Since the age of 13 I have been cycling the same route to school all year round; through sun, wind, rain, and even snow. During my time as a cyclist, I have noticed the shift towards greener travel which has been heavily supported by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. In a tweet on the 14th of January this year Khan tweeted that ‘Greener travel like cycling, walking and public transport will simultaneously boost our economy, protect our planet, and help clean up London’s toxic air.’ I want to discuss, from my perspective, whether Khan’s prioritisation of cycling has had an overall positive or negative impact on my local community and the way I go to school. Going to school in Dulwich, I have noticed heavy restrictions on the movement of cars in and out of the village centre, with large areas being completely blocked off to cars and a curfew for motoring activity. Some would argue that these policies brought in by Khan have a hidden negative side to them, parents with young children who may want to take their children into school from long distances may have trouble getting through a jampacked school run. In addition, businesses can lose customers if they aren’t able to readily get into a high street such as the one in Dulwich Village. From my experience I constantly see a crammed South Circular, perhaps suggesting that these rules aren’t having the desired effect. On the other hand, I have noticed an increase in the number of cyclists on my route to school, in some ways the shutting down of streets to stop cars may have pushed people who would not otherwise use their bike to take it up. From my experience cycling has been very beneficial to my health, I have noticed in the nearly four years that I have been slowly increasing my stamina and ability to complete my journey. From this I form my opinion that everyone should start cycling if they are able to.
Overall, I believe that Khan’s plans for greener transport have both positive and negative aspects which have positive impacts in the long run however it creates a lot of short-term problems. The shift away from cars is a move that has to be made at some point, regardless out short term effects on the community the existential threat of climate change is one that can’t be ignored.
