London to launch car-free zones; touted to become world’s largest such zone in a capital

If everything goes as planned by London Mayor Sadiq Khan, it will soon become the world's largest car-free capital city. While revealing details about the said plan, he stated that along with the Transport of London (TfL), parts of central London will be transformed, with focus on cycling and walking. It will help public transport cope with social distancing, as the restrictions are gradually eased.
Referring to the said plan, the Mayor said that many Londoners have started to understand the joys of cycling and walking during lockdown. And now the plan is to widen the pavements without consuming much time, thereby closing roads to traffic and creating temporary cycle lanes, he added. This will further enable thousands of people to change their way or opt for other options to get around our city, he emphasised.

As of now, details and exact time frame for the plan has not been divulged yet. A spokesperson from the TfL said that they are working closely with London’s boroughs to finalise the details of car-free zones, after which they will reveal the exact street locations and time frames needed to accomplish that.
Amid all this, the Mayor also mentioned that those who can continue to work from home, should continue doing so, and stressed one should use public transport only if it is absolutely necessary.
As per the plans, some streets will be transformed to only walking and cycling, while some will also have buses running. Some popular streets like Shoreditch, London Bridge Holborn, Euston, Old Street, and Waterloo will likely see limited buses, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Public health advocates and environmentalists hailed the idea, and opined that this initiative will also help support sustainable travel.