London traffic lanes could be repurposed to cope with surge in walking and cycling

‘Many Londoners have rediscovered the joys of walking and cycling during lockdown,’ mayor says

People cycling wearing face masks as a precaution are seen on Oxford Street in London (AFP/Getty)

London’s parking spaces and traffic lanes could be repurposed to give more space for pedestrians and cyclists under a new transport plan for the capital.

Public transport capacity could potential run at a fifth of pre-crisis levels once coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted, and City Hall fears an increase in car journeys could risk the city grinding to a halt.

There could be a more than tenfold increase in cycle use and a fivefold increase in walking when coronavirus lockdown restrictions are lifted, modelling by Transport for London (TfL) has suggested.

To prevent an increase in the number of cars on the streets and accommodate the increase in cycle and foot traffic, the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced several steps to transform London’s road network.

As well as repurposing parking spaces and traffic lanes, pavements will be widened to allow greater access to shops as they observe social distancing rules. Temporary cycle lanes will also be implemented, along with lower speed limits and the closure of some streets to traffic.

“The capacity of our public transport will be dramatically reduced post-coronavirus as a result of the huge challenges we face around social distancing,” Mr Khan said.

“Everyone who can work from home must continue to do so for some time to come.

“The emergency measures included in our major strategic London Streetspace programme will help those who have to travel to work by fast-tracking the transformation of streets across our city.

“Many Londoners have rediscovered the joys of walking and cycling during lockdown and, by quickly and cheaply widening pavements, creating temporary cycle lanes and closing roads to through traffic we will enable millions more people to change the way they get around our city.”

He added: “I urge the government and boroughs to work with us to enable Londoners to switch to cleaner, more sustainable forms of transport – and reduce the pressure on other parts of our transport network – once the lockdown is eased.”

The schemes will be reviewed by TfL and could be made permanent.

Several cities around the world are already planning how to make the most of the lockdown.

Manchester’s council is reportedly looking at pedestrianising parts of the city centre, while Brighton’s seafront Madeira Drive has been closed to traffic.

The Lithuanian capital of Vilnius has announced plans to allow cafes and restaurants free access to public spaces so they can reopen and comply with social distancing rules.

In Milan, Italy, officials want to introduce a new network of cycle lanes and walking space before traffic returns.