Government relaxes rules to make it easier for councils to ban motor traffic during coronavirus crisis

The government has said that it is making it easier for councils in England to temporarily close streets to motor vehicles during the coronavirus pandemic. Relaxation of the rules would also let local authorities take space away from motor traffic and reallocate it to pedestrians and cyclists instead.

BBC News reports that existing rules that councils have to follow and which mean it can take a number of weeks for proposed closures to take effect are being relaxed for as long as the crisis lasts.

Among other things, the measure is said to be aimed at helping people travelling by foot or on bikes to maintain social distance.

A letter sent by the Department for Transport (DfT) to local authorities in England said: “This is temporary guidance and will be withdrawn once conditions allow.”

The government has been urged to make it easier for councils to implement road closures by campaign groups including British Cycling, Cycling UK and Sustrans.

London Cycling Campaign’s CEO Ashok Sinha told BBC News: “First we have a moral responsibility to keep staff safe whilst cycling to work during the crisis.

“We know this crisis will end - but we will still be faced with an ongoing climate crisis which, longer term, will cause much more loss of life.

“We are being taught a lesson here about what a difference it makes to people’s activity and air quality and carbon emissions if we allow people to cycle safely.”

London’s cycling and walking commissioner Will Norman has said that Transport for London is looking at reallocating space on the major roads it controls to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians.

> More space to be given to cyclists and walkers on London’s major roads to aid social distancing during pandemic?

He also said that discussions were taking place with London boroughs to close some residential streets to rat-running traffic.

Away from the capital, Brighton & Hove City Council has closed the seafront road, Madeira Drive, to motor vehicles to allow people to exercise safely while undertaking social distancing.

> Cars to be banned from road along Brighton seafront to allow people to exercise safely