Connecting with nature in London

I hope to go to outdoor  swimming in London someday. I never heard of. 

What outdoor activities in London do you regularly take part in? What do you enjoy most or least about the experience?  

• Running and walking. Picnicing. I enjoy green space, fresh air .

What activities by waterways (including rivers, canals, lakes or ponds) would you like to do (more of) in London? 

• Paddling (SUP) would be great if i thought the water was safe and clean

Have you been outdoor swimming in London before? Why or why not?  

• No - i don't trust the water. 

The one way red route system around Earls Court is a good example of a simple change that could dramatically improve welbeing and reduce polution on one of the most poluted road segments in the borough.  If Warwick Road, Finborough Road, Gunter Grove and Ashburnam Road was made bi-directional (or Bus only even) that would open up Earls Court Road to be pedestrianised and Edith Grove and Redcliff gardens to be turned into a Urban park with paths and a cycle way.

It's a shame this opportunity wasn't used to understand the needs of those using towpaths for transport by bicycle and foot. Would be great to gather evidence to support the need to upgrade and better maintain towpaths to enable people to safely use towpaths to travel to places by foot and cycle. Would love to see Dutch standard towpaths which are smooth and have ample space for people walking and cycling. Towpath ought to be an integral part of London's motor traffic-free cycle network.  

Omission from survey of benefits of cycling via waterways eg canal towpaths and other cycle routes for leisure and environmentally friendly transport. Many intended cycle routes have not been implemented and many are badly maintained 

I walk a lot, along the river and canals, in the parks, in Epping Forest, on Hampstead Heath, all of which I love

I wish there were more cycle paths along rivers and canals and through parks

I cannot swim outdoors as I have chronic pneumonia and am so thin I get hypothermia very easily

My main outdoor activity is walking, both solo walking and walking in groups.  I really enjoy the variety of places near where I live - parks, woodland, suburban streets.  In the Winter months, the muddy nature of woodland can be a real problem as we are based on clay and it can get really slippery and quite dangerous.

Outdoor swimming is not for me!

I’m a big fan of getting outdoors in London - open water swimming, walking, running and cycling. The biggest barrier for me recently has been the closure of the Greenway by Thames Water. This is due to be in place for 18 months. Safe cycle and pleasant pedestrian routes are very few and far between in Newham, and without the Greenway I no longer feel safe cycling to work having trialled the dangerous diversion in place. It would be good see more being done to support those who relied on this route and also more safe cycling infrastructure being established in Newham to avoid dependencies on single (privately maintained) routes. 

I love walking and hiking. And there are plenty of walking trails / paths / routs in London and the surrounding areas, but ...: walkers and cyclists, more often than not, share these spaces like even very narrow footpaths. Two groups of people are thrown into one bag, expected to accommodate and sort themselves out somehow. But usually it just creates conflict. I neither enjoy nor I feel safe walking on narrow footpaths along the canals or rivers in Lee Valley, when every few seconds or minutes I have a cyclist riding fast towards me or behind me, forcing me to stop and give them a way.

Just like London has a network of roads, pavements, footpaths, green spaces all connected and making it possible for everyone to get from one end of the city to another safely and conveniently, I would like you to create same network of clear, consistent cycling lanes in urban and green, natural areas - separate from roads, pavements and footpaths, that would enable cyclists to cycle from one end of the city to another, and across natural spaces without being a nuisance to car drivers or pedestrians. Please feel free to have my country - Poland, as your role model. Pick any city in Poland you like, and see how it's done. It's been one of the major projects for us ever since we joined the EU. Everyone is accommodated. Walking and cycling through cities and recreational, green spaces is more smooth, safe and enjoyable. More often than not, everyone has their lane, uniformly in the entire country. It works! 

Please read the comments and take note of what everybody is saying, these surveys are so general that I can't imagine how they can shape a policy or create a plan of action. 

Yes, more awareness and certain activities would help, but please address the major problems first: the security of these areas (litter, poor lighting, crime etc), how they are managed (opening hours, security), enforcing rules (for example speedy cyclists) etc

Also, not everybody wants or can be active and there should also be more options for relaxing.

We also probably need work on walking routes, with signage, which can take people to places of interest, including areas of green and blue space, like the London Living Streets Footways  - walking trail pamphlets which could be by app or hard copies available in various outlets. More Beat The Street initiatives too which can promote green space and encourage people to notice their surroundings. Maybe more walking groups. Need to involve schools more too by doing eg 'blitzes'  such as butterfly counts or bird counts in their green spaces. 

I regularly cycle and walk. The biggest negative impact is traffic - safety, pollution, noise.  We should have days - maybe a weekend day throughout the summer - when key T Centres are closed to traffic. some Boroughs do this for Clean Air Day or Car Free Day but the cost for diverting buses is far too high. And political will in most boroughs isn't there.  But an opportunity to create a space for people to come together and which, from evidence, shows that businesses benefit. Thinking of T Centres as places of destination and for social reasons, since the falling off of retail as the main purpose in recent years. So cultural events, open air markets etc but the bureaucracy grinds you down. 

Obviously, any restrictions on travel by private car needs to consider issues for people who rely on this e.g. disabilities or issues of mobility, and public transport has to be considered along with this. 

London's numerous cemeteries, often with 'friends groups' attached to them that help with conservation and care of the biodiversity of the cemeteries have websites advertising events that include nature and history walks in the cemeteries. My own South London cemeteries of 'Nunhead Cemetery' and 'Brockley & Ladywell Cemeteries' have local historians organising guided walks among graves of astonishing interred characters whose lives are brought back to life in the walks notwithstanding birdwatching, bat-watching and butterfly and other creature observing going on when the season permits.  

My main interest is wildlife so visiting some of the capital's best sites for this both locally & farther afield. Involved in various monitoring surveys. One of the biggest issues are people who have no idea on how to control their dogs, some of which are aggressive & disruptive off the lead.

In my opinion, the problem with many of these questionnaires is that they are probably reaching and preaching to the converted since most will have signed up to .gov because they are or want to make an improvement to London. 

"Only one in five Londoners have gardens and many Londoners do not have green spaces like parks, woodland or wetlands nearby." 

If this is a fact then it is likely that a high proportion of the 4/5's do not visit the areas mentioned. This the group the questions need to reach.  However,  If this is the case (and if they are reading these webpages) surely the right questions would be:

What prevents you using green spaces like parks, woodland or wetlands?

What would make it more attractive or encourage you to do so? 

With the first of these I believe transport is a major factor.  Although MoL has kept prices down (Thank You) but perhaps having to use multiple modes of transport to get to the spaces the low waged/income households may still find this expensive.

With the second question. As many of these areas do not have car parks,(and given the vagaries of the English weather), the lack of adequate seating, shelters and refreshment availability are likely to be preventative factors.

Also, the emphasis seems to be on activities rather than leisure, recreation and enjoyment.  I appreciate we desire a fitter nation but is suggesting cold water swimming likely to tempt people out eather than good views, a change to see rare flora and fauna and the chance of a warm drink at the end of an enjoyable walk?