Salvemos Las Lomas Headline Animator

En defensa del patrimonio urbano de la ciudad

Las Lomas de Chapultepec es un fraccionamiento residencial diseñado y desarrollado en los años 20's, sobre las colinas ubicadas al poniente de la ciudad, bajo el concepto urbanistico suburbano americano de la epoca, respetando la orografia y los collados que permiten el drenaje natural y areas de absorcion del agua de lluvia; se le doto con parques, calles amplias y avenidas jardinadas, que siguen las curvas de nivel del terreno, lotes grandes y reglamentaciones para mantener la densidad de construccion baja con mucho jardin, casas abiertas con setos perimetrales bajos en lugar de bardas; se le dotó de varios centros de barrio para alojar comercios y servicios necesarios para los vecinos, a distancias caminables.
Al paso del tiempo, por sus cualidades humanas y urbanisticas intrinsecas, se convirtio en la mejor y mas prestigiada colonia residencial de la ciudad.
A partir de la regencia del Sr. Hank, y como consecuencia del cambio al uso del suelo en las 7 manzanas entre la Fuente de Petroleos y Prado Sur/Prado Norte, autorizado sin consultar a los vecinos y aprovechado por el mismo, inicia el deterioro y la destruccion de la colonia; se construyen edificios de oficinas, que trajeron poblacion flotante, muchos autos y con estos comercio informal y ambulante, los cuidacoches, invasion de las calles con autos estacionados durante todo el dia, y la saturacion del transporte publico.
Simultaneamente, en Bosques de las Lomas, cambian el uso de suelo a los lotes del circuito Ciruelos y Duraznos, autorizando edificios de oficina, con identicas consecuencias. La apertura del puente de Monte Libano a Tecamachalco primero, el de Cofre de Perote después y el llamado Puente Viejo, permitieron la invasion de la colonia por miles de autos de residentes en Tecamachalco, La Herradura, y mas recientemente Interlomas y los desarrollos inmobiliarios en esa zona del estado de Mexico, colonias desarrolladas sin planeacion urbana integral, sin dotarlas con vias de acceso independientes y perimetrales a Lomas de Chapultepec y Cuajimalpa. En el colmo de falta de planeacion, se desarrolla Santa Fe/Bosque de Lilas sin las vias de acceso necesarias, ni servicio de trasporte publico adecuado, y las calles de acceso, existentes desde hace años, no se arreglan para que opere un transporte publico de calidad y asi absorber parte del aforo vehicular que transita entre el sur poniente y Santa Fe/Lilas, sin ingresar a las Lomas, por tal motivo todos los automoviles atraidos a estos desarrollos son obligados a transitar por Paseo de la Reforma, Palmas y Virreyes, Constituyentes/Observatorio desde y hacia el Periferico, unica via para llevarlos al norte hacia Ciudad Satelite o al sur hacia San Jeronimo y Viaducto al oriente.
El problema tiene solución, pero ésta no es ampliar vialidades ni hacer obras que incentiven y faciliten la movilidad en automovil con 1 ocupante, sino en ofrecer transporte publico de calidad que transporta 200 personas por autobus y hacer que quien causa el congestionamiento, el automovilista, pague por ello, en beneficio de los mas.

martes, 29 de noviembre de 2011

» Shows The KunstlerCast

Media_httpkunstlercas_xcakw

Coleccion de Podcast con James Kunnstler sobre urbanismo -Nuevo Urbanismo-, Aqui hay un rico acervo de conceptos y practicas de un urbanismo centrado en la persona, en los seres humanos que pueblan la ciudad, a diferencia de las practicas urbanistas de la epoca posterior a la segunda guerra mundial y hasta los años 70's, que estuvo centrada en el automovil y la satisfaccion de sus crecientes e insaciables necesidades, que llevaron a las ciudades 'desparramadas' y demandantes de territorio, con suburbios monofuncionales cerrados, poco densos, totalmente dependientes del automovil para satisfacer cualquiera y todas las necesidades de la gente, cada vez mas alejados de la zona centrica que se fue despoblando y deteriorando economica y socialmente por falta de habitantes, al abandono del transporte publico y la cesion del espacio publico al automovil, en detrimento de las personas.
Kunstler es un critico inmisericorde de las contradicciones y absurdos de ese patron de desarrollo deshumanizado, autodestructivo e insostenible.

» KunstlerCast #43: Missing Teeth in the Urban Fabric The KunstlerCast

Una platica sobre urbanismo - Los Dientes Faltantes - el simil que hace con la situacion en las ciudades con predios baldios. que interrumpen el tejido urbano

The Codes Project


Past-Present-Future

This page of the website is a portal through an existing city neighborhood to a world of codes. We present one or more photographs of current conditions in the study area. There are numbered pop-ups highlighting some of the plans, standards and zoning codes that helped create or protect these conditions. We also link to an example of a contemporary form-based code (SmartCode v9) to compare the present reality of our our study areas with progressive coding practice. We will concentrate on three essential building-scale components of urbanism - height, setback, and frontage type - and one community-scale component - thoroughfare type.

For those who wish to delve deeper into research of codes, there are also numerous external links to primary sources.

Codes in Real Life also provides a protocol for users to photograph and collect their own material from other cities and post them here, or on your own sites, in a similar format. The protocol includes instructions and blank forms for performing an urban analysis called a Synoptic Survey to extract the DNA of any existing place for a future code.

We have provided three examples to get you started:

Philadelphia, PA - traditional mixed use neighborhood

Coral Gables, FL - walkable residential area

Anywhere, USA - conventional Euclidean (separated-use) zoning ordinance and the result

Click on the place image to begin your journey.

lunes, 28 de noviembre de 2011

¿Como debemos diseñar las ciudades de nuestros sueños?

Media_httpmediasalonc_gsjdt

Un repaso a las mejores practicas de urbanismo en el mundo de hoy.

Primer "Bosque Vertical" se construye en Milan

Media_httpwwwstefanob_oaqqg

Ideas innovadoras y audaces que estan siendo exploradas y probadas en el mundo con el fin de encontrar un equilibrio ambiental entre la necesidad de urbes densas para alojar a la creciente poblacion, la disminucion de la huella de carbono por habitante y el mantenimiento de ambientes naturales vivos y economicamente productivos dentro de la ciudad.
Habra que ver en la vida real si estas soluciones son viavles y soportan las situaciones extremas que presenta la naturaleza, como vendabales, tormentas, sismos, el enraizamiento de los arboles, etcetera.
Todos esto experimentos son valiosos, sin embargo no nulifican la receta de ayer, de hoy y de siempre para tener una ciudad mas verde y que consiste en tener vecindarios, barrios y ciudades Caminables, con Alta Densidad, Diversidad y Mezcla de usos de suelo, con amplias banquetas y porosidad en los edificios que las bordean para hacer una ciudad Amable y fomentar la Vitalidad de la calle. Tener una ciudad compacta o una mega metropolis multicentrica con buena interconectabilidad interna.

martes, 22 de noviembre de 2011

¿Que son las Calles Compartidas (o integradas)?

