The City of London Corporation has approved the next phase of its transport plans designed to maximise space for workers, residents and visitors to adhere to social distancing guidance.
The transport recovery initiative is primarily based on walking, cycling and the managed use of public transport in order to provide the space needed to comfortably and safely maintain social distancing on City streets.
Phase Three will see more seating and greening added to quieter streets with removable seating and planters installed.
It also includes further measures to encourage walking and cycling in the City, with plans to convert vehicle parking bays into cycle parking also being approved to support the sustainable return to work and help manage demand for public transport.
Across the Square Mile, room for approximately 1,900 additional cycle parking spaces has been identified for a combination of personal and dockless bikes.
Meanwhile, Phase One of the scheme has been largely completed. This includes providing more space for people walking on Threadneedle Street, Old Broad Street and Cannon Street; and the introduction of timed closures and changes on Coleman Street, Lombard Street and St Mary Axe.
Planning for Phase Two is well underway and will see a further seven kilometres of streets being temporarily changed. This includes the reallocation of highway to pedestrians and cyclists on Fleet Street and Moorgate, timed closure of Moorfields to motor vehicles and the closure of Chancery Lane to through traffic.
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Works to begin implementing these Phase Three changes will be implemented over the summer and an online portal is now available through the City of London Corporation website for street users to feedback their experiences.
The transport plan will remain adaptable to changing circumstances with the measures able to be scaled up or down as required to ensure the safety of all City workers, residents and visitors set to return in coming weeks in line with Government guidance.
Alastair Moss, chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee at the City of London Corporation, said: “The changes we are making to our City streets now will give reassurance to people as they plan to return to work, as and when government guidance allows.
“Our initial focus was on ensuring the safety of those people who are unable to work from home and who will be returning to the City imminently and we are now enhancing the practicalities of our radical recovery plan.
“We have dedicated generous space for City workers, residents and visitors to move around on foot and by bike both safely and comfortably while also enriching our public realm for use during these unusual times.
“The City Corporation is ready to support the safe, sustainable and gradual return of people to the Square Mile, as it again becomes the thriving world-class centre for business.”
Dan Scanlon, chair of CPA and senior VP of developments at Brookfield Properties, said: “This is an important milestone in the City of London’s social and economic recovery, and will provide further confidence to enable the safe return of workers and visitors to the area.
“It also provides long-term opportunities to transform the City for the better, through the reduction of traffic and creation of more safe and open spaces for cyclists and pedestrians alike.”
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