Life during lockdown

I'd really like this opportunity to be used to make London more pedestrian and cycle friendly ... I would like to see some of the temporary measures made permanent - for example the cycle lane on Park Lane and the cycle lane on Euston Road ... I'd also like to see the congestion charge doubled in price for private motor vehicles, and the zone widened, with the money ploughed back into public transport and active transport improvements.

Thank you!!

Get some pollution monitoring of Particulates now to compare with  traffic when the roads are back to normal to prove the amount of PM 2.5 and PM10 coming from tyres and brakes. Have a uniform approach across  London boroughs to ensure a fair picture of London, Greenwich has 11 monitors Bexley has 4 only and 2 do not pick up Particulates at all. Older types of monitors that are in place are not always working and not able to record Particulates.  If there are few monitors in a boro' it is hard  for the public to raise issues and make people aware of problems like Asthma and COPD diseases worsened by pollution, specially with primary schools sited on main roads. 

The key thing to bear in mind is that Cities Are For People. Not vehicles that kill us in more ways than one. So start with the (frail) human being and work your way out from there, namely the need for clean air and water, decent food, a sense of place/community, decent housing, low noise levels, local employment, ecologically meaningful greenery/nature everywhere - the list goes on.

The way things are right now, London is still operating as if there is no climate crisis, as if it's the sixties and the car is king, as if airports and flying are crucial to our daily existence (guess what - they're not), as if what people need are high streets full of junk food outlets, convenience stores, adult gaming centres and betting shops, as if what lifts the spirit are taller and taller buildings.

The wellbeing of people as individuals must come first. The city must be brought down to the human scale. Shakespeare said: What is the city but the people? In other words, it's not buildings, roads, systems, processes, corporations, etc., but the people all these things merely serve.

As a result of the lockdown, London's air has been cleaner than it has been for decades. Knowing 40,000 people a year die prematurely from illegal levels of pollution, we cannot go back to the old 'normal'. Only delivery drivers, tradespeople and taxis really need vehicles in cities. The overwhelming proportion of journeys can be by walking, cycling and public transport – which will become completely safe again sooner or later. Policies should be directed at discouraging unnecessary vehicle use in London by huge improvements in walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure, paid for by tolling all car movements. Cities with vastly reduced traffic are so much more pleasant places to live, work and shop – while saving lives through cleaner air and fewer fatalities on the roads.

I believe the focus areas for London in the recovery should be, as many people have mentioned, good cycling and walking routes across the whole city. I have not cycled in London before, and plan to start next week having been confined to my own 2 feet since lockdown, but I am nervous about cycling on the roads as they become busier and busier. Now is the time for the authorities to accelerate plans to make London greener by installing cycling routes as far and wide as possible. Alongside this we also need other facilities for cyclists e.g. secure storage spaces, for example like the one near Finsbury Park's entrance by the train station. 

Secondly I am really worried about London's cultural life and nightlife. Theatres, museums, galleries, bars, clubs, restaurants etc are a massive part of the fabric of this city; these insititutions provide employment, drive tourism and make this city the best in the world for its residents (I am biased, and I'm sure not everyone sees it like that but for me it's the main reason why I love London). Again, we have lots of public space, roads etc that could be "Recaptured" and used for hospitality sectors to make it viable for them to open and serve large numbers of customers, safely. We need to support these venues as much as possible to sustain our economy and our culture. I hope this is also being given serious consideration?

As a 60 year old non-driver, non bike rider, who relies on buses to get to work, the limit on number of people on a bus is good as long as there is an increase in number of buses on all routes. I work in school and do not have the work from home option. 

Working in London as a Contractors is getting harder to support customers in London. I have been a Electrician in London Since 1986. We Can't travel across London so easily since the playing around with Traffic Lights etc.So call out Charges have doubled.

1/ Playing around with Traffic Lights as the next set is Red. Why can Travel better when the lights stop working?

2/ Road Schemes that cause traffic to not move freely like it used to & cause more problems.Doing away with Bus Lay-bys stops all traffic and is a ripple affect backwards

3/ Emergency Vehicles just get stuck in Traffic and their response times have been reduced

4/ 20MPH Zone that are just slowly the whole of London Down (That people get off Buses & out of Cabs)

5/ Trouble Parking as a contractor in parts of London as you need to move the van every 2 hrs. Have Electrical Fault or Burst Pipe & then tell the customer.'Sorry got to go,i need to move my van be about 25mins'

6/ Clients are heading for £500 per day for a Contractor as the Mayor & Councils take £100 of this in some areas.

7/ Speaking with Business Clients & the outlook for London that its now on the point of becoming a place to Live more then a place to work as company's look to get rid of Office Space and not pay the high London Rates.

8/ You can't run a city on push bikes & they need to be insured too!

9/ Contractors are moving further out of London 2Hrs +to have a Family Home due to prices. Euro6 clean Diesel is the best Fuel. Electric & Hybrid does not cut it and that why London Councils charge 50% more on parking! same as 90 plate Diesel is just a rip off that get passed onto the client.

10/ If Business & Private Customers are willing to pay for all these extras then London won't die as prices increase for everything 

Reversing the pattern of rising unemployment and lost economic growth is a worthy goal.  However, if we are to see a cleaner, greener, less-polluted city I am not sure how these two good intentions can work together.  If we ramp up production and consumerism there is a price.  What kind of jobs will the Board have in mind?  Can they provide work that doesn't undermine the 'cleaner, greener' goal?  More and more fast food outlets will increase obesity and unhealthy lifestyles, similarly more wine bars and pubs.  Perhaps jobs in Parks, in schools, other recreational sites would be good.  Anyway, I am very glad there is a London Recovery Board with some bright minds to figure it all out.