« What are You Guys Doing to Fix It? -- draft article for your review | Main

November 21, 2011

What are "Complete Streets" -- draft article for your review

For_your_review

From PCJ Editor Wayne Senville

Set out below is a draft article, What Are “Complete Streets,” by Hannah Twaddell prepared for publication in the Winter issue of the Planning Commissioners Journal. Hannah has reported on transportation topics in the PCJ for more than seven years.

As always, I encourage you to reply with any questions, comments, or other feedback you might have about this draft. We’re especially interested in hearing about any issues you’d like to see discussed that are not included in the draft. Also, if you'd had success with Complete Streets programs in your community or region, please consider taking a few minutes to let us know what you've accomplished.

*** If you use Linkedin, consider posting your comments under the Discussion item at: www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=2463680 (you need to be a Linkedin member to access this page) OR email your feedback to me at: pcjoffice@gmail.com -- with a "cc" to Hannah at: hannah@twaddellassociates.com. For replies just sent to me, I'll assume it's OK to share your comments with the author unless you indicate otherwise in your email.

*** Please get back to us no later than Thursday, Dec. 1st.

-- DRAFT ARTICLE FOR YOUR REVIEW --

What Are “Complete Streets?”

by Hannah Twaddell

Over the past 140 years, American interest groups and engineering techniques for each type of roadway user have evolved separately. Our nation’s modern paved roadways were initially designed (and sometimes paid for) by bicyclists.[1] But their voices -- and most of their vehicles -- were overtaken in the early 20th century by the automobile users who ushered in the era of building high-speed highways.

In the 1970’s, bicyclists began again to lobby in earnest for better “bike/ped” facilities. Advocacy for improved public transit has since grown, as has our awareness of the need to make transportation systems safer for older adults, children, and people with disabilities. The complete streets movement provides a forum for all of these modal advocates to join forces with transportation engineers, planners, and community leaders in an effort to create truly multi-modal networks for 21st century travelers.

Complete streets are designed to be safe for everyone who uses them. In many places, especially in towns and cities, this can be quite a diverse group of folks. Roadway users may include drivers and passengers in cars, buses, delivery vans, 18-wheelers, and golf carts; fast-moving bicyclists who prefer riding in traffic; slower-moving cyclists (including children) who need to be separated from don’t want to ride near traffic; and pedestrians of all ages and abilities, including people handling wheelchairs or walkers, riding skateboards, roller blades, or segways, pushing baby strollers, and, oh yes, walking. 

Could any street be designed to support all these types of travelers? Yes. Should every street be designed this way? No. But a complete street network should provide safe, convenient paths for everyone who needs to get from one place to another. The complete streets concept is not about trying to make each and every road in a community serve all possible users, but it does aim to make sure all users can navigate safely.

Complete Streets Policies

Complete streets policies, ranging from simple resolutions of support to sophisticated design guidelines, are increasingly popular tools for building truly multi-modal transportation systems. Whether they address federal, state, regional, or local levels, these policies are meant to change the transportation decision-making and design process so that roadway planners and engineers will “routinely design and operate the entire right of way to enable safe access for all users, regardless of age, ability, or mode of transportation.” [2]

The big change here is not so much that we plan and design networks for non-drivers, but that we routinely consider all travelers in roadway planning and project development. American communities develop lots of plans and projects for bicyclists, pedestrians, transit riders, and drivers. But we don’t usually do a very good job of coordinating these plans with each other. As a result, many of our modal systems are disconnected and inefficient. Considering the needs of all potential users every time we develop a roadway plan or project helps us to make better mental -- and ultimately physical -- connections.

Complete Streets policies are typically developed by community leaders, often at the urging of their constituents, for adoption by municipal councils, regional planning bodies, or state legislatures. [insert information on current federal legislation]

The National Complete Streets Coalition website <www.completestreets.org> has made more than 300 policies accessible on an interactive Google-map atlas, allowing users to peruse all the known U.S. jurisdictions that have formally committed to the Complete Streets approach. Thirty statewide policies are included, ranging from Oregon and California in the West to North Carolina, Florida, and Connecticut in the East.

Cities such as Santa Barbara, California, set goals for “achieving equality of convenience and choice” among various roadway users, while others, like Columbia, Missouri, focus on fostering healthy communities by emphasizing street standards for bicycling and walking. At the regional scale, the Columbus, Ohio MPO has directed all federally-funded projects to provide for people on foot, bicycle, and public transportation.

Most policies take the form of a relatively simple resolution of support. Others include specific legislation, ordinances, or design guidance for public decision-making and/or agency protocols.[3] One way or another, all Complete Streets policies publicly assert the commitment of a community, state, or agency to creating a multi-modal transportation network. They give a green light (pun intended) for engineers to give equal weight to all users in considering the design of a roadway project or system.

Having an established policy is “essential,” say national experts John LaPlante and Barbara McCann, “if disputes arise over projects using the new paradigm. Engineers empowered by this clear direction from their leadership often tackle the new problem of multi-modal accommodation with gusto, using problem-solving skills and trying innovative treatments.” [4]

-----------------------

Sidebar - Ten Key Elements of a Complete Streets Policy

from the National Complete Streets Coalition

<www.completestreets.org/changing-policy/policy-elements/>.

An ideal complete streets policy --

1. Includes a vision for how and why the community wants to complete its streets

2. Specifies that ‘all users’ includes pedestrians, bicyclists and transit passengers of all ages and abilities, as well as trucks, buses and automobiles.

3. Applies to both new and retrofit projects, including design, planning, maintenance, and operations, for the entire right of way.

4. Makes any exceptions specific and sets a clear procedure that requires high-level approval of exceptions.

5. Encourages street connectivity and aims to create a comprehensive, integrated, connected network for all modes.

6. Is adoptable by all agencies to cover all roads.

7. Directs the use of the latest and best design criteria and guidelines while recognizing the need for flexibility in balancing user needs.

