How a 'Green Restart' for Exeter could prioritise the cyclist overthe car

QUOTE:
Reallocation of road space, pedestrianisation of the city centre, and congestion charges were among the measures an Emergency Transport & Travel Roundtable called for to be explored in Exeter.

The event, hosted by Exeter City Futures on Wednesday, saw a diverse mix of participants – representing local authorities, businesses and their communities, as well as individuals – discuss and debate solutions for a ‘Green Restart’ for Exeter post coronavirus.

Devon’s carbon emissions have reduced by almost a quarter - 23 per cent - during the lockdown.

Average traffic flows in Devon have reduced by 60 per cent, reducing the county’s total emissions by 17 per cent, while the closure of many buildings has significantly reduced energy use and led emissions to drop a further six per cent.

Air quality has also improved with the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in the air falling by 50 per cent from last year.

Emissions have fallen to 2010 levels in the short term, but history shows that after an economic downturn the rebound in emissions is often larger than the decline.

Dr Phil Norrey, chief executive of Devon Country Council, said: “In the most tragic of circumstances, the lockdown has given a glimpse of how a more sustainable Devon might look, feel and sound.

"People have experienced quieter streets for walking and cycling, heard more bird song, seen wildlife and felt a greater connection and appreciation for green spaces around them.

“But as we begin to recover from this pandemic, we must be careful not to fall back into the same old routines. We all must think differently about the way we work and the way we travel.�

The 100 people in attendance at the roundtable event agreed that while there have been some extremely positive and well received developments recently, there was a deep sense of urgency and people want bolder action and for it to happen now.

Only 54 per cent said that they were ‘Slightly Confident’ that Exeter will achieve a ‘Green Restart’, with 14 per cent confident, three per cent very confident, but 26 per cent said they were not confident at all that a step change in the city would be achieved.

Suggestions for what the attendees would like to see happen to achieve a ‘Green Restart’ for Exeter included:

Close arterial routes into the city – do it now and ask for forgiveness later
Pilot schemes in some locations by closing roads and see what happens
Temporary congestion charge to further discourage private cars
Pedestrianize the historical city centre area
Introduce measures that make cycling or the bus cheaper and quicker than private vehicles
Reallocate road space to give cycling and walking a greater priority
Introduce ‘quick wins’ such as cutting vegetation, bike racks on buses, and more places to lock away bikes
Engage groups who happy with road closures but ensure that groups such as the elderly and the disabled are not excluded from being able to access the city centre
Regressive measures like a workplace parking levy
The City and County councils must work together and HATOC needs to meet more regularly

Led by Karime Hassan, Chief Executive and Growth Director of Exeter City Council, the roundtable event concluded that there was a consensus that Exeter should ‘take advantage’ of the opportunity that the lockdown presents to look at proposals toward achieve a carbon neutral city that prioritises the cyclist over the car, and that action needs to be taken with both hands.

He said: “The challenge is to accommodate the amount of cars in the city, as the city cannot cope with the transport network if that is the predominant mode heading into the city. We need to make sure public transport is the main way being travel into the city and to improve things for cyclists and pedestrians.

“This is a unique opportunity to trial some of the things we have been talking about for a while. I am excited by this and the Green Restart. We need innovative solutions to make the city a great place to live and be pioneering around urban living and it gives us a chance to test to see how in practice we can deliver this.�

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw urged people not to lose the opportunity the crisis presents, adding: “This is a unique chance so we must make sure we don’t lose it, as if we do, other cities will steal a march and make their cities more liveable. Let us be ambitious and make sure Exeter is in the lead. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a golden, but fleeting, opportunity to retain some of the positive outcomes and ensure we as a city build back better for life after lockdown."

Cllr Phil Bialyk, leader of Exeter City Council, as exclusively revealed last week by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, again raised the idea of looking about at a car free zone based around the city centre and said it was something he wanted to consult on.

He added that while making the city centre area car free was an ambition, you had to provide an alternative methods of transport for people to travel to Exeter, as ‘you cannot expect people from Okehampton to cycle in for their job’.