Firstly, sorry, but London is very overcrowded: 

1. Decreased DENSITY of (both buildings nad people) ensures limiting transmission.

2.Increase happiness and productivity: The only way to this is by allowing people to connect with nature.  This WILL entail limiting the amount of people per square mile / kilometre.  The Office for National Statistics finds that there is a staggering 5,700 per square kilometre in London :https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigrat…; The rural equivalent is 50 (less than one hundreth!!) in rural areas.  So, less housing must be availabile in London to limit the every worsening influx of people.

3. Stop the "gig economy": Upskill people to be able to manufacture, rather than exploiting the environment by delivering unsustainable fast food packaging that gets dumped in landfill via polluting and noisy mopeds.

For me the top priority is to deliver a cleaner, greener London, with lower carbon emissions, fewer cars, much better facilities for walking and for cycling safely (most cycle lanes in Wandsworth are just not safe enough) and lower air pollution.

This aim could be achieved, together with the London Recovery Board's other four aims, by adopting a Green New Deal for London. This could reverse the pattern of rising unemployment and lost economic growth, support disadvantaged communities, provide jobs for young people, and narrow social, economic and health inequalities by providing good-quality employment in a range of new industries needed if we are to lower carbon emissions in the very short window of time we have to prevent the world heating by more than 1.5 degrees. A key priority is reducing emissions from domestic dwellings, both through ensuring all newbuilds are carbon-neutral and through better insulation and different heating systems for existing buildings.

Please, please, for the sake of all of us, and particularly our children and grandchildren and future generations, take this unique opportunity to create a greener, cleaner London. Adopt a Green New Deal for London now.

With so many people losing their jobs or being furloughed, it is only fair that rent prices become capped at an affordable value to ALL residents. A lot of people can't afford to be moving at this time of the year, not to mention the logistical difficulties. For as long as Londoners are spending the majority of their money on rent (especially those experiencing salary cuts and job losses), it will become harder to spend money to help restart local economies such as restaurants, pubs, shops etc (then those who depend on these jobs can't make rent and the vicious cycle continues)

Please also make cycling safer in the city. I have spend the past year dreaming of cycling to work but fearing I would put my life at risk if I went anywhere near Euston Station on a bike. 

The main focus has to be on delivering green initiatives that prevent air quality from returning to pre-covid 19 levels. 

Within central London, zones 1-3, cycling is much safer due to the cycle lanes. However, in other London boroughs, such as Redbridge and Waltham Forest, cycling remains dangerous due to the lack of dedicated cycle lanes. 

More money needs to be spent on additional infrastructure to get the population of London and its surrounding boroughs cycling or walking.

The board should also be looking at other green initiatives such as solar panels. As an example, some.european countries have begun to install the smart flower in some public spaces. These would be ideal in some areas of London. They look nice sculpturally and provide solar power to the national grid. 

Your first thought may be that they would be vandalised, so perhaps start by installing them on ground which is continuously monitored? 

There are not enough regional gay bars and clubs. These are centralized in Soho but gay men of all ages should not need to travel to central London to meet like minded people. There must be venues of all types locally.

Really concerned about small music and theatre venues and the future of live music in particular. Government will have to offer real ongoing support to keep our music and theatre culture continuing in the future.

A socially just green recovery is the most critical issue.  Without immediate social reformation in the face of mass unemployment, London will fail it's population. If we don't address the climate emergency with wartime urgency, London stands no chance of existing as a city at all within the lifetime of our grandchildren. By fixing one problem, we can solve the other. A drastic, green new deal that balances income and social inequality isn't just necessary, it's the foundation of a better London for all of us.  Let us become again a positive example for the rest of the world, uphold our legacy of innovation, creativity and justice.  

Seek consultation with BioRegional - a London organization with global experience - for a realistic plan that prioritizes well being over profit.

Invite Kate Raworth to present her work with Doughnut Economics, in particular it's application in Amsterdam.  

Make all London administration purchases Cradle to Cradle.

Personally, I would like to see the close of City Airport, ban on combustion engines from central London, incentivised passive building standards and green roofs, proper cycle infrastructure, encouragement of micro power generation and a smart grid, decent housing that's affordable for everyone (the tens of thousands of empty investment flats are a shame and a disgrace). 
 

Cycling should be prioritized! We need to reeducate the city to prioritize cyclists, pedestrians and public transport over cars. I am a new cyclist and don't feel comfortable cycling on busy roads yet. Cycling superhighways are great and these should be across London .

Make London green and set the standard for the rest of the country! 

On setting the standard, more minority historical monuments are necessary and should be across London. I live in Brixton, and there are no monuments to the minorty and black community that literally made this area one of the most popular in LDN! 

Cycling on London Streets and Cyclists

Shouldn't cyclists pay for cycle lanes? 

If a cyclist is caught not following the Highway Code they should be penalised.

By David Lloyd Club Raynes Park London SW20, double carriage way with cycle path each sides but mature male cycled on the road and it was dangerous to overtake him. 

From South Wimbledon SW19 to Croydon Tram Line there is a No Right Turn and 2 young female cyclists got into the middle of the road to turn right.

All British Pupils and Students (Undergraduates and Apprentices) and adults who do not drive but want to cycle must be tested on the Highway Code and if they are to take the Bicycle Test.

The Bicycle Test is like a car Driving Test and it must be passed before a person can cycle on the public streets. The exception are cyclists who uses local roads for a short journey.

All Cyclists to wear a high visibility vest at all times.

Electric bicycles are dangerous on busy roads because they are.

Further moves toward pedestrianisation/bike routes, and away from traffic. Improvement in air has been fantastic during lockdown. 

Electrification of taxis; I believe this is the case in Barcelona, and it was great. 
 

More green spaces!