London mayor unveils plan to reduce dependency on cars

London Mayor Sadiq Khan stands between passengers in the first Night Tube train along the Victoria line on August 20, 2016 in London, England.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has unveiled plan that aims to see 80 per cent of journeys in the British capital by public transport, walking or cycling.

The radical plan, unveiled on Wednesday, aims to reduce car journeys in London by 3 million every day, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mr. Khan also set an ambition to ensure for 70 per cent of all Londoners live within 400 meters of a high quality, safe cycle route.

New developments in London will also be designed around a “Healthy Streets” initiative to directly promoting walking, cycling and greater use of public transport.

Mr. Khan said not having to use a car in London must be the “affordable, safest and most convenient option for residents of the capital”.

The proposals are outlined in the first draft of Mr. Khan’s new Transport Strategy, which sets out bold plans to reduce the capital’s dependency on the car.

A key focus of the Mayor’ Healthy Streets Approach, aims to see Londoners doing at least the 20 minutes of active travel each day to help them stay healthy.

Mr. Khan is also keeping London’s congestion charge under review, including the introduction of a charging scheme that would see drivers paying for each kilometer they drive.

“We have to be ambitious in changing how our city works. While there will be five million additional journeys being made across our transport network by 2041, at the same time we’re setting ourselves a bold target of reducing car journeys by 3 million every day,” said the Mayor.