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| “The
city multiplies man’s power to think, to educate, to communicate.”
Lewis Mumford 1895-1990
But most modern cities have surrendered to the car so it’s
worth remembering that he
also said: “Forget the damned motor car and build
cities for lovers and friends.”
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I’ve
spent much of my life trying to cajole politicians into common
sense policies on cars in cities and with a London mayoral election
due in 2012 have recently distilled five decades of reflections
on this topic into 2 sheets of A4 and sent them to both declared
mayoral candidates, my MP and my MEP. Here’s what I’ve
sent them: |
A
TRANSPORT OF DELIGHT* |
Despite
the presence of historic village names on the TFL route map
few Londoners realise their buses still trace ancient parish
boundaries that have survived two world wars and centuries of
urban sprawl. Yet, when asked where they live, residents of
Battersea and Bloomsbury, Hackney
and Hoxton, Sydenham and Soho, consistently
name their villages as their home. So why have politicians relentlessly
treated London’s villages as routes not destinations? |
I
propose that policies that acknowledge and reward Londoners’
enduring village loyalty would improve all residents’
and visitors’ sense of place wherever they went in our
amazing, two-thousand-year-old city. I further propose that
such policies be offered in itemised village referenda on detailed
practical methods of enhancing each village’s environment.
If such policies proved acceptable London’s villages might
become virtually car-free and walking in the street would cease
to be a battle and become a pleasure. |
To
accomplish this desirable outcome I propose individual Village
Referenda on... |
| The
conversion of car parks to village warehousing & delivery
centres enabling...
Local
delivery of all goods at user’s convenience by silent,
fume-free electric trucks.
Signed taxi routes
to village cab ranks.
Signed cohesive
cycle routes.
Where residents
vote for it, implementation of their streets as public gardens.
Tree-planting.
Street tidies -
combined planting, seating and waste-recycling points.
Removal of all
redundant traffic signs.
Access to pedestrians
and cyclists only (with the above exceptions). |
In
addition I propose individual Village Referenda on… |
Green
walkways between neighbouring villages.
Continuous
cohesive bicycle routes between villages.
Integrated
ticketing on public transport with simple transverse
and radial interchange.
Integration
of Thames ferry-boats with other public transport.
Pedestrian-friendly
interchanges at all transport hubs including riverside piers.
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How
to apply these
proposals to my village… |
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