London Borough of Sutton (United Kingdom)
Sutton is a borough in south London, England and forms part of Outer London. It is one of the southernmost boroughs of London with a population of 186,000. Sustainable transport is based on the development program of the urban train system and of the London bus services.
The borough demonstrates a modal split of 52 percent private cars (including passengers); 22 percent pedestrians; 11 percent buses; 7 percent rail; 4 percent underground; 2 percent cycling; and 2 percent other modes.
The borough’s strategic approach to transport management was defined in 2006 by the three-year sustainable transport programme Smarter Travel Sutton (STS). The aims of the programme were to reduce the barriers to sustainable travel and to promote greater and more positive awareness of travel options among target audiences by delivering a range of behaviour change interventions.
The programme focused on four key targets: a reduction in car trips; travel plans for schools; travel plans for 15,000 employees; and travel option information and advice for every household. All these targets were successfully achieved.
The council is now in the process of implementing an STS legacy project, which sets out a five-year programme to deliver transport projects and public realm improvements in each of Sutton’s district centers. These projects are centered on the integration of engineering schemes and Smarter Travel measures and seek to encourage greater use of local facilities within walking and cycling distance. The project and legacy programme have progressed well and STS is now a recognisable brand in the local community. A robust governance structure, strong political support and the involvement of partnership agencies were all factors contributing to the project’s successful progression.
The innovative measures implemented include support from doctors to patients choosing to take up walking or cycling to improve their health; community incentive schemes to encourage residents to walk or cycle to their nearest district centre; the door-to-door promotion of cycling by offering vouchers redeemable against a range of cycling-related products and services; a borough-wide car sharing scheme; the implementation of ‘smart columns’ in Sutton town center offering real-time travel information and printable maps; and a zero-carbon cycle delivery service.
Sutton worked on the implementation of the three-year STS programme in partnership with the regional transport authority (Transport for London). A range of partners helped to deliver the STS projects, including the Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust, the Sutton Chamber of Commerce, Eco Local (a local environmental charity) and the Metropolitan Police.
Summary finalized : April 2010