8. Directs that complete streets solutions will complement the context of the community.

9. Establishes performance standards with measurable outcomes.

10. Includes specific next steps for implementation of the policy [5]

-----------------------

Complete Street Networks

Planning techniques and physical networks for different travel modes aren’t the only things that have evolved separately over the past century. Many suburban communities and newer cities have systematically separated houses from jobs, shops, and urban activity centers, connecting them with a few major arterial highways and a miscellany of local streets that often end at the “bottom of the bag” (known in French as the “cul-de-sac”). Transportation planning consists largely of trying to eliminate or at least slow down through traffic on local streets, and trying to deal with the congestion that results from forcing people to drive on main arterials for nearly every trip, no matter how short.

Most land use and transportation planners have come to understand that our sprawling suburban development patterns characterized by sparse, discontinuous street systems are environmentally, economically, and socially unsustainable. The question is how to evolve into something better. One useful approach is to change the way we design entire multi-modal networks, as proposed in “Planning Urban Roadway Systems,” a draft Recommended Practice published in August 2011 by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (www.ite.org). 

The report presents a holistic view of how all streets, corridors, and networks can comprise a multi-modal system that fits local community contexts. It is grounded upon an understanding that the entire roadway right-of-way is a public space for all users, and it incorporates concepts of Complete Streets into an overall approach that involves defining and integrating different “layers” of surface transportation networks for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders, as well as drivers (cars and trucks) and rail systems for passengers and freight.

In addition to proposing an approach whereby transportation planners pull together a variety of modal networks into a cohesive system, the report recommends integrating arterial, collector, and local streets networks instead of continuing to treat arterials as the most important streets and largely ignoring the design and location of local streets and smaller collectors. Low-speed local streets can help to eliminate unnecessary vehicle trips by providing the bicycle and pedestrian connections to which they are well suited.

Well-connected systems of collectors and lower-speed commercial arterials can provide a unique array of transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicle connections between neighborhoods and community centers, freeing up higher-speed arterial corridors to serve the longer distance vehicle trips for which they are designed.

Sidebar or call-out box --

Six Principles for Planning Urban Roadway Networks

Urban Roadway Systems Should --

1. Consist of a multimodal network that serves pedestrian, bicyclists, transit, the automobile, and trucks;

2. Be planned as layered networks serving all modes of passenger travel, plus a freight/goods movement network;

3. Have a high degree of connectivity to help provide multiple routing options for all users;

4. Have a network density appropriate to the land use patterns and urban form that are served;

5. Be planned with recognition of the role of roadways as public spaces that help shape urban environments and;

6. Be planned with consideration of environmental, social, and economic issues. [6]

 

Sidebar --

A Still Broader Concept: Living Streets

Another useful new resource for planning and designing complete street networks is the Los Angeles County Model Design Manual for Living Streets, published in 2011 (<www.modelstreetdesignmanual.com>). The book addresses principles to design streets for people of all ages and physical abilities and accommodate all travel modes, but also encompasses a broader concept called “living streets.” These include consideration of not only basic Complete Streets principles, but also strategies to advance economic vibrancy, equity, environmental sustainability, aesthetics, and more. In addition to chapters addressing each mode of travel and each realm of a street, the manual discusses “streetscape ecosystems,” placemaking, urban design, community engagement, and -- perhaps the greatest challenge of all -- approaches for retrofitting suburban streets.

About the Author:

Hannah Twaddell is principal of Twaddell Associates, LLC, a consulting practice specializing in community planning, public engagement, facilitation, and education. Based in Charlottesville, Virginia, the firm provides planning, facilitation, and educational services to communities, government agencies, and private organizations across the U.S. Prior to establishing Twaddell Associates, Hannah worked for nine years with Renaissance Planning Group and, prior to that, for 14 years with the Charlottesville-Albemarle, Virginia MPO/ Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission.

Hannah’s articles on transportation planning topics appear regularly in the Planning Commissioners Journal. For a complete list, and to read excerpts, go to: <www.plannersweb.com/index/auth-q-t.html#twa_ha>.


[1]19th Century Cyclists Paved The Way For Modern Motorists' Roads,” Carlton Reid, The Guardian Bike Blog, posted August 15, 2011. 

[2]What Are Complete Streets?” National Complete Streets Coalition.

[3] Atlas of Complete Streets Policies, National Complete Streets Coalition,  

[4] Complete Streets in the United States, John LaPlante and Barbara McCann, TRB Annual Conference, January 2011.

[6] Planning Urban Roadway Systems, An ITE Proposed Recommended Practice, August 15, 2011, <www.ite.org>.

 

via ht.ly

Microbuses y colectivos, el origen del mal | Letras Libres

A 45 mph world

Check out this website I found at urbanismnews.com

Un mundo a 60 km/h ineficiente e inseguro.

lunes, 21 de noviembre de 2011

Una Ciudad con Transporte Publico Masivo, es una Ciudad Centralizada

Check out this website I found at paper.li

Demoler la Ciudad-Bloque (al estilo sovietico) para Reconstruir la Ciudad Compacta, amable

Media_httpwwwavoeorgc_cfyfj

Los esfuerzos que se hacen en el mundo para corregir y remediar los fracasos, horrores y errores cometidos bajo las premisas urbanisticas del siglo XX -la Villa Radiante de Le Corbusier, o Peter Stuyvessant en NY o los multifamiliares como Talteloco en Mexico-, de concebir a la Ciudad Bloque en medio de areas abiertas como la utopia para conseguir la felicidad de sus habitantes, y que en realidad han propiciado todo lo opuesto - mayor violencia, menos convivencia, mas disolucion social, criminalidad, vandalismo y despersonalizacion y deshumanizacion de entorno habitacional-.
Aqui se muestran varios proyectos en Europa y Estados Unidos, que estan siendo considerados para ejecutarse en etapas, hasta llegar a tener una eco comunidad atractiva, un vecindario con vitalidad urbana que promueva la convivencia y la acti¡vidad y productividad economica

"Mañana es la única utopía" José Saramago

Frecuentemente me preguntan que cuántos años tengo... 

