Author: Maya Watson

From Brussels to Budapest, cities are instituting measures to help active travelers keep their social distance while staying safe from cars. In this new mini-series we look at how cities around the world are reclaiming the streets to keep essential workers and residents healthy and safe. Part 2 takes a quick look at the car-free zones popping up around Europe.

Keeping at least 1 meter apart on narrow sidewalks and bike lanes is hard. Car-free zones give people the space they need to maintain a safe social distance in crowded cities. As de-confinement measures begin to take effect and residents rush to fill the once-empty streets, these zones will become increasingly important to avoid a second wave of infections. 

Car-free Zones

Car-free zones are in the works across the UK. On April 16, England’s Department for Transport released new traffic regulation orders to make it easier for local authorities to implement quick changes in response to Covid-19. Councils no longer need to advertise, post notice, or make their documents available for public inspection. 

Shortly afterwards, on April 20th, Brighton and Hove city council adopted a car-free zone.  Madeira Drive has shut out motor vehicles, freeing space for residents to walk and cycle safely. In London, Transport for London and City Hall are working with boroughs to reduce traffic. According to the Guardian, these measures could range from changing the phasing of traffic lights to reallocating space from cars to cyclists and pedestrians. Hackeney is one of these boroughs calling for car-free zones. 

Jon Burke, a Hackney Counsellor, said:

“Now, more than ever, people need space that they are finding is not available to them because so much is given over to roads. By creating temporary healthy and liveable streets we’d be helping people to socially distance during exercise and while queuing for shops, and keep them safer from higher traffic speeds”.

On May 4th, Cork’s city councillors met to propose car-free zones for Paul Street, Tuckey Street and Pembroke Street .After noting the success of trial zones in Dublin, Steven Mathews, a Green Party spokesperson, has called for more car-free zones: “The additional requirement for more pedestrian space brought about by Covid-19 means that our local authorities need to act on this now, before lock-down measures are eased further.” 

In Brussels, the popular Bois de la Cambre has also shut cars out since March 19th to facilitate active and safe travel during the pandemic. Since April 21, Parc de Woluwe and Avenue du Parc have also been closed to motor vehicles.

Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is also making space for active mobility. From May 11, Rue de Rivoli, boulevard Saint-Michel, and the express tunnel under the Arc de Triomphe roundabout will be car-free zones. Thirty other streets will be open only to pedestrians, prioritizing school zones.

On May 6, Malta also announced imminent several road and square closures. The idea came from the sight of abandoned streets during the pandemic peak: 

“We saw empty squares and streets in our towns and villages, without cars, and we learned to appreciate the beauty of this too”, said Ian Borg, Malta’s infrastructure minister. 

What Next?

These temporary measures are giving people more space across Europe - right now. But after this crisis is over, what will happen to all of these “temporary” measures? Will these dedicated people-zones be reallocated to cars once again? As Samu Balogh Budapest’s chief of staff said: “The pandemic has changed transport globally… We have the opportunity to see what our cities would look like when we are designing for people, not cars.” 

Let’s keep design human after the immediate threat has passed.