Viewpoint: An ancient place, where no cars go?

14/05/2020 | STEVE GOODING

Former Department for Transport (DfT) director, and current RAC Foundation director, Steve Gooding, reacts to the news that the City of London is looking to place further restrictions on vehicle use as people return to work in the Square Mile.

When I started work in London in 1982 it was possible for me to finish for the day, get the train home to the suburbs (SE9, since you ask), eat, hop in the car, drive back into central London to the Barbican, park on the street - for free - go to a concert and then drive home later.

Those days feel so long ago that they might almost be in black-and-white, or even sepia.

The City of London was always densely packed, but the buildings alongside its mediaeval streets have grown ever taller, accommodating more-and-more office workers. To the east, offices and apartments have replaced the once-thriving then abandoned docks. To the south, the riverside that was fronted by shabby, unoccupied warehousing in the 1980s now boasts yet more office and residential development, including the quirky home of London’s Mayor and the Greater London Authority hard by Tower Bridge, and the Shard piercing the sky next to the redeveloped London Bridge railway station.

As the number of people packing into the City has risen, so the realistic potential for driving to get around has fallen. The City had already flirted with severe restrictions alongside the Bank of England: and now looks set to go further.

Does it matter? The developers of office space can’t think so, because they have long since sought to earn greater returns per square foot of development from uses other than car parking, and found no difficulty in achieving attractive yields from willing tenants.

So, is this the moment, as some are saying, that we’ll see the car squeezed out of the City altogether? And not just the City of London but other parts of the capital too and also in city centres elsewhere?

There’s certainly a strong rationale for ensuring as far as possible that pedestrians are able to move around safely while endeavouring to self-distance this side of a coronavirus vaccine, and in a medieval street-scape that leaves precious little room for motor vehicles - even the vans whose delivery of essential supplies and multiple trades offices, shops and cafes keep the place functioning.

(In 2010 vans already accounted for 15% of all vehicle miles in London, a figure which is set to rise  to 22% by 2035 according to DfT forecasts.)

To a huge extent, the vast numbers of people pouring in and out of the City on weekdays are used to doing so by public transport, often making lengthy commuting journeys from far-flung suburbs.

And the question I am left with is whether the Government’s clear advice - still in place throughout the UK - to work from home if you can, allied to the fact that many office-based companies have found remote working to be a practical option over the last six weeks, will mean the tidal flow of people will not return quickly, or at all?

Put that together with the challenge Transport for London (TfL) and rail operators face in switching from crush loading to safe distancing and maybe the City is destined to stay a much quieter place, and not just for the absence of traffic.

The Royal Automobile Club Foundation for Motoring Limited is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Charity Number 1002705. Registered address: 89–91 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5HS.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2114e

£37,035 - £37,938
Are you an experienced and motivated professional looking to take the next step in your traffic management career? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Senior Transport Planner

£47,532 - £50,574
Royal Greenwich is a borough synonymous with first class modern services Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recruiter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Technician - Highway Inspector

Grade 8 £28,797 - £30,708 per annum (Pay Award Pending)
Within the Highways Maintenance Team we are looking for an enthusiastic, customer focused and experienced person to join the Service Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Project Delivery Senior Team Leader

£74,480 - £85,964
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification) Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
Westmorland and Furness Council is seeking an organised and enthusiastic individual to join our South Lakeland team Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Bulky Operative

£25,584.00 - £27,269.00, Grade 5, 37 hours, Permanent.
An opportunity exists in the Council’s Street Scene Services for a Bulky Operative Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Wakefield Council

Project Delivery Team Leader

£57,710 - £71,842
Are you an experienced Chartered Civil Engineer (or equivalent professional qualification). Glasgow City
Recruiter: Transport Scotland

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts Council

£52000 - £61000 per annum
Shared Service Manager (Waste) North Herts CouncilNorth Herts CouncilPermanent, Full Time£52,866 - £61,866 per annum, plus car allowance (pay award pe England, Hertfordshire, Letchworth Garden City
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Street Scene Protection Officer - Braintree District Council

£30000 - £34000 per annum
Street Scene Protection Officer - Braintree District CouncilBraintree District CouncilPermanent, Full Time£30,313 to £34,612 per annumLocation
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Traffic Management Officer - WMF2102e

£37,035 - £37,938
This is a key role supporting the delivery a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Assistant Traffic Management Technician - WMF2104e

£25,584 - £25,992
This is a key support role, helping to deliver a wide range of traffic and road safety schemes across South Lakeland. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Flood Risk Engineering and Strategy Officer

£49,764 - £55,623
In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce Coventry, West Midlands
Recruiter: Coventry City Council

Senior Integrated Transport Officer

£34,324 - £37,529
Are you an experienced transport planning professional ready to influence strategic policy and drive real change Matlock, Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Roadworker Trainee LGV Driver (3 Posts)

Grade 6 £25,183 - £25,638 per annum (Pay award pending)
We’re looking for Roadworker/trainee LGV drivers to be part of our team undertaking major highway, bridge and related construction and reconstruction Derbyshire
Recruiter: Derbyshire County Council

Engineer

£44,430 - £51,663
This post is within the Highways Design and Delivery Team. London (Greater)
Recruiter: Tower Hamlets London Borough Council

Civil Enforcement Officer - WMF3013e

£27,711 -£28,624
Are you seeking an active and challenging role, part of a friendly and welcoming team? Cumbria / Various
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

UGO Bus Driver

Up to £25081.00 per annum
UGO Bus DriverPermanent, Part TimeUp to £25,081 per annum (full time equivalent)Location
Recruiter: Essex County Council

Head of Highways Operations

Salary
Somerset Council
Recruiter: Somerset Council

Works Technician

£37,399 (plus unsocial hours allowance)
The Works Technician is responsible for ensuring that the London Trams civils and off-track infrastructure Croydon (City/Town), London (Greater)
Recruiter: Transport for London
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW