Main roads and town centres across London are to be rapidly transformed to create safe space for a massive increase in pedestrians and cyclists, City Hall announced today.
Transport for London predicts the number of cyclist commuters will increase 10-fold, while the volume of pedestrians walking to work will rise five-fold when lockdown is eased.
Temporary cycle lanes are planned for Euston Road and are being considered for Park Lane, while long-delayed cycle superhighways, such as the CS9 through Chiswick and Hammersmith, will be marked out within weeks using plastic cones and barriers.
Mayor Sadiq Khan, unveiling a “streetspace plan”, said it would enable millions to walk and cycle, while trying to prevent the capitals roads from becoming gridlocked, more polluted and more dangerous.
Kings College London today revealed levels of nitrogen dioxide had fallen by up to 55 per cent in the capital due to less traffic during the lockdown.
Concentrations of NO2, which is emitted by vehicle exhausts, fell by 55 per cent in Marylebone Road and 36 per cent in Euston Road. The average reduction was 21.5 per cent across the capital.
The cycling and walking plan comes a day after a leaked TfL document revealed the Tube would be able to carry only about 15 per cent of normal rush-hour passengers if the two-metre social distancing rule were enforced.
Mr Khan said there had to be a “major new strategic shift” in the way Londoners travel. He announced the “rapid construction” of a strategic cycling network, using temporary materials, including new routes aimed at reducing crowding on underground and train lines, and on busy bus corridors.
Local town centres will be transformed to enable as many local journeys as possible to be safely walked and cycled, and traffic will be reduced on residential roads.
On-street parking and lanes for traffic will be reduced to give pedestrians and bikes more space. The temporary measures will be reviewed by TfL and could become permanent.
Pavements have already been doubled in size in some locations and widened in others, with another 20 locations due for work in the coming days.
Mr Khan said: “The emergency measures… will help those who have to travel to work. Many Londoners have rediscovered the joys of walking and cycling during lockdown and … we will enable millions more people to change the way they get around our city.”
READ MORE FROM SOURCE: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/mayor-unveils-rapid-road-transformation-plan-for-rise-in-walking-and-cycling-a4433561.html
