Almost half of Glaswegians back car-free city centre

According to a poll for The Sunday Times, almost half of respondents backed the move amid growing concern over the human health impacts of heavy traffic and vehicle emissions.

Edinburgh is poised to join the car-free movement - where, for one day every month, the city centre will be designated a car-free zone - under plans to curb air pollution and create a safer environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

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A Panelbase survey of 1,024 adults in Scotland indicates that similar schemes would find favour in the nation’s other six cities. It also reveals strong support for a ban on begging, apathy on the merits of elected mayors and overall optimism for the future of Scotland’s urban centres.

Nearly half (49%) of respondents approved a city centre car ban while just over a third (37%) thought it would be a “bad idea”. About 15% did not express an opinion.

At city level, 48% supported the move in Edinburgh and Glasgow although opposition was slightly higher in the capital (40%) than in Scotland’s largest city (36%). In Aberdeen, views were evenly split with 43% of respondents for a ban and 43% against. Only in Perth were more people against a ban ( 51%) than for it (45%).

The findings provoked warnings this weekend that banning cars would have to dovetail with improvements in public transport to ensure retailers and businesses were not harmed. One of Britian’s largest motoring organisations stated flatly that blanket bans were not possible.

However, Professor David Begg, a former UK government transport adviser who was also Edinburgh’s transport convener in the 1990s, insisted it is the “right move”.

He said blocking cars from Scottish cities would encounter resistance but pointed to Europe where several capitals have opted for temporary bans to help warm the public to the idea.

Glasgow City Council say consideration is already underway to make George Square pedestrianised. 

Several boroughs in Paris are designated as car-free zones on the first Sunday of every month to help improve air quality and share public spaces more fairly. Oslo plans to permanently ban all cars from its city centre by 2019 — six years before Norway’s country-wide ban comes into effect. The Norwegian capital is investing heavily in public transport and replacing 35 miles of roads with bike lanes.

“By introducing car free days, the mayor of Paris has given citizens a feel for what it is like, to have them experience traffic-free pedestrian access and cleaner air in the city centre,” said Begg. “If Edinburgh and others are going down that route they can build huge public support for the idea. Anything like this will be regarded as contentious but it is the right approach.”

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In Edinburgh, key roads will be closed to traffic on the first Sunday of every month between 10am and 5pm so that the city’s heritage, shops, cafes, restaurants and cultural attractions can be enjoyed free of traffic congestion and air pollution.

Glasgow council said the pedestrianisation of George Square is under consideration. A plan to allocate set days for sustainable transport within the city is also being reviewed. “A wide range of work is currently underway that will transform the city’s transport system in the longer term,” added a spokesman.