There's lots of lessons that can be taken from this -- here's just one:

Folks who live in areas with less traffic enjoy it, and think more of our city should be made to be that way.

Government should seen this as a green light to limit traffic as best they can.
That doesn't just mean low traffic neighbourhoods. It means more cycle lanes, better walking infrastructure, greater investment in public transportation, incentives for folks to give up their private cars.
Because people who live in areas without these interventions clearly don't believe that another way is possible.

When your streets are rammed with traffic, when walking or riding a bike seems like a death wish, you can't imagine yourself ever being safe or happy doing it.
A year ago I would have said that I would *never* feel safe cycling in London -- no matter what infrastructure existed.

And then the low traffic neighbourhood came, the cars stopped dominating the roads, and I got on a damn bike.
This data shows that when people experience change, they believe in that change.

So let's get that experience to as many folk as we can.

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More from @SarahJ_Berry

16 Dec
Here's the simple truth that most folk don't believe: traffic isn't inevitable.
We're not stuck with a set number of cars on our roads. We can control more than simply which streets cars can and cannot travel on and who has to suffer congestion.
We can give people the option to leave their car at home for one, some or all of their journeys.

We can build neighbourhoods that allow people to get rid of their cars altogether.

We can free ourselves from the car trap.
Read 11 tweets
14 Dec
More than 10 years after starting my degree, I just got confirmation that I have been awarded a Bachelor of Arts!!!
When I started that degree I was definitely the kind of person who wanted to do things the normal way. I didnโ€™t even take a gap year โ€” I just wanted to get my qualifications as fast as possible.
But I quickly learnt that life comes at you fast โ€” and an internship at @GetUp turned into a full time job that offered so many more opportunities that I could get in the classroom.
Read 4 tweets
9 Dec
I was today years old when I learned that bikes are feminist.

Donโ€™t understand how that can be the case? Hereโ€™s a thread explaining why.
Before bikes were invented (in Coventry) women didn't have many choices for how they got around.

Basically, they had three options.

1 -- they could go on foot
2 -- they could ride in a carriage
3 -- they could go on horseback
Regardless of which option they chose (and this choice was usually made for them, determined by their class) -- they would have to do it with a male chaperone.

Slowly.

Gracefully.

Preferrably silently.

Why?
Read 21 tweets
29 Nov
THREAD: I was living in @rbkc when I first learnt how to ride a bike, by taking a @TfL cycle confident course.

But despite having the skills to ride, the roads around my home were so dangerous that I could never build up the confidence to ride a bike ~properly~
I lived just across from Olympia, where the red marker is. Every day I would walk up High Street Kensington to get to Holland Park or Gailโ€™s Bakery or even Hyde Park โ€” and Iโ€™d wish I was brave enough to cycle the journey.
At first I thought it would be a problem that would be solved as soon as I learnt how to ride a bike. That straight away High Street Kensington would not look so treacherous but instead would look safe and welcoming.

Nope.
Read 16 tweets
28 Nov
Living in a 15 minute city means being able to access all the things you might need day to day within a 15 minute walk of your home, including:

๐Ÿ““ schools
๐Ÿช shops
๐Ÿฅ healthcare
๐Ÿ‘ทโ€โ™€๏ธ work
๐ŸŒฟ green space

Do you already live in one?
When you live in a 15 minute city, the best thing you can do is make it easier to walk and cycle โ€” because only a limited number of people need to drive such small distances.

That means having clear pavements, segregated cycle lanes, street trees and clear signage.
Think eliminating such short car journeys wouldnโ€™t make a difference to the congestion on Londonโ€™s roads? Think again! A third of all car journeys in the capital are less than 2km content.tfl.gov.uk/technical-noteโ€ฆ
Read 6 tweets
27 Nov
Todayโ€™s gratitude list;

1) Iโ€™m grateful for the Kensington high street cycle lane @RBKC ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ๐Ÿฅฐ
2) Iโ€™m grateful to have found the writings of MFK Fisher and the whole world that has opened up to me because of it
3) Iโ€™m grateful for @isabella_tree and every other farmer and landowner letting their land grow wild
Read 5 tweets

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