23 Sep 2019
Yoga and bike rides on Tower Bridge – London goes car-free for a day
BY Tom Walker
A number of main roads in London city centre were closed on 22 September to encourage Londoners to cycle, walk, use public transport and have street parties.
More than 20 kilometres of roads were shut in the heart of the city around Tower Bridge, London Bridge and the City of London.
The closures took place from 7am to 7pm and saw a number of physical activity session taking place in the "reclaimed streets".
Two main cross-river arteries – London Bridge and Tower Bridge – were closed to general traffic.
On Tower Bridge, the usual traffic was replaced by a group yoga and meditation sessions and
classic cycle rides.
Elsewhere, Bank Junction was transformed into a car-free festival space, with a picnic area and musical entertainment on a solar-powered stage
There were also pop-up playgrounds, guided walks, BMX competitions and bike rides on traffic-free roads, as well as street food stalls and art installations.
In a statement, London Car Free day said: "We are committed to championing traffic-free city centres and active travel.
"Our goal is to see the expansion of pedestrianised and pedestrian-priority zones across London and other global cities, starting with the Square Mile and the 200 town centres identified in the London Plan.
"Some of the easiest and most joyful celebrations of the streets as public space are Play Streets and Healthy School Streets.
"Our work focuses on the urban land use transition opportunity away from concrete, with parking and road space currently taking up between 30 and 50 per cent of all urban areas. In cities like Los Angeles, 50 per cent of urban land is taken up by concrete, representing a huge opportunity to take back more land for more productive uses."
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