Transport Crucible

Transport by foot is the most esteemed mode of travel in the world of vogue policy theory. It is the ultimate in ‘sustainable’ transport and walking more than most do is good for us all and life on earth in general. Walking is however the slowest way to move about and in some ways the most dangerous especially when casualties are counted per kilometre travelled. Of the 3.172 people killed on UK roads last year, 646 were pedestrians and that is 58 more than motorcyclists – so it can be said that despite the great benefits expected from more walking – in reality it is even more ‘dangerous’ than P2W riding. In practice, many practicalities of walking set finite limits on the extent to which most people do it. Indeed, until the advent of widespread motorised transport the size to which all cities could grow was limited to a three mile radius from the centre – as this was the farthest distance people could work and walk to and from home on a daily basis. (London was the only exception to this in the world because it evolved from an amalgam of two city centres – now called The City of London and The City of Westminster – as LM research noted). Anyway, now, many measures are used to improve pedestrian amenity and safety including the spread of traffic light controls of traffic flow.
The pedestrianisation of many sections of roadspace including entire High Streets has also been widespread throughout many towns and cities.
Despite great emphasis being placed on encouraging walking and discouraging use of motorised modes, fewer trips are by foot in Britain now than ever. Currently the most tangible impact of measures to prioritise walking is to cut capacity for motorised modes on public highways. Correspondingly, in practice, measures to encourage walking and prioritise pedestrians causes a decrease in traffic flow – which is manifest by worsening congestion. But because the promotion of walking is such a good thing in vogue theory the adverse impacts of doing so and the fact that they fail to work in practice are factors that rarely get mentioned in polite UK policy circles.