Bristol reveals plans to pedestrianise historic centre in Covid-19 revamp

Mayor sees pandemic as chance to change travel habits and revitalise city
May 21 2020

A scheme to turn part of Bristol’s historic centre into a pedestrian-only zone within months has been set out as part of plans to change how people get around the city during and after the Covid-19 crisis.

The city council hopes that by the end of the summer a tranche of the Old City area – which includes restaurants, cafes, independent shops and Bristol crown court – will be free of traffic...

More at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/may/21/bristol-reveals-plan-to-pedestrianise-historic-centre-in-covid-19-reforms

The UK government is urging the public to walk and cycle to work instead of using public transport or driving.

How we will travel while maintaining social distancing is one of the biggest challenges the government faces as it seeks to start to lift the lockdown.

It has led communities, UK transport groups and public health experts to call for radical changes - some already happening globally - such as wider pavements, traffic restrictions and cycle networks.

Such changes would prevent further waves of infections, improve air quality and public health, and help countries achieve their climate goals, they say.

The decline in road use during the lockdown has seen dramatic falls in air pollution - an unforeseen benefit of the pandemic - as well as quieter roads for cycling.

By Georgina Rannard BBC News 5/9/20   https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52524807

Council approves Healthy Streets program to ease crowding on sidewalks, trails

“In neighborhoods that are lucky enough to have sidewalks, people are crowding onto 5-foot pathways next to 40-foot roads,” said Council Member Natasha Harper-Madison. “This effort isn’t just about the benefit of joggers and cyclists – it’s about people in wheelchairs who need to safely get to the pharmacy; it’s about grocery store clerks and health workers who need to get to their bus stops.”

Friday, May 8, 2020 by Ryan Thornton
https://www.austinmonitor.com/stories/2020/05/council-approves-healthy-streets-program-to-ease-crowding-on-sidewalks-trails/

Seattle will permanently close 20 miles of residential streets to most vehicle traffic

May 7, 2020

Nearly 20 miles of Seattle streets will permanently close to most vehicle traffic by the end of May, Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Thursday.

The streets had been closed temporarily to through traffic to provide more space for people to walk and bike at a safe distance apart during the coronavirus pandemic.

Now the closures will continue even after Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order is lifted.

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/seattle-will-permanently-close-20-miles-of-residential-streets-to-most-vehicle-traffic/

City leaders aim to shape green recovery from coronavirus crisis

Mayors coordinating efforts to support a low-carbon, sustainable path out of lockdowns

A cyclist in a new bike lane in Milan. 

The city has introduced one of Europe’s most ambitious cycling and walking schemes. 

Photograph: Roberto Finizio/Getty Images

...Many cities have already announced measures, from hundreds of miles of new bike lanes in Milan and Mexico City to widening pavements and pedestrianising neighbourhoods in New York and Seattle.

The initiatives are designed to allow people to move around urban spaces safely in a world where physical distancing will be the norm for the foreseeable future – and do so without sparking a drastic increase in air pollution...

Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/01/city-leaders-aim-to-shape-green-recovery-from-coronavirus-crisis