You may have seen the photo above on social media. It shows the old entrance to Queen’s University before it was removed to make the entrance suitable for cars.
Throughout the world, there are very few places that have been improved by building massive roads through them. Here are some old photos of Donegal Street, Carlisle Circus and Clifton St before somebody had the bright idea to run the Westlink through them. When you look at some of the terrible planning decision over the years it is hard not to think of some urban planners as a form of cultural and societal terrorists.
I drive so I know we need good roads, but I also walk and cycle a lot so I see the issue from all perspectives. The bottom line is areas that are walkable are more attractive to visitors and are economically more successful. Belfast City Centre is getting the economic sh*t kicked out of it due to Covid-19 but I think it just accerated existing issues. Belfast City Centre is not a nice place to visit especially with kids. There is too much traffic, and the environment is generally quite harsh and unwelcoming. We need more trees, pedestrian areas, cycle lanes, playparks, outdoor dining etc. There are some bright spots on the horizon, the new playpark next to St Anne’s looks cool.
Run, jump, play tunes & balance on trippy 'shrooms. Or chill out in the sun on groovy seats. Take your pick. Cathedral Gardens is open! #urbanplay #acityforeveryone pic.twitter.com/V0CqC4lWfX
— Citoyenne de Belfast (@calliepersic) August 28, 2020
We need to remember things can change. Now is the time to be thinking ahead and work out how we can make our towns and cities more people-friendly. Derry is a town that could easily be pedestrianised in the city centre and it would transform its attractiveness. The councils that are able to improve the quality of life for its residents will be the ones that weather the coming economic storm and come out the other side better. Not to mention the health benefits of getting people out of their cars and walking and cycling more.
It’s important not to oversimplify the complexity of cities, but a lot of our ability to transform streets & neighbourhoods for the better comes down to our willingness to rethink the space we’ve surrendered to cars. Vienna again illustrates this, via @Deputy Mayor @BirgitHebein. pic.twitter.com/Hp6OS1fRT3
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) September 11, 2020
Once upon a time, buses, vans and Ford Cortinas vroomed through Galway City centre. 20 years on from pedestrianisation of a few streets, we've bunting, safe strolling, thriving culture, and an abundance of coffee, cake and food adventures. More, please! pic.twitter.com/fWbdUtUKyp
— Martina Callanan (@MartinaCallanan) June 21, 2020
Look at this transformation of one street in Utrecht!
1982 x 2020
😍🌳🌳🌳🌳 https://t.co/KN1wkyQr3v
— American Fietser (@AmericanFietser) June 17, 2020
As part of a five year, £27-million 'Mini Holland' scheme, the London Borough of Waltham Forest removed through-traffic from its residential streets.
The number of households exposed to illegal levels of NOx emissions has decreased from 70,000 to 6,500.https://t.co/4TgISpdtu2 pic.twitter.com/ScgsBYhvwd
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) September 11, 2020
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
Discover more from Slugger O'Toole
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
