Driving towards a car-free future
Tuesday 22nd September 2020 is World Car Free Day, and the end of European Mobility Week - a chance for towns and cities around the world get a taste of what the streets would be like without the constant hum of motor traffic.
Our proposals in Tower Hamlets have been progressing for more than 18 months, and during that time the sustainable transport landscape has shifted significantly. Our approach to active travel has always been an important aspect of our proposals for the site, with eco-friendly mobility helping to drive down car usage wherever we can.
We all have an obligation to drive down car usage in the city wherever possible, and Hadley is committed to finding sustainable, active and inclusive ways to travel.
To support this, we will be introducing a Shared Mobility Hub at our development at Blackwall Yard in Tower Hamlets - the first to be introduced in a private development in London. It will not only offer sustainable and affordable transport choices to residents and visitors but also support local communities and reduce carbon emissions.
Mobility hubs promote greener, cleaner choices by providing secure storage space, parking areas and shared mobility for residents and neighbours alike. This is facilitated through schemes such as Hadley’s zero-emission car club, created to reduce single car driver trips in the development. This will work alongside bike, scooter and Brompton sharing schemes, which reduces the need for privately owned cars and their carbon emissions.
Our vision is to place sustainable travel at the heart of Blackwall Yard, providing a range of alternative transport modes and enabling residents and visitors to minimise car usage. This is part of our ongoing commitment to refocus the traditional development approach to transport, where far too much emphasis has been placed on car ownership and use.
We will offer parking areas for future micro-mobility schemes in the borough (e.g. shared e-bikes and e-scooters), daily bike and e-bike rental of Brompton bikes, leased bikes, cycle parking and a cycle workshop on site. A wholly electric car club and secure bike storage will also be provided, and information about these services will be displayed at the Mobility Hub. We will also offer discounted use of nearby Transport for London’s Cycle Hire.
The inclusion of a Mobility Hub at Blackwall Yard places sustainable travel alternatives at the heart of the development. It will help to reactivate a historically underused and inaccessible location in the most sustainable way possible.
We hope to encourage all future residents to opt for more sustainable and low-carbon travel modes. And we hope you have a great car-free day.
