Forum Topic

Make urban spaces better for walking and cycling

Urges the government's Chair of Office for Space, Nicholas Boys Smith in a report published by Create Streets yesterday. Boys Smith is a former Conservative Adviser appointed by Michael Gove to Chair Office for Space in the Levelling Up Department.   “Look at the facts and the data already in your local town. In many historic English market towns the most prosperous streets with the fewest, if any, empty shops are the ones with the most street trees and with the tightest, most speed-constraining, carriageway. Cars can be present but they are guests. Humans are the dominant species, not cars.”The research from many towns and cities shows that reallocating space away from cars and to walking and cycling makes them more appealing and more successful. Removing parking does not affect retail sales.Two reports from within government in just a few days telling us what most sensible people already know. A bad week for this aspect of the culture war as facts and evidence shatter assertions and conspiracies.

Paul Campbell ● 342d7 Comments

Thank you for proving my point. One size fits all as supported by myopic 'experts' does not work. The LTNs in Greenwich are far more suitable than the blanket approach previously taken. We are hardly disadvantaged in Ealing Campbell with ten new parks being created, our three cinemas and a new leisure centre planned. I look at the downward spiralling property prices in many parts of Grove Park and waonder why anybody would want to live in such a place.

N V Brooks ● 342d

Yes true everybody except the government, the DfT, the government's appointed advisers, the academics running the reviews including the one for the government, the polling companies, The Mayor (and many other Mayors from cities in the UK and around the world), the people living in and around LTNs, the government-backed Active Travel England, the many LAs implementing the recommendations in Nicholas Boys Smith's report. the vast majority of urban planners and traffic engineers, and frankly anybody with the capacity to read and process facts and evidence.On the other hand there are passionate subjects of the government's culture war who rage against the facts when they are not filling their social media feeds with bigotry and conspiracy theories. It's true that with this level of political, professional, academic and popular consensus that I am waging the same uphill battle on my own as I am on climate change.

Paul Campbell ● 342d

No matter how often you say it, Campbell, everyone knows that what you spout is complete fiction.

Claire Moran ● 342d

Greenwich are bringing in new LTNs alreadyTH going to JR so not done and dusted - Rahmann has found that once they are in people will fight very hard to keep them. Same as our Conservative Councillors found when the Council threatened to listen to the opponents of the South Chiswick LN Kingston continuing to make positive changes for walking and cycling with the most recent changes around Kingston Gate to Richmond Park.The vast majority of improvements have stuck and many more are coming. Maybe even one day to the disadvantaged people of Ealing.

Paul Campbell ● 342d

Is there any information on how successful or otherwise the pedestrianisation of Hounslow High Street has been, especially since the car parks between there and the Blenheim Centre were built on ? The imminent closure of the Treaty Centre, expected to be converted into flats, will presumably impact on the footfall on the High Street. I notice that unlike many other areas, Hounslow High Street does still seem to have a good assortment of bank branches. https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/news/article/3017/hounslow_council_statement_on_the_future_of_the_treaty_centre

Richard Greenhough ● 342d

Absolutely appropriate in the right location. However the supposed 'professionals'  implementing these and so lauded by Campbell and his ilk have taken this as a 'gospel' and have implemented without any true planning or finesse as a panacea for all local traffic issues.As a result millions have been wasted on schemes which have been reversed soon after introduction.Among those pulling schemes.GreenwichTower HamletsNewcastle upon TyneEalingKingstonBarnetSuttonMertonWandsworth (other, more suitable, measures implementd).Overll 28% outside London have been removed within a year of implementation. What a waste of money to appease a vocal minority.

N V Brooks ● 342d

It all depends on location.  I can give you a clear example of the total opposite happening in the town I grew up in - rural, but not isolated and an English market town of the sort Boys Smith is talking about.The Council decided to restrict cars, made all car parking pay only, closed a couple of car parks (they hoped to get them redeveloped as homes).  Within 3 months the high street was dead and shopping and mostly moved to the next town over which had a large out of town shopping centre.It took over a decade, a £20m redevelopment of the key arcade on the high street (which also made for a better bus garage, all funded by the Council) and a complete reversal of the anti car measures (re-opened all car parks, which are now all free) for shopping to come back.  The High Street is now a good place to shop.But of course what works in my old home town would not be right in an area which is much more densely populated and has much better public transport links.There is no such thing in urban planning as "one size fits all"

Justin Stephenson ● 342d