A flaneur's wild dream...
Those who complain about the congestion charge in London had best hope I never become mayor (a distant prospect, I know, even if I did live for years in a village two miles from the place that bore Dick Whittington).
Mayor Zen would pedestrianise the lot, and build a network of trams. It's only really when you visit places where public transport works that you see its possibilities.
The innovation of Brisbane's busway, or the bike-friendliness of Copenhagen or Amsterdam might seem dreams to the beleaguered London commuter, but is it not one of the least likeable characteristics of the English - their lack of desire to look beyond the day in hand, to dream, to aspire?
Who would suffer from a scheme to make the C-zone carfree? Not the commuter, who could use trams or light rail to get to work, taking pressure off the overburdened transit systems we have now. Not business, because deliveries could be permitted at certain hours. Not the inhabitants of the Smoke, which would become definedly less smoky. Car owners, yes. Mothers on the school run, yes. But you know, you could just walk. You could slow down, adjust the work-life balance, breathe. We could all breathe. Sigh
posted by Dr Zen @ 3:23 am
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