City of York Council’s decision to ban non-essential cars from its city centre from 2023 is a brave one. It may act as a blueprint for others – and that will benefit the industry
As we move into 2020, we’ll all be looking for signs of change from one decade to the next. If populism, social media and austerity defined the 2010s, what might define the 2020s?
I wonder if I found part of the answer at home in York on New Year’s Eve. It was then that news broke of City of York Council’s intention to ban all non-essential car journeys into the city centre from 2023.
Not just, as in Bristol, all diesel cars, but all cars. Not just a measure to tackle local air pollution – bad as that is in large parts of the city – but also to redress the balance between cars and other road users on York’s crowded streets.
Common challenges
People moving around York face the same challenges seen in just about every other part of the country.
Congestion has grown by around 9% over the last three years. Excess waiting times for frequent bus services have more than doubled. To put it another way, if I’m to be sure of getting my sons to football training on time I need to use my car rather than the bus.
Travelling to the city centre for work, leisure or shopping has become a chore. As the vacant shops littering our high street show vividly, many people have given up.
Familiar challenges, but what’s different is the bravery with which local politicians have begun to grasp them. Not through free or discounted car parking, but by setting out their intention to distribute road space more equitably.
Urban blueprint?
There are lots of tricky issues to work through between now and 2023. Defining ‘essential’ car journeys, maintaining traffic flow on roads around the city centre, ensuring that there are ample bus services throughout the day.
But the intention is clear: Shifting the focus of city planners from moving vehicles to moving people. A shift that will bring a radical change to York’s congestion, air quality and carbon footprint, and make it a better place to live in, work in and visit.
A shift that might also create a blueprint for changing the way many more of our towns and city are organised. That truly would be a decade-defining movement. I am certain that local leaders from across the UK will be watching what happens in York with very keen interest.
Happy New Year!
