Londoners encouraged to reimagine streets for play

The Mayor of London, TfL and London Play are encouraging London communities to reimagine streets in different ways for play and active travel this Car Free Day.

London boroughs will be celebrating Car Free Day on 22 September, with some streets closed to cars over the weekend between Friday 20 September and Sunday 22 September.

The intention is for thousands of Londoners to be able to use the streets to play, walk, cycle and spend time with their neighbours.

London Play is inviting the capital’s residents to swap their cars for space hoppers and transform their streets into temporary spaces for play and social gatherings.

This year, the day coincides with the official launch of the London Overground line which runs between Highbury & Islington and West Croydon being named the Windrush line, so TfL is working with London Play to encourage residents in the nine boroughs it passes through to hold carnival-inspired street parties to celebrate.

One neighbourhood will also is working with London Play to encourage residents in the nine boroughs it passes through to hold carnival-inspired street parties to celebrate.

Walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, said: “The Mayor and I are committed to enabling even more Londoners to incorporate walking and cycling into their daily lives. We are delighted to once again be supporting the activation of play streets on Car Free Day, a unique opportunity to transform streets into playful and social spaces, where all members of the community can come together to scoot, bike, walk, space hop and socialise safely.

"I encourage all Londoners to join in the fun and reclaim our streets with this fantastic initiative, which supports our aim for a greener, fairer London for all.”

"Fiona Sutherland, director of London Play, said: “London Play is delighted to be working with TfL and City Hall to inspire more creative uses of London’s streets, which make up 80 per cent of public space in the capital. Car Free Day is a great opportunity for Londoners to discover the joyful potential of the space outside their front doors, free of traffic for a few hours. Will they choose to simply share a cuppa with the neighbours? Race a spacehopper down the street?  Play hopscotch? Or have a full-blown carnival-inspired street party? In all cases we guarantee that people will look at their streets differently, having witnessed how they can be transformed with fun for just a few hours.”