Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Underground lines cross but there is as yet no effective interchange, e.g. the Overground
crossing the Piccadilly Line and Central Line in West London. These types of major public
transport investments would see London develop as the central part of a wider London city-
region, with the compact city urban form developing into a polycentric regional form, linked
by the regional rail connections (Hickman et al., 2013). This will, of course, require some
coordination in development and transport strategy at the regional level, and this is difficult
under the current governmental context in the UK, which is unsupportive of regional planning
efforts.
PP5 walking and cycling:
Investment in walking and cycling facilities and in the streetscape
and public realm makes carbon efficient means of travel more attractive, particularly for short
journeys. London-wide, people make 7 million journeys on foot every day. Walking is hence
an important means of travel, and accounts for about 20 per cent of all London's journeys
(Transport for London, 2011). Despite this, investment in the pedestrian environment is
traditionally low relative to other modes. London's streets need to be made more amenable
and attractive in design terms to encourage pedestrian use, and there are many initiatives
underway. The continued growth of cycling in London is critical for attracting trips from the
private car and, perhaps to a lesser extent, the public transport network. Less than 2 per cent
of trips in London are made by bicycle. Mumford (1968) highlights the relative efficiency of
modes:
We have forgotten how much more efficient and how much more flexible the footgoer
[and cyclist] is. Before there was any public transportation in London, something like
fifty thousand people an hour used to pass over London Bridge on their way to work: a
single artery. Mass public transportation can bring from forty to sixty thousand people
per hour, along a single route, whereas our best expressways, using far more space, cannot
move more than four to six thousand cars [. . .] this is obviously the most costly and
inefficient means of handling the peak hours of traffic.
(p. 103)
This scenario assumes a very high-intensity investment in walking and cycling (much
beyond the current level of planned investment in even T2025 Scenario 4, Full Programme).
Walking kilometres increase by 160 per cent (on a high base) and cycling by a factor of nearly
10 (on a low base), both relative to 2006. The aim here is to achieve much higher levels of
walking and cycling in London than previously envisaged, towards the levels found in many
urban areas in the Netherlands and Germany, i.e. eventually 30-40 per cent of trips by cycling
(Pucher and Buehler, 2008). Efforts here can be much more progressive than envisaged in the
Mayor's Transport Strategy (Transport for London, 2009). The wider health gains from such
a focus on active lifestyles are expected to be very important (Woodcock et al., 2009). There
are a number of 'Greenways' (long-distance cycle and walkways) that could be developed, as
along canal towpaths, such as the Grand Union Canal through North London. There is much
greater potential to develop radial and tangential cycle and walkways in London, beyond the
so-called 'cycle superhighways' of Boris Johnson. On most routes there are capacity difficulties
(in terms of needing to take out car lanes if space is reallocated), but cycle routes still need to
be provided along all strategic routes, and ideally these would be mostly made up of segregated
cycling lanes, along the Dutch or Danish models.
PP6 urban planning:
This package focuses on using urban structure to support and enable
sustainable transport. There is a substantial literature on this topic (including Ewing and
