Large areas of London to go 'car-free' as Mayor plots green Covid-19 recovery

Sadiq Khan has today announced plans to transform parts of central London into "one of the largest car-free zones in any capital city in the world", as part of a sweeping set of measures to support safer walking and cycling for workers as the battle against coronavirus continues.

The Mayor of London said the plans would create more space for social distancing to assist people returning to work in the centre of the city, with some streets restricted to walking and cycling only, and others limited to buses as well as pedestrians in order to boost "safe and sustainable travel".

Work on the road closures is set to begin immediately and is expected to be completed within six weeks, City Hall said.

"If we want to make transport in London safe, and keep London globally competitive, then we have no choice but to rapidly repurpose London's streets for people," said Khan. "By ensuring our city's recovery is green, we will also tackle our toxic air which is vital to make sure we don't replace one public health crisis with another. I urge all boroughs to work with us to make this possible."

Transport for London (TfL) has already added around 5,000 square metre of extra space on footpaths across London, but now cars may be banned altogether from Waterloo Bridge, London Bridge, and streets in Shoreditch, Euston, Old Street and Holborn, it said.

TfL added that it was looking into providing zero emission capable taxis with access to both London Bridge and Waterloo Bridge, as well as other areas where traffic is restricted, with the Mayor keen to capitalise on the significant improvement in the city's air quality since the lockdown began.

Coronavirus-related travel restrictions have already seen traffic levels fall by as much as 60 per cent over the past two months, cutting levels of harmful pollutant nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in half, but TfL said with more Londoners returning to work this week traffic and pollution were beginning to rise again.

As such, to prevent congestion on London's roads, City Hall today announced that following their suspension in the wake of lockdown travel restrictions, both the Congestion Charge and Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) would be reintroduced on Monday. The Congestion Charge will rise from £11.50 to £15 next week, with a reimbursement scheme for NHS staff and care workers given a further extension, it said.

However, Khan emphasised that despite the minor easing of advice regarding social distancing earlier this week, Londoners should still only use public transport as a last resort, with walking and cycling the preferred method of travel wherever possible.

Khan conceded the changes would be "incredibly difficult for many Londoners" as it would mean "a fundamental reimagining of how we live our lives in this city", but that Covid-19 posed "the biggest challenge to London's public transport network in TfL's history".

"That means we have to keep the number of people using public transport as low as possible," he said. "And we can't see journeys formerly taken on public transport replaced with car usage because our roads would immediately become unusably blocked and toxic air pollution would soar."

"We will need many more Londoners to walk and cycle to make this work," Khan added. "That's why these plans will transform parts of central London to create one of the largest car-free areas in any capital city in the world."

The announcement came as TfL secured an emergency funding package with the UK government for next 4.5 months to keep the tube and buses running, with London transport facing a funding crisis due to fares plummeting 90 per cent since the lockdown began.

Gareth Powell, TfL's managing director for surface transport, said it was keen to make the "dramatic fall in pollution" seen since the lockdown began permanent.

"In the last few weeks, the capital has become a greener, cleaner place and we are determined to keep it this way," he said. "The London Streetspace programme is a fantastic opportunity to help Londoners move about the city in safe and sustainable ways in greater numbers than we have ever seen before.  This will put public health, safety and the environment at the heart of London's gradual emergence from lockdown."

Separately, efforts to curb traffic in parts of London's financial district are also reportedly being drawn up by the City of London Corporation, while authorities in York are hoping to make the city's centre the UK's first to be zero emission after the lockdown is lifted.

Greenpeace UK's policy director Doug Parr welcomed the Mayor's "ambitious" announcement today, and called on other towns and cities across the UK to roll out similar measures.

"Not only will transforming our streets in a way that prioritises pedestrians and cyclists make it safer for people to move about as lockdown restrictions are eased, but by permanently restricting car use, we can keep toxic pollution from filling our air once again," he said.

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• Topics
• Transport
• Transport for London
• London
• ULEZ
• Sadiq Khan
• Mayor of London
• Cycling