What Happened?
Paris, Zurich and other major cities are pushing programs to encourage more pedestrian-friendly developments in their city centers, while eliminating car traffic. The growth of these walkable districts marks a trend in designing cities to accommodate foot traffic and dense commercial growth.
Paris
Paris has plans to create a car-free city center that is more attractive to walkers and bikers. The initiative is designed to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions by transforming the city center into a semi-pedestrianized zone. The only vehicles allowed in the zone will be:
- Bicycles
- Buses
- Taxis
- Residents’ cars
- Delivery vehicles
- Emergency vehicles
The city plans to roll out the new regulation slowly, only restricting traffic on weekends at first. The car limits will be joined with a doubling of bike lanes throughout Paris by 2020. The city will spend roughly $125 million on a new bike development plan to expand lane networks and accessibility to bicycles.
Paris is often stricken by high pollution due to traffic congestion and density. The periodic pollution spikes can cause the city to temporary impose speed limits or vehicle bans on certain days to help clear the air.
Because 60 percent of Parisians do not even own a car, the city would like to take all necessary steps to eliminate diesel cars within Paris by 2020. In fact, 84 percent of Paris residents consider pollution a priority for the city, and 54 percent support a diesel ban.
Zurich
Similarly, Zurich is launching a pedestrian- and bike-friendly strategy to attract more tourists and get vehicles off the road. Zurich has been investing in pedestrian-focused amenities for several decades including:
- Bike lanes
- Integrated public transit options
- Limiting the number of parking spots available in the city center
While parking is still available in the city, much of it is located in underground garages to further encourage a car-free navigation of streets, plazas and spared spaces.
The city is also equipped with more than 4,500 sensors that monitor how many cars enter the city. When the vehicle count exceeds a specific limit, cars are halted on all roads leading into the city center. When traffic congestion is relieved, the cars can flow freely again.
Furthermore, Zurich has constructed several public transit options for residents and tourists to use rather than personal vehicles. The city offers commuter trains, buses and a 15 line tram system. The tram connects passengers to key areas of the city as well as other transit hubs for simple connectivity and transfers.
London
In central London, officials are considering implementing car-free Sundays to reduce congestion and pollution. New research predicts roadways in Great Britain will have 7 million more drivers on them within the next 20 years, underscoring the importance of traffic mitigation initiatives in dense areas such as London.
British officials are launching a $24 billion project to overhaul 100 of the country’s busiest roadways to better accommodate rising traffic demands. In addition, many local officials are looking into restricting car traffic on certain days of the week, The Independent reported.
London would like to keep the city’s center car-free on Sundays, mimicking a similar successful initiative practiced in Jakarta. Bristol already piloted car-free Sundays and has since kept two roads in the city’s center closed to cars all weekend to reduce traffic congestion and pollution, The Independent reported.
The New City Center
Gov1 has followed several car-less developments designed to reduce traffic congestion and increase walkability for residents and tourists.