Sadiq Khan’s walking and cycling tsar says ULEZ is not an ‘anti-car agenda’

Sadik Khancycling and walking tsars, the controversial Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) London Not part of the “anti-car agenda”.

Will Norman, the Mayor of London’s Commissioner for Walking and Cycling, also said: Areas with low traffic (LTNs) deal and business footprint increased 40%.

The ULEZ scheme, which is due to expand further to Greater London this summer, charges older and more polluted cars to enter parts of the city, but the LTN prevents cars from driving through the roads and Push the vehicle onto the main road instead.

Both schemes have been criticized by local business owners for reducing trade. Some say that’s the reason for the closure.

When asked on the News Agent podcast last night if such traffic-soothing plans are hurting business, Neumann said it had the opposite effect.

“Our research in London shows that foot traffic to shops and commerce increases by 40% where there are more walkable and cycle-friendly areas.

“Streets that once had empty retail stores are now part of low-traffic neighborhoods, and for the first time in living memory there were no empty retail stores.”

Neumann, who became London’s first cycling and walking commissioner in 2016, argued that the reason for the increase was that people were less likely to stop at coffee shops and independent businesses while driving.

However, if you’re biking or passing by, you’re more likely to stop by such stores because you don’t have to spend time looking for a place to park.

Asked by former BBC veterans John Sopel and Emily Maitlis whether the mayor and his team have reached a “tipping point” in the wake of the backlash against ULEZ being recognized as an “anti-auto” authority.

Neumann, who was Nike’s director of global partnerships, declared ULEZ was not on the “anti-car agenda.”

He added: For decades, London has designed its city around the car, but in reality, car travel causes congestion, 4,000 people die prematurely from the air they breathe, and 3,000 die. is the result. Every year people are beaten, seriously injured or killed in the streets.

“We need to change that because people want to live where their children want to walk to school, bike to school and bike to the store.

“I’m not saying people shouldn’t use their cars. We need to have fewer cars on the road. Everywhere in the world says so. And the cars we need are Should be cleaner.

Khan is under increasing pressure to scrap plans to expand ULEZ on August 29.

Last month, the mayor said “anti-vaxxers, Covid deniers, conspiracy theorists and Nazis” had joined the “decent Tories” to oppose the expansion of ultra-low emission zones across the capital.

At Ealing’s People’s Question Time he said, “Let’s be frank. Some of the outsiders are part of the far right. Some are Covid deniers. Some are vaccine deniers. And some are Tories. is.

This led to an outcry from an angry audience saying, “We are not far right. Ordinary people are not far right.”

Conservative Party chairman Greg Hands said it was reason enough for him to be voted out in the next election.

He said: “These are terrible comments from the Lord Mayor of London and thus tarnish the anti-Yurez voice. It is not surprising that Ealing audiences pushed back. Must vote.

The comments were made amid concerns that the capital’s LTN scheme has delayed the arrival of 240 ambulances to potentially life-threatening calls since 2020.

FairFuel UK campaign founder Howard Cox said:

“It is time for our short-sighted central government to end the LTN experiment, remove urban roadblocks, and allow emergency services to carry out their duties without a hitch.

“These expensive and pointless roadblocks are also widespread across the UK, so these numbers could be just the tip of the iceberg.”

And it’s not just the capital that’s seeing backlash against “anti-auto” measures.

Since the LTN was installed in Oxford and Rochdale, there have been many reported incidents of violence, in some cases setting bollards on fire within hours of installation.

However, many local governments have hailed LTNs as a success story in tackling congestion and pollution, with 300 LTNs already installed or planned nationwide.

The scheme includes pop-up bike lanes, wider pavement and roads closed to vehicles, while enforcing new rules with warning signs, CCTV cameras and fines for drivers who violate them.