¡Qué importa eso!. 
Tengo la edad que quiero y siento. 
La edad en que puedo gritar sin miedo lo que pienso. 
Hacer lo que deseo, sin miedo al fracaso, o lo desconocido. 
Tengo la experiencia de los años vividos y la fuerza de la 
convicción de mis deseos. 
¡Qué importa cuántos años tengo!. 
No quiero pensar en ello. 
Unos dicen que ya soy viejo y otros que estoy en el apogeo. 
Pero no es la edad que tengo, ni lo que la gente dice, sino lo 
que mi corazón siente y mi cerebro dicte. 
Tengo los años necesarios para gritar lo que pienso, para hacer 
lo que quiero, para reconocer yerros viejos, rectificar caminos 
y atesorar éxitos. 
Ahora no tienen por qué decir: Eres muy joven, no lo lograrás. 
Tengo la edad en que las cosas se miran con más calma, pero 
con el interés de seguir creciendo. 
Tengo los años en que los sueños se empiezan a acariciar con los dedos, y las ilusiones
se convierten en esperanza. 
Tengo los años en que el amor, a veces es una loca llamarada, ansiosa  de consumirse
en el fuego de una pasión deseada. 
Y otras en un remanso de paz, como el atardecer en la playa. 
¿Qué cuántos años tengo? No necesito con un número marcar, pues 
mis anhelos alcanzados, mis triunfos obtenidos, las lágrimas que por  el camino
derramé al ver mis ilusiones rotas... valen mucho más que eso. 
¡Qué importa si cumplo veinte, cuarenta, o sesenta!. 
Lo que importa es la edad que siento. 
Tengo los años que necesito para vivir libre y sin miedos. 
Para seguir sin temor por el sendero, pues llevo conmigo la experiencia adquirida
y la fuerza de mis anhelos. 
¿Qué cuantos años tengo? ¡Eso a quién le importa!. 
Tengo los años necesarios para perder el miedo y hacer lo que quiero y siento. 
 

      José Saramago 

domingo, 20 de noviembre de 2011

La Ciudad de Dos Turnos - The two-shift city

We are accustomed to thinking of downtowns as divided into functional districts... and so they are, but only to a degree.

De los escritos de Jane Jacobs

viernes, 18 de noviembre de 2011

jueves, 17 de noviembre de 2011

Impuestos y subsidios escondidos | El Economista M. Rodarte

Credito:

Mario Rodarte E.

Cuando se habla del tema de los impuestos y subsidios rara vez se hace mención a todo aquello que significa un costo para alguna persona o una empresa simplemente por realizar sus actividades, o lo que otros reciben sin hacer nada. Pensemos simplemente en el subsidio que representa para algunas actividades informales el hecho de operar en la vía pública, no pagar renta, electricidad, agua y otros servicios. La mayoría de las calles son utilizadas como estacionamientos, lo que significa un subsidio para todas aquellas empresas y negocios que en vez de pagar para tener espacios adecuados para estacionar los autos de sus clientes, simple y sencillamente utilizan las calles.

Los operadores de servicios de valet también reciben un subsidio de todos los que deben esperar a que reciban los autos de sus clientes para poder circular. Muchas escuelas reciben un subsidio importante de todos los vecinos y personas que transitan por sus calles a la hora de entrada y salida de clases, ignorando los inconvenientes que son causados por los padres y maestros que se estacionan en doble o triple fila, o frente a la entrada de cualquier edificio o casa, estorbando la entrada y salida de coches.

Cuando hablamos de los impuestos escondidos, recién fuimos informados del impuesto que pagan muchísimos negocios para poder operar a grupos diversos que van desde mafias hasta los servicios de seguridad, públicos y privados, conocidos o clandestinos. Para una gran proporción de empresas y ciudadanos era conocida la existencia de este impuesto y lo que resulta realmente extraño es que la autoridad fuera la que se declaró sorprendida por su existencia.

Otros impuestos escondidos están detrás del mal estado de la infraestructura de la ciudad y del desastre que significa desplazarse de un lugar a otro. Paga uno en términos de tiempo perdido, daños a la salud, pérdidas de productividad y menos tiempo disponible para dedicarlos a la familia o a sí mismo.

La manera ideal de eliminar muchos de estos inconvenientes sería imponiendo un impuesto especial a la gasolina y a los vehículos de manera que circularan muchos menos de los que ahora lo hacen y no pagan el costo real de tener y operar un auto, trasladando el costo a los demás.

Otro tipo de impuesto está detrás de la mala calidad de los servicios, como teléfonos, agua, drenaje o electricidad y el daño que causan a personas y propiedades.

mrodarte@eleconomista.com.mx

 

domingo, 13 de noviembre de 2011

La vida en Alta Densidad es el camino

Media_httpimagessmhco_dmshd

"En una buena ciudad, sientes las ideas que flotan en el aire. Simplemente el caminar por sus calles es emocionante porque la historia atras, la historia de fondo y la de frente y de lado cosquillean tus celulas cerebrales. Una ciudad es una aventura intelectual en una manera tal que en el suburbio jamas podria ser" .

Densidad, dice la autora, es la clave para crear lugares vibrantes y llenos de ideas y de trabajo.

viernes, 11 de noviembre de 2011

Untitled

Drop your parking changes before it's too late, Boris tells Westminster

Evening Standard   3 Nov 2011

Boris Johnson today called on Westminster council to abandon plans for night-time West End parking charges following a huge public backlash.

The Mayor hit out at the council's plans to impose a "tax on nightlife" which will raise millions of pounds and said: "It needs to be reviewed."

The council is proposing to abolish free parking on single yellow lines and parking bays between 6.30pm and midnight Monday to Saturday, and between 1pm and 6pm on Sundays. Parking will cost up to 4.80 per hour.

Mr Johnson today criticised the plans and told the Standard that he "warned" the council that the charges were a bad idea "months and months ago".

In a meeting at City Hall with council leader Colin Barrow last night the Mayor raised the issue and said he was given "reassurance...that this will be reviewed". He said today: "We have been talking to them over the past few months and are making this point as forcefully as we can."

But despite growing public anger Mr Barrow today remained defiant and insisted that he will go ahead with the scheme and the charges will only be reviewed after 18 months.

The council is being taken to the High Court following a rebellion led by top chefs, actors and night-time workers. In the biggest legal challenge of its kind, they will seek a judicial review of Westminster's plans.

Mr Johnson said: "It's something that I actually raised with Westminster months and months ago when they were planning this. I am worried about the threat to the night economy, the threat to local businesses and also to worship. The reassurance I've had is that this will be reviewed. They will take a view on all the aspects of it and that can only be a good thing. I think it's not a good idea. That's my view. I don't own every street and every pavement in London, but in this situation I support the people who are against it.

"I warned them strongly about the move but it came in."

Mr Barrow today ignored the Mayor's intervention and said: "This is and always was an experimental scheme. Everything will be up for review towards the end of the 18 months and not before.

"Boris's position is he is concerned about it as a number of people are - about their businesses, how they are going to get home - but if we thought it would have a major impact on businesses we would worry more. We have come to the conclusion it is better for businesses to reduce congestion." At an event to celebrate the gyratory around Piccadilly Circus becoming two-way Mr Johnson added: "I was concerned from day one months ago when this was first mooted and spoke to Colin then because of the potential damage to the night-time economy. It is pretty clear people are not happy."

Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour leader on Westminster council, criticised Mr Barrow and called on him to abandon his proposal. He said: "Every day somebody new comes out against this ridiculous parking charge. The fact that the Mayor has come out is extremely significant.

"The West End should not have to endure 18 months of this experiment in order to be proved wrong. Colin Barrow should perform a U-turn before he is responsible for damaging the West End economy."

Your say: We can't afford to pay

Khiley Williams, 24, receptionist, dancer and actor, lives in Sydenham: "I work at Quo Vadis restaurant in Soho and I rely on being able to park on the single yellow lines in the evenings. It will eat up a huge chunk of my money if I have to pay more than 4 an hour just so I can get home safely.

"I often finish at 2am and it would cost me about 30 for a taxi. I can't afford that. This is ridiculous and will affect a lot of people I know."

Paul Robinson, 42, manager of Bar Italia in Soho, lives in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire: "I sometimes don't finish until 4.30am or 5am and then it takes an hour and a half to drive home. With these new charges, plus petrol and congestion charge, I'm looking
at paying 50 a day on transport just to come to
work. I have three kids - I just can't afford that on my wage."

Amy Conroy, 26, welcome desk manager at W London hotel in Wardour Street, lives in Acton: "I don't want any of my staff having to walk to get their car in the early hours of the morning. It's not safe.

"The thought of getting public transport at that time of night is bad enough - just walking five minutes to catch the bus is a worrying situation if you are on your own. It's also bad for customers. What's the point of having roads if you can't use them?"

Reader views (52)

 Add your view

Parking should be cheap and available in London. No other city, or indeed country, exploits motorists like Britain. It makes us look grasping and greedy, which councils and many institutions are. We are turning into a thoroughly unpleasant and expensive country where people are not very nice and think of nothing but money and how to get more of it. It will all end in tears.

- Dave, Devon, UK, 04/11/2011 00:23
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I lived and worked in London for ten years before i had the sense to move out but whilst there i had a monthly expenses allowance that covered parking..Now i used to carry out a vast amount of works on LUL and other rail networks on night shift and i know how bad it is in central but why don't all companies offer to give their staff an expenses allowance if these ridiculous changes come into play.After all it's not only the councils who need a wake up call it's businesses as well.Surely they respect their staff?.

- Col, Toon, 04/11/2011 00:22
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When Camden Council introduced weekend parking charges for Kentish Town, half of the shops closed down. As always, greed prevailed and Camden realised they would lose more money in rates (than parking charges) and were slowly facing the death of a high street.

Westminster council will obviously have to learn their lesson too. Not before local businesses are forced to shut down, though.

Pity our pen-pushers with 6 figure salaries are so short sighted.

- Simon, London, 04/11/2011 00:00
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Westminster if you really care about the level of congestion in London at night, then get rid of the rickshaws and open up the roads. If you care about extracting as much money as you can from motorists, just carry on.

- Mr S.Port, London, 03/11/2011 23:35
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I've been a Londoner all my long life. Who in their right mind would want to drive into the West End? That's what trains, taxis, buses and tubes are for innit?
And Luke, you're coming across as a proper sad-sack, buddy... a whingeing Pom. You sound like you've never been outside of Welwyn Garden City. Get a life son, before its too late.

- Crazy Hippie, 10 Drowning Street SW1 1AA, 03/11/2011 22:50
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The core problem is London is overpopulated

2 days ago a Downing Street Petition was started

' No to 70 million '

It is already 70,000 signatures so is ISSUE NUMNER 1 .

- actionnow, london, 03/11/2011 22:47
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Luke see that chip on your shoulder

- remus, london, 03/11/2011 22:38
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@Luke, London, 03/11/2011 19:40

What you fail to acknowledge is that the immediate surrounding zones to these three parking zones already have late parking restrictions that inhibit workers and visitors.

The only areas that now retain the 18:30 onwards free parking are at the edges of the borough, meaning any late-night workers in these three zones who are still obliged to drive into work will suffer a good 10/15 minute walk to their car at 3am (nice and safe), or accept 10-30 off their wages every day.

And I'm sure the residents of the zones that still employ the 18:30 cut-off time will love the huge influx of commuters seeking free parking.

But that's Westminster council's real motivation.

They're manipulating parking and congestion so that they can eventually install a blanket charge to non-residents (and residents too if they're forced to park in a chargeable parking bay at certain times) over the entire borough.

More money in the pocket for the council, while businesses and employees in the area bear the brunt of their parking policy. It's a stealth tax on businesses, employees and customers of the West End. No doubt about it.

Talk of congestion, the environment or any of that nonsense is used to sell yet another surreptitious tax to the naive.

- Michael, Earlsfield, 03/11/2011 22:38
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@ Remus - can you even hear yourself?! One goes to dinner does one and often to ones club! Sounds like you can afford to pay for parking!

- Luke, London, 03/11/2011 22:00
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The folk on here who support WCC really surprise me (although I do wonder how many work for WCC). If you actually have the nerve to support a totally corrupt and self serving entity such as WCC you can't expect to be taken seriously.

- Uncle Paulie, N London, 03/11/2011 21:49
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Luke

Still does not help when I go to a dinner and a club mid week . Last train 11.30 . Plus we often move car to west end later in day .Plus most bays in Chelsea and Belgravia are now residents so not easy to park there . So every year London becomes more of a pain . In the good old days before Labour overpopulated London you could park anywhere .

- remus, london, 03/11/2011 21:07
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@ European - Central London will be gridlock and closed to traffic pretty much thanks to the Olympic route network which will run from Hyde Park to the stadium
and other venues. You won't be able to get to the West End by car, let alone park there. Seems like a sensible policy to me this, I saw a bus scrape the side of a car behind Oxford Street the other Sat because all the cars parked on yellow lines forced two lanes down to one. The damaged car was parked on a single yellow. Serves them right.

- Geo, Clapham, 03/11/2011 19:59
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The provision of parking spaces are a service. You use the service you should pay for it. Stop moaning. And if it means the money is used to help pay for social services, helping the needy and poor and vulnerable in Westminster, then good. In these hard times they need the most help.

- Tom, Soho, 03/11/2011 19:51
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@ Remus - the plans don't change anything in Chelsea. It's only for three West End parking zones. Your lifestyle of Saturday visits to London won't cost any more. Maybe you should stop jumping up and down and actually read what the changes are rather than the nonesense posted on here.

