Victor Anderson said: "After five years in power the Government has failed to solve transport problems. In London, we now have the GLA with some of the powers to tackle them.
"There are many barriers to walking in central London, including road traffic, pollution and railings. We need to make walking in central London a more pleasant experience for Londoners and tourists. A start is already being made by the work currently being carried out in preparation for the pedestrianisation of the northern side of Trafalgar Square, and for congestion charging. What I think we need now in the draft London Plan is an explicit commitment to routes in central London where there would be measures to make the street environment more pedestrian-friendly."
"People will want to know what difference the Mayor’s Plan is going to make to London – and one of the clearest ways of making a difference would be to change the priorities for the allocation of road space in central London. More space needs to allocated to pedestrians and cyclists and less to motor vehicles." –
The proposals suggest three walking routes between Regents Park and Trafalgar Square. These are a direct route, a western loop and an eastern loop. The three routes together form a circle with a vertical diameter. The direct and the western loop are based on proposals drawn up by Terry Farrell & Partners as part of a project to link the royal parks.
The direct route follows Portland Place, Regent Street and Pall Mall but with improved pedestrian facilities such as wider pavements, more time for pedestrians to cross roads and removal of railings. The western loop follows the Regents Canal towpath and then runs through Hyde Park, Green Park and St James Park. The eastern loop follows traffic free and low traffic streets through Euston, Bloomsbury and Covent Garden.
Notes:
The draft London Plan (the Spatial Development Strategy for London) is to be published by the Mayor in June. It will provide an overview for London’s development over the next 15 years.