Everyone has, finally, agreed that global warming is happening, and we should all do something about it. But it seems that the UK city who'll find it hardest to help with the effort is Peterborough.
It's been named as the worst place in Britain to be without a car, by the Campaign For Better Transport, which examined provision for pedestrians, public transport and cyclists in the city and found it hugely wanting. It grew rapidly from the 1960s onwards, but seemingly without any extra concern for public transport and car alternatives.
Perhaps more surprisingly, third-bottom is the much-maligned city of Milton Keynes, which became a new town in 1967; effectively being created from scratch which, one would assume, would lead it to be well-designed for car alternatives. Not so, it seems: the report said that "reliance on cars [there] is the highest of all the cities."
Peterborough City Council's Mark Speed defended his home, saying “Our local bus routes are thriving, with an additional 400,000 journeys taken last year”. But, he also admitted that ”Peterborough was built at a time when car was seen as the most-desirable mode of transport.”
The top places to be without a car were named as London, Manchester and Liverpool, although anyone who has had to brave the Central Line during rush hour might have cause to disagree with that. The full list, from best to worst, is below.
1. London
2. Manchester
3. Liverpool
4. Brighton & Hove
5. Newcastle-upon-Tyne
6. Cambridge
7. Bristol
8. Birmingham
9. Southampton
10. Nottingham
11. Leicester
12. Stockport
13. Norwich
14. Luton
15. Sheffield
16. Plymouth
17. Leeds
18. Sunderland
19. Coventry
20. Gateshead
21. Northampton
22. Dudley
23. Derby
24. Bradford
25. Wigan
26. Swindon
27. Milton Keynes
28. Colchester
29. Peterborough
[via Independent]
(Images: Rex)