- Luke, London, 03/11/2011 19:40
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West End Bar/Club DJ: I live out of london where its alot cheaper and people are able to live a little more without being dictated by a local council for everything they do that involves a wallet.
Unfortunately in this example I just have to commute into london some weekends late at night. I dont leave until 5am in the morning. Because of where i live I can not use public transport and therefore I have to drive into london for work. I this is outrageous to charge over 4 per hour, the average barman on a saturday night earns a little over that. Its like working just to pay for your parking... Oh and lets not forget about TAX on top of your average barman earnings. Its all a greedy money grabbing campaign to simply make everyones lives even more complicated while they laugh at us!!

- RobD, Guildford, 03/11/2011 18:23
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@fred, london, 03/11/2011 16:36

Fred, your reasoning is so specious it's staggering.

So because half of Londoners don't need, can't afford or choose not to have a car that means that nobody in London needs one, right? Wrong.

I'm sure our already creaking transport system would welcome the number of passengers doubling if those hundreds of thousands who you see driving to work, to the shops, to school etc were to ditch their cars.

Your reasoning on the subsidisation of parking is also irrational. I know full well that my council tax pays for numerous features in our infrastructure and our society that I don't personally utilise.

I also recognise that people from outside my borough will travel into it and use some of the facilities on regularly. But since they're contributing to the local economy and given that they're paying for the upkeep of the infrastructure in their own borough (which I am free to enter and utilise), I appreciate that there's give and take.

Non-drivers don't pay for drivers to park, they pay for the facilities to be available for them to utilise should they choose.

Just as, for example, drivers pay for public transport facilities they often don't use; or how non-cyclists pay for the cycle lanes they may never use.

The residents of Westminster's council taxes go towards the upkeep of the general infrastructure, whether used by them or by visitors, by drivers or by pedestrians/cyclists, just as the residents of other boroughs do in turn.

- Michael, Earlsfield, 03/11/2011 18:22
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Well West End congestion is being made worse by all these extra (largely empty) double deck buses Boris is flooding London with. With 400 Artics being replaced by around 700 buses by the end of the year!!

The City of Westminster would make a good case for anyone who argued for using Proportional Representation in local council elections!!!

As for Boris making Piccadilly 2 way well what Boris is really doing is simply using what Ken planned to use as a 2 way bus lane on the south side of Piccadilly when in reality there is very little westbound trafic in Piccadilly while Eastbound Boris has taken half the carraigeway for a bus lane!!!

Boris simply cant understand that sepperating buses and cars is the best way forward for ALL road users!

- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex, 03/11/2011 18:21
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Note to Uncle Remus, just read that Bugatti has a drag coefficient of 0.41 so not as clever as all that but pleased to see that the gearbox is made in England. Does the Bugatti really need to have its wheels sent back to the factory for a tyre change ?

- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 03/11/2011 18:15
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People haven't thought this through. Charging for parking will help people seeing shows if it means spaces become available. 2 or 3 hours costing a few pounds is nothing compared to ticket prices and petrol these days. What it will stop is people leaving their cars in the middle of the West End for hours and days upon end.

- Simon, London, 03/11/2011 17:24
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People haven't thought this through. Charging for parking will help people seeing shows if it means spaces become available. 2 or 3 hours costing a few pounds is nothing compared to ticket prices and petrol these days. What it will stop is people leaving their cars in the middle of the West End for hours and days upon end.

- Simon, London, 03/11/2011 16:51
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We always use public transport for the centre. But my daughter cannot risk 'rape alley' near her NW London work, and has to drive to join us. Thus she is always late and missing pre-theatre supper, for looking for 'somewhere to park'. So now, 'nowhere to park'?

- Steve, London, England, 03/11/2011 16:40
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@Michael

Half of Londoners don't have a car. They seem to survive. They even seem to manage to shop, take kids to school etc.

What's more, they end up subsidising cheap or free (certainly way less than market-price) on-street parking for all those who do own a car. And having to negotiate councils (like Westminster, most of the time) who treat those cycling and walking like second class citizens.

It's amazing how good Tories suddenly go cold on the market when their little privileges are under threat. It's absolutely fair to charge people a market price for parking, and to charge for all the harm driving in the city does to the environment and public health.

A couple of thousand people on foot or bikes take up very little space. A couple of thousand cars are enough to jam up the West End.

- fred, london, 03/11/2011 16:36
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"Meanwhile residents pay astronomical council tax bills but motorists expect everything for free!- John, London"

I don't know on what planet you live, but WestMonster has the second lowest council taxes in the country. A band D house pays 50% of what I pay.

And how can motorists be subsidized when we have the highest petrol and diesel cost of the entire universe?

You must really try harder.

- John Smith, London, EUSSR, 03/11/2011 16:28
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Just as well that Boris has finally come out, maybe only because Ken Livingstone did two days ago, and he felt that he was losing credibility.

However, if Colin Barrow sticks to the eighteen month 'experiment', by the end of that enough permanent harm will have been done that cant be undone.

Theatres and churches will have suffered a huge loss in attendances and therefore money, businesses will have closed.

People will have had to give up their jobs or have suffered a severe loss in income.

It should be scrapped completely before it ever starts and Boris should make that absolutely clear or there will be a backlash against the Conservatives.

- Richard Bradford, Chiswick, London, 03/11/2011 16:21
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Jack Spratt

Agree and DS in my top 20 classics but I think I would rather go for best car ever made in France with Bugatti Veyron . I guess it is a VW so perhaps does not count .

- remus, london, 03/11/2011 16:07
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The extra revenue could be used for good causes. Bring it on I say!

- Gurc, London, 03/11/2011 15:57
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They should pedestrianise much of the West End (apart from specific loading times, e.g. 6am-8am). This would massively increase the desirability, footfall and total customer time in the area.

The council need to stop pandering to the few rich people who demand to drive everywhere, the vast majority of people going to the West End do so via public transport. Instead council bosses (and buffoons like Boris) continue only to listen to those in their above 100k earning circles, not the general public.

- Paul, London, 03/11/2011 15:53
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Ditch the car, and if you're coming home late at night, use the money you save on insurance, depreciation, petrol and residents' parking to pay for your minicab.

- fred, london, 03/11/2011 14:32

You do realise that people need cars for things other than getting to work. Many of those workers who drive into work in central London will still need their car for other reasons. During the day when they're not working their wives/husbands will likely be using it to take the kids to school, pick up the shopping, or any number of other chores. It's not as simple as saying give up the car and take cabs, or public transport; as if the car is only ever used to get to and from work.

