The City of London Corporation has proposed the banning of cars in London’s financial district the Square Mile to make it safer for pedestrians and to reduce congestion.
The radical plans also touch on speed by proposing a slashing of the speed limits to 15mph.
Taxis, buses, vans, and buses will be banned as the Corporation seeks to usher in a “world-class” street scene and introduce “Pedestrian priority” zones.
The roads earmarked for pedestrian priority status include parts of Threadneedle Street near the Bank of England, and roads around Mansion House, Moorgate and Liverpool Street stations. Bicycles will be expected to give way to pedestrians in these zones.
Chris Hayward, chairman of the planning and transportation committee said, “radical” proposals are aimed at “future-proofing the Square Mile”.
He added: “This is an ambitious piece of work, but the City of London is a unique district. With over 480,000 workers commuting into the Square Mile on a day-to-day basis, these are some of the busiest streets in London and we need to be open for business.” The Evening Standard reported.
City of London Corporation, which is the local authority for the area, also asked Transport for London to rethink the Congestion Charge introduced in 2003.
They proposed that a “road user charge” could be varied according to the type of vehicle and demand. This opens the door to increasing the charges for more polluting vehicles.
The draft proposals were presented Tuesday to elected members. The planning and Transportation Committee will make a decision on the matter on October 30th.
By Airport Pickups London