COMMENT I experienced the streets of London’s Square Mile at their best and worst over just a couple of hours this week. Both made me think about the pluses of pedestrianisation.
The worst was first: a fire alarm at EG’s offices. Workers spilled out onto the bustling pavement on Bishopsgate and then waited to be allowed back in, as pedestrians tried to weave their way through the throng. Like many streets in the City, Bishopsgate rarely feels like it was designed even to walk along. It certainly wasn’t designed with office evacuations in mind.
A little over an hour later, I was having lunch on Chancery Lane, sitting at a small table in the middle of the road, which had been closed to traffic. Amidst street food stalls and pop-up bars there were yoga classes taking place, games being played and people relaxing on deckchairs as they listened to a brass band. It was rather lovely. City workers were stopping to take pictures of the festivities (if anyone snapped one of me stuffing my face with pierogi, do get in touch and we’ll strike a deal, because those images must never be released).
I’m a big fan of initiatives such as this, which is part of the City of London Corporation’s “Lunchtime Streets” project, experimenting with temporary pedestrianisation of parts of the Square Mile. And coming so soon after my sardine-like experience on Bishopsgate, it drummed home once more just how much effect a little more space and serenity can have on us harried workers.
So props to the City Corporation for prioritising this, and here’s hoping that Alastair Moss, the (relatively) new chair of its planning and transportation committee, sticks to his promise in our interview this week to be increasingly “radical” when it comes to projects and policies that he and his team back.
I know, “radical” isn’t a word you associate with a body as steeped in tradition as the City Corporation. But some of the steps Moss and colleagues have taken in recent years have been pretty bold. The once-chaotic junction by the Bank of England used to be one of the most dangerous spots in the City for pedestrians, but is now much safer, having been closed to all vehicles other than buses and bicycles for most of the working week.
I’d argue the corporation should be going even further. Pedestrianise that entire junction, and other parts of the Square Mile. I’ve sat through long debates about this at the City Corporation, and I know there’s appetite for change from planning committee members.
If, as Moss says, people really are the heart of the City, it needs to be absolutely clear that they are the priority. And there will only be more of them on the City streets in the coming years – imagine the conditions of Bishopsgate when, for example, 22 Bishopsgate, the City’s tallest tower, opens – and once Crossrail finally arrives.
Efforts to pedestrianise parts of London’s Oxford Street failed last year, but it is on the agenda elsewhere. Clearly all cities should be striving to be cleaner, greener and friendlier to pedestrians. Happiness and, crucially, health depend on it. Black cab drivers will be up in arms, as they were over the road closures at Bank. That’s a small price to pay, and there’s more than a snack on Chancery Lane at stake.
At the risk of spending this entire column zeroed in on just one square mile, let me flag for you that EG’s ninth series of Question Time events kicks off this coming week, on 11 September in Dublin. We then head to Manchester on 25 September. Click here to register for an excellent session of debate and networking.
To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@egi.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @estatesgazette
