Prioritising people over cars

By Eilidh Stanners, Communications Officer

In August, The Highland Council will make a decision that could shape the future of the city centre of Inverness, making it a better place to live and spend time. The proposal is to increase the pavement size along Academy Street and introduce a bus lane – this will cut traffic, reduce air pollution, and make this area of Inverness a greener and more welcoming place.

Transport is Scotland’s biggest source of climate emissions, and cars are by far the biggest chunk of that. When we take a little space away from cars in the most built-up areas, we reclaim space for all kinds of purposes: walking, wheeling, cycling, street trees, rain gardens, outdoor seating, food stalls, parks and more all become possible when we stop prioritising cars

Reducing traffic in the centre of Inverness will be very welcome in improving one of the country’s most polluted streets, following changes to Glasgow’s George Square, which has been pedestrianised, with the green space planned to be extended. These small changes are positive steps, but if we look further afield, we see that Scotland’s cities are currently quite far behind

If we look to some of the ways cities in Europe are reducing car traffic, it’s clear that we can be much more ambitious.

Paris has made a remarkable shift away from cars recently by pedestrianising parts of the city, investing in public transport and making cycling safer. Car trips within the city dropped by almost 60% between 2001 and 2018. Now, the city plans to ban cars from crossing the first four arondissemonts, a big chunk of the city centre, by early next year. The so-called “tranquil zone” is part of the plan to improve conditions in the city ahead of the Olympic Games

In Barcelona, one of the densest cities in Europe, the mayor has created a system of ‘superblocks’ This means that by grouping blocks in the city centre together, they’ve been able to free up space to use as public squares and green areas. The mayor’s plan has focussed on deprioritising cars, and has already made an impact of the city’s air pollution problem. The superblocks will form a network of green hubs, and the aim is for all Barcelona residents to be within 200 meters of one

Oslo is a fantastic example of the benefits outside of climate and air pollution that reducing car traffic can bring – it has brought pedestrian and cyclist deaths down to zero, and footfall in the city centre has increased tenfold. One of the criticisms that is sometimes thrown at pedestrianisation is that it would negatively affect local businesses, but the inverse is actually true.

It’s exciting to see the rate of change happening in cities across Europe, and it is inspiring to see how quickly our urban landscapes can change, but we know it’s not always easy and it certainly doesn’t happen without people pushing for it. In Paris, campaigners made an annual car-free day happen, which grew in size every year and paved the way for more and more changes to be made – and they’re not stopping with where they’re at now.

In Inverness, we’ve seen some fantastic campaigning that’s lead to the proposed changes that are happening now. Campaign groups like Kidical Mass have galvanised the city and helped make visible the roblems and possibilities, and in turn this has made the council listen.

If the council votes through the changes, it could be the start of some great changes in Inverness. The city will become a better place to spend time, and its residents will finally begin to breathe easier.