1. Liveable Neighbourhoods in London – A Transport Planner’s Perspective
Liveable Neighbourhoods in London – A Transport Planner’s Perspective
Animation
Kevin Burke – Smart City Mobility Planning
Ben Kennedy – Urban Mobility London Ltd

2. Context for Liveable Neighbourhoods – Public Health Crisis?
Increasingly our role is less about getting people and goods/services from A to B but more about how they get there and how the impact can be mitigated.
Response is to encourage more walking and cycling plus PT use in the first instance
Will involve reshaping public realm – include all space between- building line to streets’
After that – green necessary trips- use of low emission technology. Assess impact on other modes- e.g Autonomous cars on public transport and shorter trips

3. Walking & Cycling– The Wonder Drug?
Critical public health issues in London -

4. Kicked to the Kerb? Majority of households (60%+) do not own a car.
Rhetoric not matching reality
Average car in UK is in use only 4% of the time. Cars are parked either at home (80%) or elsewhere (16%).
Space Intensive: Average car sizes are getting bigger and take up more space on our kerbsides.
Parking is a scarce resource that can be mined by local governments to produce revenue for neighbourhood improvements (Shoup)
Majority of households (60%+) do not own a car.
High public transport, high walking, increasing cycle mode share (76% )

5. Do we value the Kerbside enough? Managing Parking
Donald Shoup, The high cost of free parking
Donald Shoup details the effect of parking prices on Grosvenor Square in London in
his work when Westminster introduced the first paid parking
• David Shoup quote: “It’s unfair to have cities where parking is free for cars and
housing is expensive for people”
• Opportunity cost of housing, air quality, congestion, active modes etc
Average car in UK is in se only 4% of the time. Cars are parked either at home (80%) or elsewhere (16%).
Space Intensive: Average car sizes are getting bigger and take up more space on our kerbsides.
Parking is a scarce resource that can be mined by local governments to produce revenue for neighbourhood improvements (Shoup)
“Parking is a scarce resource that can be mined by local governments to produce revenue for neighbourhood improvements” (Shoup)

6. Overcoming scepticism
Key Challenge in creating Liveable neighbourhoods/ town centres
More common than not to encounter protests –social media campaigns,
Engage early and often – go above minimum statutory requirement

7. If I can make it there……
Longer tradition in the Netherlands- closing streets in 1960s on trial basis for shoppers (Utrecht) – gradual pedestrianisation of city centres
In US – leaders such as Janette Sadik-Khan speak of ‘Road diets’ (Healthy Streets)
Informal spaces- Create ‘reversible’ new city living spaces and support local initiatives to give streets a makeover in lowcost imaginative ways, and bring back under-used or blighted spaces to life (eg underpasses and future
development sites).
Bike zone, New York - A bike lane is being trialled on Ninth Avenue across seven blocks. Concrete dividers and a row of parked cars shield it from motorised traffic. Low-level minitraffic lights show when cyclists have the right of way.

8. Experimental Traffic Orders - Regents Row
Initial resistance by residents to
loss of through traffic
Walking further to parked cars
Wanted to retain railings
Worries about access for refuse, emergency services etc
To gain trust we;
Agreed to 18 month trial banning through traffic
Residents involved in maintaining planters
Result
Residents happy with reduction of noise, cleaner air, speeding problem resolved
Trial became permanent!

9. Can we trial more?

10. Park(ing) Day Low cost interventions. Park(ing) Day
Rebar in San Francisco in 2005
200 cities worldwide
• Others
- San Fran ‘Pavements to Park’
- Pavement to Plaza (NYC)
- Sustrans ‘Pocket Places’
- Play Streets
- Estates programmes
Rebar in St Francisco
Parking spaces become a hive of activity- brings people to the streets

11. Parklets (Semi-permanent)
Inspired by Park (ing) Day
Key reason – lack of street seating a barrier to older people visiting town centres. Lack of greenery and cycle parking. Deficient in access to open space
Hackney parklet – first in UK collaboration between Hackney Council, Sustrans and Cyclehoop
Wildly successful – café owner recorded best weekend takings on opening weekend. Opportunity for Copuncil to off-set costs in future by ‘selling’ space to local traders on annual basis.
Local Maintenance agreements – reduce cost to Council
Fresh Air Squares – outside Council office. Collaboration btw Team London Bridge (BID) and Kings College. Text service to

12. Lower Emission Zones/Neighbourhoods
Recognition that air pollution a cross boundary issue
Shoreditch Zero Emission Network (ZEN)
Now 5 Lower Emission Neighbourhoods (LEN)
Funding/advice available to businesses residents within defined zone
Emphasis on ‘last mile’ journeys
Package of measures:
-Smart parking,
- cargo bikes,
- EV car clubs,
- anti-idling campaigns
Taxis Zero Emission capable by 2019
Reduce annual average concentrations of NO2 to be below 40µg/m3
Go Ultra Low Emission

13. Neighbourhoods of the Future?
6 neighbourhoods awarded 1.4m funding from Mayor of London – match funded by LA’s
Inner and Outer London
Rapid Charging taxi ranks, retraining mechanics, public realm improvements, climate change adaptation, cycle parking
City Fringe – network of ‘Electric Streets’ Charging points and electric vehicle-only parking