Big Shift programme

Be part of the Big Shift to greener and healthier travel around Lambeth. Get an affordable bike, make free e‑cargo bike trips, and get involved in London’s biggest community parklet scheme.

Our new Lambeth Big Shift active travel programme brings together a number of initiatives to help residents, businesses and schools choose cleaner and healthier ways of getting around the borough, such as walking, cycling and public transport.

There’s something for everyone. Find out how you can get involved in the Big Shift today and check back here for more information about up-and-coming projects.

Stay on top of the latest Big Shift news and opportunities by signing up to our monthly climate change, clean transport and sustainability newsletter.

Sign up to our monthly newsletter

Your Streets Your Way

Your Streets Your Way gives people who live, work or travel through the borough, the opportunity to transform one of 10 locations into:

  • a space to spend more time in
  • connect with each other 
  • make more attractive to walk, wheel or cycle through.

Your Streets Your Way 2023

Lambeth Council, in conjunction with We Made That, launched the second instalment of the Your Streets Your Way street design competition, which closed on Friday 28 April. 

Each winner, judge's choice and runners up will be announced soon.

Your Street Your Way 2021

When the initiative was launched, 8 locations were reimagined by our competition winners. Five of the transformations have now been completed and the last 3 are in development. See the progress of the sites from Your Streets Your Way 2021 (PDF 6.4MB).

Community Parklet Scheme

The Community Parklet Scheme is now open.

A parklet is an old parking space that has been transformed into something for people to enjoy. They are great for bringing communities together, and providing some much-needed local green space.  

Lambeth residents will have the opportunity to become a parklet keeper and create a parklet in partnership with Lambeth Council. Parklet keepers will maintain and care for the parklet to make sure that they are enjoyed by all.  

Learn about the Community Parklet Scheme

OurBike

If you live or work in Lambeth, you can hire an e-cargo OurBike from 7 locations across the borough. 

Local resident? Leave your car at home and use OurBike for big shops or to take your kids to school or the park.

Run a business? Ditch your van and combine your delivery round with enjoying time outside.

Lambeth Council is giving all Lambeth residents and businesses free OurBike minutes for the rest of April and all of May. This is in addition to the council subsidising the hourly rate to keep it at £3 per hour.

How it works:

  • Any Lambeth resident who registers in April or May will have 300 minutes of free use per month added to their account
  • Any Lambeth business that registers in April or May will have 600 minutes of free use per month added to their account
  • If you're an existing member, the free minutes have already been added to your account
  • To check on your free minutes go to your 'Profile' in the app and it will show you what is available.

Download the OurBike app on the Google Play store or on the App Store.

Bike markets

Treat yourself to an affordable reconditioned bike, or donate a bike you no longer need at a bike market.

Markets are listed in our events section, search 'bike markets'.

Dr Bike

Get top tips on bike maintenance and have your bike fixed for free. Drop into one of our many Dr Bike sessions.

Learn to fix your bike yourself. Sign up to our cheap Basic Bike Maintenance Class.

Bike the borough

We’ll be organising a mass bike ride for children at our schools in Summer 2023. This is a calendar highlight. Lambeth school children will cycle through the borough, celebrating the fun, freedom and independence cycling can offer to young people wanting to explore where they live.

This event will be open to schools which are part of Transport for London’s active travel STARS programme or provide Bikeability cycle training to their students.

Dockless bikes and scooters

We’re shifting the balance of parking bays in Lambeth so there will be more room for cycle and scooter parking, greenery and places to rest. Our Kerbside Strategy explains how we can all contribute to transforming the borough’s kerbside – the area in between the road and the pavement.

Look out for new e-scooter and dockless parking bays in your neighbourhood this spring.

Community Influencers – changing the way we travel

We have a team of brilliant, friendly volunteers who are passionate about getting more people to try cycling as a green and healthy way to travel around Lambeth.

They’re all Lambeth residents, so they know the borough well.

Many of our volunteers didn’t cycle at first. They wanted to, but they didn’t have a bike, didn’t feel confident out on the road or hadn’t even thought about it until we introduced the Community Influencer Programme.

This spring, you’ll be able to meet the Community Influencers at events across the borough. 

Car free days

We’ll be celebrating our borough over the summer, by freeing up some of our streets for socialising and play for the day. We’ll share more details closer to the time.