Sadiq Khan to ban cars in much of Central London

[Crispy]

It is an effective ban as it takes out London Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and even if you could cross the river by blackfriars the main east west carriageway is taken out leaving no way into the west end. Pretty much the whole of the city of London will be taken out too. Call it what it is. A ban.

Embankment and Thames Street remain completely unaffected. A 2x2 lane main road cutting right through from East to West.
Westminster, Blackfriars, Southwark and Tower Bridges all join up with it.
It's a restriction, not a ban.

 

[MrAEMiller]

Yes embankment will be unaffected but you can't turn anywhere off it and since Canon Street is closing and Bank Junction is closed that means when you got to the end you'd have to go back again. This leaves Westminster Bridge, blackfriars Bridge (possibly) and Tower Bridge as the only ways to cross the city south to North. Unless you go further out to Blackwall or further east towards vauxhall...

 

[MrAEMiller]

Still we can always vote out the politicians if we don't like it.. What's that? Elections delayed till 2021...?

 

[Spymaster]

... or further east towards vauxhall...

West.

 

[MrAEMiller]

West.

Oh yes...! I suppose the way it's supposed to work is allow some access for delivery but stop people crossing the city by car... Which has some logic to it.

 

[DJWrongspeed]

West.

Well that was Bojo's legacy no CCharge in the west area where let's face it many are too posh to walk/cycle/take public transport etc and could frankly afford the charge. The CCharge is a blunt instrument though , it could be made alot better and be more time /person selective, then it could be used inside the N/s circular.

 

[Spymaster]

Well that was Bojo's legacy no CCharge in the west area ...

Loads more of the C zone is west of The City than east.

 

[tim]

Loads more of the C zone is west of The City than east.

Yes, butin 2011 got rid of the congestion charge in Bayswater, Notting Hill, Pimlico, Kensington and Chelsea, which Livingstone brought in in 2007.

 

[Spymaster]

Yes, butin 2011 got rid of the congestion charge in Bayswater, Notting Hill, Pimlico, Kensington and Chelsea, which Livingstone brought in in 2007.

Ah, yes. Indeed.

 

[T & P]

I'm in favour of banning all private vehicles from London but this feels like Khan flexing his remaining muscles after he's just been turned over on the Tfl deal.

I travelled along the northbound side of Park Lane today, which (presumably) is being redesigned as part of the Covid plans to prioritise bikes and restrict motor traffic. The previously 4-lane highway has been changed to 1-lane only for motor traffic almost all the way to Marble Arch.

Even though traffic was actually light, it was bumper to bumper chockablock all the way. If it was like this on a quiet Sunday in central London (and regardless of what peeps might have seen in their neighbourhoods, central London has undeniably been very quiet traffic-wise during the lockdown), it is going to be even worse during the working week.

Whereas Park Lane was screaming for a redesign and proper segregated cycle lanes given how wide it is, it could have certainly been done allowing two lanes for motor traffic with plenty of space left for cycle lanes and a bus lane. Restricting private vehicles to one lane on arterial routes when you could have had two and still allow more than appropriate and safe lanes for buses and cycles seems like a vindictive dick move. And one that is not only going to make fuck all difference to the overall amount of private and commercial vehicles driving in central London, but which also causes additional harm to everyone but creating extra congestion that could have been avoided or mitigated.

I’m all for encouraging less motor traffic journeys, but trying to dissuade people from driving in London by manufacturing a traffic jam-filled hellish experience for those who do is the ultimate cunt’s trick. I hope that’s not Khan’s masterplan.

 

[Spymaster]

I travelled along the northbound side of Park Lane today, which (presumably) is being redesigned as part of the Covid plans to prioritise bikes and restrict motor traffic. The previously 4-lane highway has been changed to 1-lane only for motor traffic almost all the way to Marble Arch.

Even though traffic was actually light, it was bumper to bumper chockablock all the way. If it was like this on a quiet Sunday in central London (and regardless of what peeps might have seen in their neighbourhoods, central London has undeniably been very quiet traffic-wise during the lockdown), it is going to be even worse during the working week.

Whereas Park Lane was screaming for a redesign and proper segregated cycle lanes given how wide it is, it could have certainly been done allowing two lanes for motor traffic with plenty of space left for cycle lanes and a bus lane. Restricting private vehicles to one lane on arterial routes when you could have had two and still allow more than appropriate and safe lanes for buses and cycles seems like a vindictive dick move. And one that is not only going to make fuck all difference to the overall amount of private and commercial vehicles driving in central London, but which also causes additional harm to everyone but creating extra congestion that could have been avoided or mitigated.

I’m all for encouraging less motor traffic journeys, but trying to dissuade people from driving in London by manufacturing a traffic jam-filled hellish experience for those who do is the ultimate cunt’s trick. I hope that’s not Khan’s masterplan.

I've seen that and thought that it's a temporary thing but possibly not. The main problem is that it's the north/south corridor through the congestion charge so whilst it's likely to be popular with the anti-car lot, it's going to create huge congestion either end of it.

Needs a rethink.