Cllr Biaylk added though that there had been an explosion of cycling in the city, which may mean on some routes a traffic light system may need to be introduced as they are so busy – but that would be a ‘good thing’ due to the amount of people getting on their bikes.

It comes as Devon County Council has successfully secured funding to support a project to encourage active business travel as part of efforts to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The grant of almost £80,000 from the Department for Transport Energy Saving Trust eCargo Bike Fund will aim to increase the uptake of eCargo bikes for business travel and business deliveries in Exeter.

The joint project is being led by Devon County Council with Exeter City Council, University of Exeter and the Royal Devon & Exeter NHS Foundation Trust and will build on existing initiatives in the city.

It’s estimated the scheme, which is one of 18 across the country, will help to save more than 20,000 miles a year that are currently made by petrol and diesel vehicles.

The funding will be invested in nine electric cargo bikes for use within the partner organisations. The eCargo bikes will be used by Devon County Council’s parking enforcement officers, Exeter City Council’s Environment Health team and the University of Exeter will use them for travel to its campus sites. The RD&E is also testing whether it can use eCargo bikes across its services.

An additional four bikes will be used to expand the eCargo Co Delivery courier service in Exeter – enabling more businesses to deliver goods across the city. Cllr Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member with responsibility for cycling, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the council to further develop existing initiatives. It will be another important contribution to reducing carbon emissions and reach carbon neutral targets by 2030 by helping to develop a more integrated, shared and sustainable transport network.

“The use of e-Cargo bikes will demonstrate to businesses and individuals that electric bikes offer a realistic alternative to meet local transport needs.� Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, cabinet liason for Exeter, added: “It is fantastic that Exeter will be getting these electric cargo bikes. These will help to reduce car and van movements in the city, helping tackle congestion and carbon dioxide emissions in Devon. This project further showcases our commitment to leading on supporting greener travel choices in the city. I look forward to seeing these on the streets of Exeter.

The eCargo Bike Grant Fund scheme is funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and delivered by Energy Saving Trust. The DfT has provided £2 million nationally through the fund to support green “last mile� deliveries.

Cllr Rob Hannaford added: “We must have a sense of urgency as the window of opportunity may be shorter than we think. It only takes one accident or one road closed and the city grinds to a halt, so that needs to change.�

He said that Exeter needed to think about sections of the city being car free but that it would have budgetary implications for the city council due to the dependence of car parking income. Cllr David Harvey added: “This is a fleeting and golden opportunity. To make it work, someone needs to do something and people have to buy into it, as the first and last mile are the trickiest.�

Devon County Council is actively pursuing a number of possible changes to the local road network to help improve walking and cycling routes, and Cllr Leadbetter told the 100 invited guests the measures would be in place by June 1.

But he added: “We cannot take the area Exeter area as an island. We have created 40,000 jobs but only built 20,000 houses, so people have to travel into the city for work.

"We have to square the circle and cannot just represent cyclists but also businesses and people who are car drivers.�

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon...-could-4154325

On Sun, 24 May 2020 05:21:21 -0700 (PDT), Simon Mason
wrote:

Reallocation of road space, pedestrianisation of the city centre, and congestion charges were among the measures an Emergency Transport & Travel Roundtable called for to be explored in Exeter.

For a city which relies upon tourism this should be a great success.
Fortunately anything with "round table" in its title usually applies
to a group of bearded sandal wearers indulging in pointless circular
arguments.

On 24/05/2020 13:21, Simon Mason wrote:

QUOTE:

[ ... ]

Devon County Council is actively pursuing a number of possible changes to the local road network to help improve walking and cycling routes, and Cllr Leadbetter told the 100 invited guests the measures would be in place by June 1.

But he added: “We cannot take the area Exeter area as an island. We have created 40,000 jobs but only built 20,000 houses, so people have to travel into the city for work.

"We have to square the circle and cannot just represent cyclists but also businesses and people who are car drivers.�

https://www.devonlive.com/news/devon...-could-4154325
ENDQUOTE

"We have created 40,000 jobs but only built 20,000 houses"

So what?

How many houses are needed for the employees doing the jobs?

Are they all so anti-social and such confirmed bachelors and spinsters
that every single job needs a new and separate dwelling?