Five years of a car-free Thames crossing
Hammersmith Bridge has been closed to motor traffic for five years today.
It’s since been reopened to pedestrians and cyclists, but politicians of all parties routinely make big promises about getting traffic flowing again. However, nobody wants to foot the bill. The reality is that cars won’t be coming back any time soon.
The question is: would that be such a bad thing? This is the chance to take action against car dominance, and do something world leading.
Hammersmith Bridge could become a car-free crossing which acts as a shining example to cities around the world.
Today we publish a new report which:
Outlines the results of years of focus groups, surveys and public engagement in the local communities around the bridge.
Looks in detail at the impact of the closure of the bridge on surrounding roads, with results which might surprise you.
Puts forward a new vision for a car free crossing in the heart of our capital city, which can help us move closer to our climate goals.
Our vision for a car-free crossing sets out a detailed and practical plan for how we can get people where they need to go, without flooding this beautiful landmark with polluting private cars.
Our proposal includes:
Lightweight, driverless pods for people who aren’t able to walk or cycle the length of the bridge.
New proposals for better connectivity at both ends of the bridge for buses, cycling and walking.
Two-way, protected bike lanes for the bridge, and pedestrian footways.
Tolls for single occupancy cars at peak times on other west London bridges to alleviate congestion and raise revenue.
We know we need to cut traffic by a third to meet our climate goals, and reopening this bridge to private cars isn’t going to get us there.
We could have it so much better. We could have a car-free crossing in our capital.