Sadiq Khan has told Londoners to stay at home this weekend despite the easing of lockdown measures across England.
On Saturday morning, the Mayor of London told his one million followers on Twitter that they should ‘play their part’ by staying at home as much as possible.
This is the first weekend since Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the easing of lockdown restrictions, leaving the British public able to travel further during the coronavirus crisis.
Mr Khan’s message comes hours after the Mayor of London announced plans to make the capital Europe’s biggest car-free zone, with a map detailing how four of London’s busiest streets will be made for just pedestrians, cyclists and buses.
Sadiq Khan has called on Londoners to ‘play their part’ and stay at home over the weekend
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s easing of lockdown restrictions last Sunday means that the public are able to travel further distances during the coronavirus crisis
Mr Khan told his one million Twitter followers that lockdown has not been lifted this weekend
Mr Khan, who has been at loggerheads with the Government during the pandemic, has called for Londoners to stay at home this weekend following the announcement of the plans.
‘LONDON: lockdown has not been lifted. People continue to die from #COVID19 every day,’ he said.
‘Please stay at home as much as possible this weekend. If you need to use public transport for essential travel, wear a non-medical face covering at all times.’
The car-free zones will see streets between London Bridge and Shoreditch, Euston and Waterloo and Old Street and Holborn limited to buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
A map reveals the four busiest streets of London set to become car-free under new measures introduced by the Mayor of London in response to coronavirus restrictions being eased
Similar restrictions on smaller roads are being worked on between officials and London boroughs, while lorries and cars may be prohibited from London Bridge and Waterloo bridge.
With people returning to work and the need to avoid congestion on public transport, experts have warned it is crucial that walking and cycling is encouraged in order to maintain social distancing during the coronavirus crisis.
And a detailed map of the streets selected for the new measure have been revealed, showing where Londoners are able to cycle and walk as lockdown restrictions are eased in what will be Europe’s biggest car-free zone.
In an official statement made on Friday, Mr Khan said that Covid-19 presented ‘the biggest challenge to London’s public transport network in Transport for London’s history.
Areas of London are to be closed to cars and vans under measures by the Mayor of London
On Friday, Mr Khan announced that streets between London Bridge and Shoreditch and other areas will be limited to just cyclists, pedestrians and buses over the coming weeks
‘It will take a monumental effort from all Londoners to maintain safe social distancing on public transport as lockdown restrictions are gradually eased,’ he added.
‘That means we have to keep the number of people using public transport as low as possible. And we can’t see journeys formerly taken on public transport replaced with car usage because our roads would immediately become unusably blocked and toxic air pollution would soar.
‘I ask that Londoners do not use public transport unless it is absolutely unavoidable – it must be a last resort. If you can work from home you should continue to do so. We should all spend more of our leisure time in our local areas too.’
Mr Khan said that the growing number of people walking and cycling as a result of the lockdown has justified the move to widen pavements to allow more of the public to walk and cycle in the city.
Khan said that the measures are necessary to maintain social distancing in conjunction with the easing of coronavirus lockdown restrictions in an environmentally-sustainable manner
‘Many Londoners have rediscovered the joys of walking and cycling during lockdown and, by quickly and cheaply widening pavements, creating temporary cycle lanes and closing roads to through traffic we will enable millions more people to change the way they get around our city,’ he said.
The statement reads that work on the proposed road closures will begin with immediate effect, while officials say the work should be completed within a six-week time frame.
‘We will need many more Londoners to walk and cycle to make this work,’ the Mayor of London continued. ‘That’s why these plans will transform parts of central London to create one of the largest car-free areas in any capital city in the world.
‘If we want to make transport in London safe, and keep London globally competitive, then we have no choice but to rapidly repurpose London’s streets for people.
The plans come after the Mayor of London increased congestion charges from £11.50 to £15
‘By ensuring our city’s recovery is green, we will also tackle our toxic air which is vital to make sure we don’t replace one public health crisis with another. I urge all boroughs to work with us to make this possible.’
The Mayor of London’s latest announcement puts the UK capital among a number of cities that have set out measures to make a green and sustainable recovery from the coronavirus crisis through walking and cycling.
Paris have pledged €300m for new cycle lanes, which will run parallel to the city’s Metro network, offering commuters a viable alternative. Meanwhile, Milan have set out plans for one of the continent’s most ambitious walking and cycling schemes.
Elsewhere in Britain, the city of Manchester are set to pedestrianise areas of Deansgate in the city centre, while the Scottish government have pledged £10m towards pop-up cycling and walking routes.