Since launching in 2022, The Big Shift has helped thousands of people to walk, wheel and cycle more, while transforming streets into greener, more welcoming places for everyone. Key outcomes include delivering more than 150 Car Free Days across the borough, over 6,000 hours of e-cargo bike journeys for residents and businesses and installed 11 parklets across the borough.
It works alongside Lambeth’s wider transport initiatives, including Healthy Neighbourhoods, helping residents adapt to changes to local streets designed to reduce road danger, improve air quality and make neighbourhoods healthier places to live, work and spend time.
Making change happen across the borough
Since October 2022, The Big Shift has delivered a wide range of initiatives in every corner of Lambeth, including:
- Car Free Days – delivering 167 events across 12 locations, turning streets into lively spaces for play, culture, markets and community activities.
- Bike the Borough – bringing together 259 children across two largescale celebration rides, helping young people build confidence and independence on their bikes.
- Community Influencers – supporting 60 residents, particularly women and people from underrepresented backgrounds, to promote cycling in their communities. The scheme won the Mode Shift 2024 award for Best Community Engagement Project.
- OurBike cargo bike share – expanding to 10 e-cargo bikes across 14 neighbourhoods, offering low-cost, low carbon travel for residents and local businesses.
- Community and business parklets – installing 11 parklets so far, transforming parking spaces into places to rest, play, grow and socialise, and helping deliver Lambeth’s trailblazing Kerbside Strategy.
- Your Streets Your Way – inviting residents of all ages to design real street improvements, with five winning designs installed across Lambeth.
From Brixton to Waterloo, and Streatham to Clapham, these projects are helping ensure communities across Lambeth benefit from cleaner air, safer journeys and more vibrant streets.
Supporting Lambeth’s transport and climate ambitions
The Big Shift is a key part of Lambeth’s Transport Strategy, which focuses on reallocating street space towards people and sustainable travel. From cargo bike sharing and car-free events to community designed street improvements, the programme is helping make low carbon travel the easy, everyday choice.
Transport is one of Lambeth’s biggest sources of carbon emissions. By making it easier and more appealing to walk, wheel and cycle, The Big Shift plays an important role in tackling the climate emergency, improving air quality and creating safer, more sociable neighbourhoods.
Word from the Cabinet
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Sustainable Lambeth and Clean Air, said:
“This report showcases our commitment to supporting residents and businesses in our busy London borough, and to bringing people with us as we tackle the climate emergency, toxic air and road danger.
“Thousands of people across Lambeth have taken part in The Big Shift – from helping businesses expand through parklets, to residents aged six to seventy designing improvements to their local streets. The programme shows that working closely with our communities is vital to making Lambeth fairer, greener and more liveable.”
She added:
“The Big Shift is the soft change to support the engineering works we’re doing around the borough. From children gaining confidence on bikes, to small businesses using cargo bikes and residents turning parking bays into green spaces, these projects are helping make Lambeth a healthier and more connected place to live.”
