

You can read more about the walkability of London’s pavements here. 

 Elodie Pinn - Campaign Support Officer - Age UK London