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Visiting the busy and historic LGBT+ area of Old Compton Street today, Zoë Garbett, Zack Polanski AM and local candidate Rajiv Sinha looked at one of the most pressing cases for pedestrianisation in the city, where the Labour council and Mayor have failed to act.
This area in Soho was one that successfully pedestrianised briefly during the pandemic, but this has now been rolled back on, and Greens say this has stifled much-needed progress in the area. This is despite Westminster Labour councillors having called for pedestrianisation when in power, and now in administration have failed to act.
Green candidate for Mayor of London Zoë Garbett said:
“Anyone who is regularly on the bustling Old Compton Street knows that it would make so much sense to make a space like this car-free, for people to walk safely and businesses to use for outdoor seating for food and drinks.
“It is an obvious solution to an obvious problem, but Labour politicians are just too timid about bold action.
“For the part of the Strand that has been made car-free, it has transformed an area that was once unsafe for the vast numbers of students crossing between university campuses. It is now safe to use, with greenery and places to sit.
“We need to help people travel safely, cut traffic and address the urgent air pollution crisis that kills thousands every year. That’s why we need to rethink space and move roads in central London away from prioritising cars and towards prioritising people.”
The Green candidate for Mayor of London also visited the Strand, where multiple university campus sites sit. Last year, two LSE staff members and one student were killed in road traffic incidents. A key segment of the Strand has now become pedestrianised. Campaigners at the London School of Economics continue to push for pedestrianisation.
Around eight cyclists and 60 pedestrians die in London each year, and a further 2,000 are seriously injured.
Greens plan to roll out a car-free-zone in central London, including space for wheelchair users and new cyclists. They argue that key areas of central London are better navigated without cars, and that a comprehensive network of cycle lanes, walking routes and tubes would cover the majority of travel, with buses, taxis and emergency travel being given priority through roads remaining in use for vehicles.
Whilst car-free-zones clearly reduce the impact of air pollution and unsafe roads, they also have been shown to be beneficial for businesses too.