Pedestrian areas mulled to ease City overcrowding
THE growth prospects of the Square Mile’s “tall tower” district could be hit by severe overcrowding unless radical action — including potential pedestrianisation of major roads — is taken, a leading City policymaker said today.
The City of London Corporation’s planning and transportation chairman Chris Hayward sounded the warning as the Square Mile’s governing body consults on plans for the so-called Eastern Cluster, featuring landmarks such as the Walkie-Talkie and the Cheesegrater.
The consultation, which runs until August, comes as the looming arrival of Crossrail adds up to 80,000 workers a day to the 480,000 commuters who already work in the district.
The East-West rail link will also bring another 1.5 million people within commuting distance. But this will put added pressure on already teeming City roads and pavements. Its proposals include “pedestrian priority” for Leadenhall Street, as well as Lime Street and St Mary Axe.
Hayward warned: “If we don’t tackle these things now, of course they will be a challenge to us in the future and in a post-Brexit environment we have to be constantly open for business.”
He added: “There are other capitals — not just in Europe but around the world. We have the added complication of being in a medieval city — a lot of our side streets are medieval, whereas most other big cities are built on a grid basis as well.”
Moves to restrict vehicle movements within the City are likely to be opposed by taxi drivers but developers, landowners and occupiers showed “a strong appetite for pedestrian prioritisation, or indeed pedestrianisation” in a working group document earlier this year. “The whole question of major pedestrianisation in the City is a much bigger question, which requires more deliberation by members,” Hayward said. “Yes, businesses are calling for it, and that is very interesting.
“But it needs to be considered in how we service buildings, how we service offices, how we provide business access for clients. It’s not something you just jump at, It needs to be properly considered.”