Make Portsmouth Streets Safe (View details)
Portsmouth City Council
Portsmouth residents are walking and cycling in record numbers; this is good for controlling COVID-19, good for health, good for reducing congestion, and good for air quality.
However, as lockdown eases, we need to ensure that residents can keep walking and cycling safely.
Act NOW
Acting now is important: the more that traffic levels rise, the more dangerous it is to cycle and for pedestrians to keep 2 metres apart by using road space.
Our requests
To keep us all safe, we are asking that, with immediate effect, the council:
- Widen narrow pavements in busy streets so that people can keep 2 metres apart whilst walking, queuing, etc.
- Create a network of roads throughout the city that are cycle and pedestrian priority
- Create commuter cycle routes to allow people who usually travel by public transport to get quickly and safely to work by bike.
Croydon, Manchester, Brighton and other cities have shown these changes can put be in place quickly using low cost ‘pop up’ measures such as footway extension, thermoplastic tape, bollards and planters.
Please sign our petition asking Portsmouth City Council to do the same using the temporary powers granted to them.
Who we are
Pompey Street Space is a joint campaign by Portsmouth Friends of the Earth, Portsmouth Cycle Forum, Let Pompey Breathe, XR Portsmouth, Portsmouth Green Drinks, and Portsmouth Playing Out.
Sponsored by
To:
Portsmouth City Council
From:
[Your Name]
We call upon Portsmouth City Council to create an immediate network of safe streets throughout the city so residents can walk, cycle, wheel and shop safely, whilst keeping 2m apart.
Traffic levels are rising fast, and whilst the Council's 'quick win' proposals are very welcome, they don't go far enough
Therefore we ask that they immediately use 'pop-up' measures to:
1. Widen narrow pavements in busy streets so that people can keep 2 metres apart whilst walking, queuing, etc.
2. Create a network of roads throughout the city with cycle and pedestrian priority
3. Create commuter cycle routes to allow people who usually travel by public transport to get quickly and safely to work by bike.
These changes need to happen quickly, and as Croydon, Manchester, Brighton and other cities have shown they can put be in place using low cost ‘pop up’ measures such as footway extension, thermoplastic tape, bollards and planters.
The alternative- going back to normal levels of traffic- would mean dangerous roads for cyclists, polluted air for families, severe congestion for motorists and crowded pavements that are impossible to socially distance on.
We have a short window of opportunity to keep cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users safe: let's make it happen
Yours Sincerely