And for late night workers, should they really have to compete with the drunken revellers for cabs to get home from work? If you've been out in central London recently you'd find that getting a legitimate, licensed minicab is nigh on impossible (not to mention expensive) on a busy night. That's why many people resort to the illegal minicabs that line the streets. Hardly safe is it.

Finally, is your final paragraph meant to be deliberately contradictory? How do "a couple of thousand people" who drive into London and park up for hours "make life noisy, polluted and dangerous" for everybody else? I think you'll find those that drive into work or to a night out in central London are a tiny, tiny drop in the ocean of London's congested through traffic.

- Michael, Earlsfield, 03/11/2011 15:38
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Boris is just after the short-sighted motorist votes again. Normally he is all for councils reducing their deficit, which is vitally important, but prefers it done in sneaky ways (hiking up behind-the-scenes business costs, VAT, reducing pensions for example). As soon as it comes to a transparent and readily evident deficit reducing plan, he calls for it to be scrapped.

That's British voters for you. We like our politicians to stand up and hand out free money (or in this case free parking), and then steal it back out our back pocket afterwards.

- John, London, 03/11/2011 15:28
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Westminster Council have grossly overlooked one very important factor,that is 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES.What do you think the visiting public from all over the world will think about this,I am aware of certain major players coming to the OLympics who have stated that this could cause a tremendous amount of damage,as Tour operators will be advising their clients to stay away from Central London..Westminster Council should listen to the ''more informed''BEFORE it is toooooo late.

- EUROPEAN, LONDON, 03/11/2011 15:15
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RIP The West End, why would anyone want to go to a smelly, dirty area with high levels of anti-social behaviour to go and see a show or do some shopping and not be able to park for the privilege. That's why Brent Cross, Lakeside, Bluewater and Westfield will kick Westminster Council up the A**. Small parking charges at the other places, save for Brent Cross. Clean, safe a great choice of shops and eating areas. Westminster Council will slowly strangle the West End, it's theatres shopping and small businesses! Goodbye it was nice knowing you.

- Rob Jackson, London, 03/11/2011 15:08
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The West End is very congested in the evening and on Sundays therefore I support the introduction of these changes. However, I only support them if they are in conjunction with an increase in the amount of off-street parking. If there were enough off-street parking then people visiting the West End at "off-peak" times might only have to pay 1-2/hour in a car park, while leaving the roads being not too cluttered.

- Ross, London, UK, 03/11/2011 15:01
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As a Westminster resident who was actually born here, I have mixed views about this whole issue. I do have a car and a resident's permit, but I NEVER use my car in town, only to get out of town. It's just too much hassle and too expensive trying to find somewhere to park (as a resident, I can only park in my own parking zone, not in the West End). I can remember the days when there was hardly any traffic at all in Westminster in the evenings and at weekends - now there are jams all over the place. But there are also shops open all hours now, as well as staff required to run all them and the other commercial establishments that bring in the business rates. Clearly this needs to be managed sensibly. There has definitely been NO consultation by the Council. Nothing was put through my letterbox, and no councillor has been in touch about this proposal. The first I knew of it was when I saw in the Standard that free evening/weekend parking was being withdrawn. I would be in favour of some controls, but nothing on the scale proposed. For a start, businesses should be given evening & weekend permits for their staff so they can continue to park near their workplaces free of charge. For visitors and shoppers, evening charges could be considered, but at an off-peak rate. 2 per hour max. Why should anyone pay 4.80 an hour to park off peak, when frequently spaces are available because residents like me are often away at weekends?

- Westminster Native, Marylebone, 03/11/2011 14:59
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If we want to create jobs in this country we must learn to love business. We should pass legislation to force authorities to estimate what affect any legislation they are proposing will have on the jobs market before it is introduced to ensure an open public debate.

- Leonard Rees, London, 03/11/2011 14:41
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The DS had a plastic roof panel so it must have been quite easy to cut it off. Seriously though Boris is in the best car France ever built (which is not a difficult contest!)

- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 03/11/2011 14:39
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By huge public backlash I presume you mean the Evening Standard and a few noisy rich people?

Who needs a car in London? Ditch the car, and if you're coming home late at night, use the money you save on insurance, depreciation, petrol and residents' parking to pay for your minicab.

Why should a couple of thousand people (just a tube train's worth..) who insist on driving to the centre make life noisy, polluted and dangerous for the hundreds of thousands who walk, cycle, and use public transport?

- fred, london, 03/11/2011 14:32
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"If you live too far from work to travel there by public transport, then why are you working, or living, where you are?"

- Paul M, London, 03/11/2011 13:51

For goodness sake, stop being so short-sighted.

It's not about how far they live from work, it's about the hours they work.

Do you really think the entirety of the restaurant staff, bar staff, theatre staff etc of the West End can be staffed by those living in the West End?

Of course most of them have to commute in from afar. As you said, the real estate in the West End is incredibly expensive. Do you think these thousands of workers on low pay can afford to live a couple of stops from work in such an expensive area?

In case you hadn't noticed the trains don't run at 2am.

And I'm sure you'd love your loved one to be commuting home for an hour or more on the nightbuses, with all the drunks and whatever other nutters are wandering the streets at that hour?

Or perhaps they could cycle home exhausted and alone after work on deserted streets? Sounds real safe.

And are you really, really that naive that you think this is being done to help the environment and improve the quality of life?

Of course it's not. It's just another way to fill the local council's coffers.

Of course the rich can afford a fiver an hour. Those popping in to see a show might also be able to afford a few hours. But the workers cannot afford 30 a day and it's they who are being penalised here.

- Michael, Earlsfield, 03/11/2011 14:31
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The world has moved on yet we still have the City of Westminster and the City of London why. History is on thing but we are talking local politics here not a change of monarch. The sheer arrogance of both is ill judged and will be the the making of their own much needed downfall.
The is only one London and only one Mayor, localities can have Deputies who administrate but London must operate in one way. Westminster and the City must surrender their rights to the Mayors office and why the City of London has its own police force is unfathomable.
Boris is right here, the irony is he only started to speak out once Ken had stuck his oar in and opposition to the mad Westminster scheme got legal.
Why can't Boris be ahead of something for once?

- Robert Marshall, London, 03/11/2011 14:07
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Free parking in the middle of a capital city just ain't going to happen. Too many people and cars around these days. Meanwhile residents pay astronomical council tax bills but motorists expect everything for free! Grow up and get with the real world, at up to 4.90ph, it's hardly a lot of money for parking right in the middle of a city of 7 million people.

- John, London, 03/11/2011 14:01
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Jacques

Yes a very nice top classic and very rare in RHD . Hope Boris was insured as they fetch over 100k now .

