Car Free Visions of 4 major cities unveiled to the public
We’ve got 2023 off with a bang! Possible has unveiled new visions of areas of Bristol, London, Birmingham and Leeds reimagined as people-friendly, climate-conscious environments with fewer cars. The visions have been placed on billboards around those areas to inspire people to imagine their cities free from car dependence. These visualisations were created with a diverse group of local residents with additional input from campaigners, architects, politicians, and academics.
“I loved meeting a diverse selection of my neighbours and working together to create ideas for a better Tooting. Being part of something that could get people thinking about the way our streets are designed and how different it could be. It was great to do some no-holds-barred, blue-sky thinking and learn more about climate action.”
Why these places?
Newfoundland Circus & Easton road, Bristol.
Newfoundland Circus is currently a highly car-dominated space and with Bristol being announced as the second most congested city in the UK, it’s imperative that there is a reimagining of such spaces in order for them to work for people rather than cars.
In Autumn 2022, Possible talked to people who live close to Chelsea Road in Easton about what they would want to see change on the street. After holding three workshops with 8 residents to shape the vision, and interviewing experts, we went on to envision Chelsea Road in Easton free from car dependency.
Chelsea Road is a two-way street with a combination of homes and businesses. Cars have parked either side and often on pavements. This makes it hard to see the road from the pavement and means there are few passing places for road users. Outside of rush hours, some car users speed along above the 20mph speed limit, and during busy periods there is a lot of congestion and some conflict between vehicle users of all types. On bin day in particular, many of the pavements are not easily usable, causing people to walk or wheel in the road and adding to the hostility to walkers, wheelers and cyclists. The organization Fare City, produced a report outlining conclusions from expert interviews which informed the workshops with residents, and the final visions. To help support attendees of the event Brompton provided codes so they could trial their cycle hire for free.
We unveiled both of these visions to the public with residents, the wider public, campaigners and local councillors all present to show them what the future could look like, discuss how we could get there, and the impacts such changes would have on people’s lives and on the climate. We are calling on local authorities and the public to use these visions so they can be bolder in reimagining the future of their cities and take action to address car dominance.
“I’m thrilled to unveil these visions for the future of Newfoundland Circus and Chelsea Road. In order to meet our climate goals, it’s essential that we get people driving less. That shouldn’t make us feel trepidation but excitement. And these visions embody that excitement. They are green, vibrant, and allow a diverse range of people to travel easily and would give the people of Bristol more travel options, not fewer. Our cities have the potential to be wonderful places to live and tools to combat climate change - let’s make that change.”
Tooting Broadway Junction, London.
In 2017, Transport for London listed Tooting Broadway Junction in its Safer Junctions programme. Subsequently it commissioned and consulted on a Pedestrian Action Plan to invest millions of pounds in improvements - but none of these have been implemented. A 20 mile per hour limit was due to be introduced in 2020 but the new limit is still not in place on Tooting High Street.
In Autumn 2022, Possible talked to people who live, work and shop in Tooting about what they would want to see change on the Junction. After holding three workshops with 8 residents to shape the vision, and interviewing experts like Isabelle Clement from disabled cyclists’ charity Wheels for Wellbeing, who also gave the participating local residents an insight into a wheelchair user’s experience of Tooting Junction by taking them on a tour on a busy Saturday morning, Possible went on to envision Tooting Broadway Junction free from car dominance. Possible also produced a visualisation of Hyde Park Corner in central London with far fewer cars that was created after consulting with a separate group of Londoners from diverse backgrounds. To meet climate targets, it’s essential that we reduce traffic by at least 27% by 2030. By shifting junctions like the one in Tooting away from car dominance we can not only take steps towards that reduction but we can also create healthier streets with more public space for communities to interact with each other. The think tank Fare City, produced a report outlining conclusions from expert interviews which informed the workshops with residents, and the final visions.
“To address the developing climate crisis, we have to change the psyche of the country about car use. We need to enable people to use other modes of travel and make it less convenient to drive. With that has to come accessible, convenient and cheap alternatives. Creating more inclusive and equitable public spaces, begins with asking people who live, work, and play in an area their views about where they live, and how comfortable those spaces are for them? We need disabled people to be listened to, we need proper consultation, education, and the involvement of disabled people. And not just disabled residents but also disabled professionals and consultants, so that the planning is done properly and is done accessibly - then we’ll humanise our streets again.”
Elland Road & Tempest Road, Leeds.
In winter 2022, we talked to people who live, work and shop in south Leeds about what they would want to see change on Elland Road and Tempest Road. After holding two workshops with 7 residents from diverse backgrounds to shape the vision, and interviewing a panel of experts, Possible went on to envision these spaces free from car dependency.
South Leeds sees some of the worst air quality in the city. Our workshop participants helped re-imagine Tempest Road, which connects two very busy main roads (Beeston Road and Dewsbury Road (A653)) and Elland Road (A643), which sees tens of thousands of people walk and drive up and down it regularly.
Grove Lane & Hockley Circus, Birmingham.
In Autumn 2022, we talked to people who live, work and shop in Handsworth about what they would want to see change on Grove Lane. After holding two workshops with 8 residents from diverse backgrounds to shape the vision, and interviewing a panel of experts, we went on to envision a section of the road free from car dependency. We also produced a car-free visualisation of Hockley Circus in Birmingham, that was created after consulting with a separate group of experts and campaigners.
On the afternoon of Friday 3rd February, we unveiled both of these visions to the public with residents, the wider public, campaigners and local councillors all present to show them what the future could look like, discuss how we could get there, and the impacts such changes would have on people’s lives and on the climate. To help support attendees of the event Brompton have provided codes so they could trial their cycle hire for free after the event.
