The Local Councils’ Association launched the Guidelines on Walkability and Accessibility on November 02nd 2023. This is the third published guideline document, in a series of documents which are being published under the Resident First project headed by the Local Councils’ Association and endorsed by all Local Councils in Malta and Gozo.

The document is aimed at raising awareness of the importance of walking to deliver better urban environmental quality and liveability in our towns and villages. The guide seeks to establish why and when walking should take priority and how walkability is part of a broader accessibility and connectivity strategy. It frames this discussion within well-established urban design parameters such as the walking distance model to guide future decision-making.

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The Local Councils’ Association launched the Guidelines on Parking Management for Local and Regional Councils on May 31st 2023. The document is one in a series of documents on Sustainable Mobility and includes other important subjects such as: walkability, accessibility, shared transport, last mile transportation, and EV changeover.

This document centers on understanding further the parking issue and proposing strategies, in the form of steps, that could lead to potential solutions in the short-medium-long term.

These strategies must be understood and considered together with other complementing steps found within the other Sustainable documents mentioned above.

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The Local Councils’ Association is publishing this document in order to provide information on the subject of Sutainable Mobility and the means that could be of assistance in achieving the goal of sustainability. This document focuses on the re-introduction of bus lanes as a method of increasing transit speed and reliability hence this would decrease the amount of private vehicles on the road and also traffic congestion. 

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The Association of Local Councils launched its first Good Practice Guide on Monday 13th September 2021 – Electric Vehicle Public Infrastructure. 

This document is one of the twenty-four documents the Local Councils’ Association, the assistance of several experts, is publishing under ‘ResidentFirst’, a multi-year project in partnership with the Local Councils.  ResidentFirst focuses on Sustainable mobility, Open Spaces, Smart Cities and Green Environments, further identifying how these pillars may improve the quality of life of our residents in their respective localities. 

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A limited traffic zone would restrict most vehicles from entering the central arrondissements by 2022

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo’s crusade against air and noise pollution plaguing the French capital took a fresh turn on Wednesday, when she unveiled ambitious plans to pedestrianise the historic centre of the city by 2022.

Ban on through traffic, limited vehicle access

The plan envisages introducing a Limited Traffic Zone (LTZ) where most vehicles, including all transiting cars, would be denied entry. The proposed zone would encompass the four central arrondissements (administrative districts) and part of the 5^th, 6^th and 7^th arrondissements.

Public consultations have now been launched and residents’ feedback is deemed crucial to fine-tuning the project. Parisians can help define the LTZ contours, specify the categories of vehicles authorized to enter the zone, or even identify the streets that should be paid special attention to.

The Limited Traffic Zone is a tool employed by several large European cities such as Madrid, Milan, or Rome to reduce the flow of vehicles in the city center. This system makes it possible to reserve the road for pedestrians, bicycles, public transport, and certain categories of users (residents, delivery men, artisans, etc.). On the other hand, traffic is generally prohibited. 

“Embellish your neighbourhood”

In parallel with this project, the City of Paris has initiated the “Embellish your neighbourhood” approach to transform the spaces of daily significance to locals. More greening, pedestrian areas, cycle paths, or even furniture adapted to new uses could be installed following consultation initiatives at the district level. 

Green crusader

Mayor Anne Hidalgo has made improving air quality and reducing noise pollution a centrepiece of her agenda, recalls thelocal.fr. Her administration has already banned old diesel cars, pedestrianized the quays of the River Seine and launched a car-free scheme called “Paris respire” (“Paris breathes”), which sees certain districts made pedestrian-only on Sundays.

Air pollution levels in Paris actually declined by 20-30 percent during last year’s three-month hard lockdown. When the city reopened, 50 km of coronapistes (coronavirus cycle lanes) were built as a provisional measure, and later made permanent.

The Mayor’s green ambitions gained her many friends, and quite a few foes. The new plan to pedestrianise the city centre was generally lauded by downtown residents, outdoor eateries and shops which see busy car traffic as detrimental to their living and business. Opponents, however, view her transformation of Paris as chaotic, claiming hundreds of inexperienced cyclists and electric scooter riders are wreaking havoc on the city streets.

Article taken from https://www.themayor.eu/en