Glad to see they managed to find Cameron a Jag to roll up to the G20 rather then a Citroen though

- remus, london, 03/11/2011 14:00
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What is the point of the Mayor, really, if he has no power to insist and enforce his vision of parking restrictions in the centre of this great capital? It's ridiculous that he all he can administer is a stern talking-to. I can't imagine that the Mayor of New York for instance would be similarly powerless...

- Bob Warner, London UK, 03/11/2011 13:54
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What "public backlash"? Just a small and very noisy minority lobby group shouting for a sectional interest.

Westminster has some of the most valuable real estate in the world. Why on earth would anyone imagine that they should get to occupy it for free? Why should local residents subsidise it from their property taxes? Why shouldn't the local council take steps to manage traffic flows to improve the environment and quality of life in their area? How can you say that someone who can afford to come into London for dinner and a show - got to be over 100 a head overall - can't dig in their pockets for a few quid an hour for their parking? What's wrong with trains? What's wrong with bikes? If you live too far from work to travel there by public transport, then why are you working, or living, where you are?

- Paul M, London, 03/11/2011 13:51
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Harton: are you stupid? do you have any idea how much rage there actually is on the tube/train network? you buffoon.

There is a huge backlash from protesters for the parking charges in fact. I have seen them out in massive numbers you imbecile.

- serox, London, 03/11/2011 13:47
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"Will be reviewed after 18 months"

More Lies from Westminster Council, as if they will change anything once its in place

- hunter, London, 03/11/2011 13:46
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Yes more damage to West End than Luftwaffe did

They simply do not GET IT that if you do not drive in and you need the train this is hopeless as last trains to suburbs are 11.45 and for a party of 5 plus tube , plus taxi from station if you can get one will cost well over 100 .

We go up on a Saturday park up in Chelsea for free at 1.30 and spend afternoon at the shops and theatre and dinner
and then walk back to car in Chelsea .

If we have to pay 60 to park up if you can find a meter then WE WILL NEVER GO TO THE WEST END AGAIN .

Also if you cannot find a meter space you will have to pay 30 per hour to park in Brewer Street .

- remus, london, 03/11/2011 13:36
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Barry from Bermondsey you mean that Westminister Council is elected I thought that they were like the Royal family a job for life but they seem to have far more power and do exactly what they and their super rich friends want.

- Mike Melbourne, Bedford, 03/11/2011 13:34
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Westminster Council Leaders have steadfastly ignored and dismissed anything anyone has said about these measures. Their blind arrogance and refusal to listen is appalling and all this nonsense about 18months trial is utter rubbish because once it is in place it just gets fixed and rolled out --- it is simply shameful

- patricia michelson, london, 03/11/2011 13:31
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Colin Barrow is a pig-headed, fully paid-up member of the Nasty Party. He doesn't care a hoot about late-night workers on the minimum wage or women forced to walk miles alone at 3.00 am back to their cars. No, he's tucked up in his bed, comforted by the 200K salary he leeches from the taxpayer as a petty tyrant, deaf to the chorus of protests and common sense of his critics.

- ID, South Coast, UK, 03/11/2011 13:27
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"Everything will be up for review towards the end of the 18 months and not before."

And during that 18 months, Mr Barrow, how many businesses will be forced to close, how many employees will lose their jobs? Worst of all, how many defenceless women workers will be attacked as they walk back to their cars alone at 3.00 am?

How will you be able to sleep at night or face yourself in the mirror if any of this happens because of your money-grabbing policy?

- Baron von Richtofen, Biggin Hill, 03/11/2011 13:26
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If that stuid arrogant Barrow had a relative that was working late at night and was scared for her safety this stupid humourless charisma-lackimg moron would soon change his views.

I hope the Tories will suffer a lot at the next council elections.

This is what happens when the Tory Twits stay in power too long in a council - utter sheer arogance!

The Eveinmnh Standard needs to muster all the publicity to maximise the injustice of this and organise HUGE protests about this. Many people will ROAR their disapproval at the offices of Westminster City Hall.

- Barry from Bermondsey, Bermondsey London, 03/11/2011 13:01
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There hasn't been a "huge public backlash", it's just that a proportion of motorists are a very angry and vocal bunch. That's why there's so much road rage as opposed to (very rare) tube rage.

- Harton, London, 03/11/2011 12:54
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Very smart and rare 1965 CitroDS 21 cabriolet. Congratulation Boris!

- Jacques, Cannes - France, 03/11/2011 12:52
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Porque los congestionamientos de transito son dañino para la salud

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Un largo estudio de los efectos perniciosos de los congestionamientos de transito en la salud de las personas.

Es hora de mirar a los viejos conductores con los ojos sin lagrimas - Streetsblog Capitol Hill »

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El drama de los adultos mayores que por el entorno fisico, social y sicologico en el que viven en EUA, no quieren ni pueden dejar de manejar, y son causantes de muchos accidentes, que deberian evitarse retirandolos de las calles, pero el paradigma del desarrollo en suburbios dependientes de la movilidad en auto lo hace practicamente imposible. Otro problema mas generado por la dependencia en el auto, por el expansionismo urbano horizontal y por el aislamiento y falta de convivencia y vitalidad comunitaria que la baja densidad y el mono uso ocasionan.

miércoles, 9 de noviembre de 2011

El acercamiento incremental al urbanismo de Jan Gehl

My ongoing study of how best to design the human habitat has been consumed by the research of Jan Gehl. I am pleased that the CNU will be hosting him for a keynote lecture at CNU20. If you have not picked up a copy of his latest book, Cities for People, I highly recommend you give it a read.

In the film above, Mr. Gehl mentions the importance of Copenhagen incremental approach to the city’s public space improvements. Planners should find it particularly important to note that a master plan would have never been able to get the city to where it is today, and that it was the slow build up of small projects that allowed a greater vision to be created. Perhaps this is the best approach to 21st century city building? Lighter, quicker, cheaper, and, overtime, better.

The emerging Tactical Urbanism discussion can certainly learn from Copenhagen’s story.

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Tagged as: CNU20, Film, Jan Gehl, Public Space, Tactical Urbanism

Video hecho para difundir los 40 años de urbanista de Jan Gehl y su metodo de acercarse a los problemas de urbanismo de una manera incremental

martes, 8 de noviembre de 2011

A case of rise and sprawl

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¿Estamos alcanzando el ‘pico del coche’? - The Globe and Mail

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Tendencias demograficas cambiantes combinadas con cambios en las preferencias en el estilo de vida y las frustraciones crecientes debidas a las limitaciones de una vida orientada al auto, estan induciendo al alejamiento en el uso del coche.