London celebrates World Car Free Day with local events and around 200 Play Streets | Transport for London

Communities will be marking World Car Free Day between Friday 20 September and Sunday 22 September with events across the capital

• London Play is offering play equipment to participating streets, which will close to enable neighbours to come together 
• Stations along what will become the London Overground Windrush line will join the celebrations, including a DJ session at Dalston Junction station  

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Transport for London (TfL) and London Play are encouraging Londoners to mark World Car Free Day on Sunday 22 September, as around 200 streets across the capital will be transformed into temporary spaces for play and social gatherings this weekend.

Local streets across London will become play streets between Friday 20 September and Sunday 22 September, enabling thousands of Londoners to play, walk, cycle and spend time with their neighbours. London Play is offering participating streets play equipment, including free space hoppers, and one neighbourhood in Wandsworth has won a mini-carnival event, including an on-street ‘Karnival Kart’ building workshop and parade.

Stations along what will soon become the London Overground Windrush line will also join the celebrations, and amongst the activities is a carnival-themed DJ set at Dalston Junction station. Hackney Council is also getting into the carnival spirit as the Hackney Carnival returns following a five-year absence on Sunday 22 September. Locals will be able to enjoy a free, family-focused street parade featuring Hackney’s carnival groups that celebrate the borough’s diverse communities.

In Hounslow, the Council is hosting a guided cycle ride of the newly opened stretch of Cycleway 9 on Friday 20 September to give people the chance to enjoy a guided ride of the new route between Watermans Park and Alexandra Road in Brentford. The event runs from 15:00 to 17:00 on Friday 20 September at Watermans Park. There will be activities for visitors of all ages to enjoy, including games and safety tips. The Cycleway celebration event heralds the start of a weekend of active travel action in the borough. On Sunday 22 September, Hounslow Council and its partners will be taking over a section of Hounslow High Street between 13:00 and 16:00 to celebrate Car Free Day.

Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said: “World Car Free Day is an important moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made in building more liveable neighbourhoods, and embracing a different vision for our streets. The Mayor and I 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 the whole community can come together to scoot, bike, walk, space hop and socialise safely.”

Emma Strain, Customer Director at TfL, said: “Londoners of all ages should join the fun and enjoy car free streets across London this weekend. Customers travelling on what will become the London Overground Windrush line will also see Dalston Junction station join the carnival-themed celebrations as well.”

Fiona Sutherland, director at London Play, said: “London Play is delighted to be helping residents across the capital experience their streets as places for playful community interaction this Car Free Day. Even temporarily, seeing what happens when the cars stop can prompt a powerful shift in people’s perceptions about the potential uses of street space. Neighbours meet informally and swap stories. 

“Children cycle down their own street for the first time. Laughter rings out. Why have we prioritised cars, parked or moving, over people? How much have we all lost by retreating from that ‘common ground’ outside our homes? Car Free Day brings these questions to the surface.”

Once Londoners have enjoyed the experience of seeing their street in a new light – as valuable community space – it is hoped that many will contact their local councils to ask if their street is suitable for regular play street sessions. Play streets contribute to tackling isolation and improving mental health in London’s communities, improving air quality, reducing road danger and inspiring more Londoners of all ages to get active as part of their daily lives through walking and cycling.

For more information contact London Play via info@londonplay.org.uk, call 0203 384 8513 or visit www.londonplaystreets.org.uk

Notes to Editor

About London Play

• London Play promotes children’s right to play, campaigns for more and improved out-of-school play services for children and young people across London, and supports play work in the capital
• A play street means neighbours agreeing together to open their street for play and community – and close it to through traffic – temporarily but regularly. Most councils in London offer residents the opportunity to apply for free.
• The charity has been supporting councils and residents across London to implement play streets for over a decade and more than two thirds of boroughs have adopted the initiative to date
• Car Free Day is supported by the Mayor of London and Transport for London
• London Play’s other funders include Trust for London, National Lottery Community Fund, the Barbara Ward Foundation and The Royal Parks

 About the London Overground line names

Each of the six London Overground lines will be given a new name and colour, to make it easier for customers to navigate the network, while celebrating London’s diverse culture and history:

• The Liberty line: Romford to Upminster
• The Lioness line: Euston to Watford Junction
• The Mildmay line: Stratford to Richmond/Clapham Junction
• The Weaver line: Liverpool Street to Cheshunt/Enfield Town/Chingford
• The Windrush line: Highbury & Islington to Clapham Junction/New Cross/Crystal Palace/West Croydon
• The Suffragette line: Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside