20-minute neighbourhood

[WorkinMumsince4ever]

Hi mum’s!
i wanted to share something with you. Yesterday someone dropped a leaflet on my door mentioning the plans to get my council under the 20-minute neighbourhood.

This means cars (including electric) will be allowed to go outside a 20 minute perimeter, for a number of times (per Year?)

Families I know (mine included) cannot fit in that pattern, and there is no public transportation that we can rely on. Basically transportation is being capped in the name of the “climate”, however there are other ways to really push for a better climate, including stopping using plastics. Ban them. Support innovation for renewable resources, etc.

It feels a new form of control some councils pledged to follow. This will increase the amount of power they already have. I don’t believe that’s ok, no one should have that much power over people.

https://www.uk100.org/blog/2022/11/uk100s-response-net-zero-review

This is already in plans / happening in a couple of towns:

https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/newhams-15-minute-neighbourhood-project-supported-by-almost-20-million-funding

https://www.itv.com/news/2023-02-20/what-is-a-15-minute-city-and-why-is-the-idea-so-controversial

Is this happening in your town? Hopefully not. I don’t believe omni powers are democratic.

The 15 minute city thing is just what anti-globalists wanted. It's how I already live in my community; school, supermarket, gym, doctors, dentist, children's centre, promenade - all within 20 minutes of walking.

I only leave the area weekly twice to visit a family member and attend a group in town.

I love living this way.

What about work?

Yes, I've worked from home for such a long time. If I had to go out of the house to work I would definitely want something in walking distance as otherwise it makes school pick ups and things more difficult or can cancel out wages in travel and child care.

Is this Oxford by any chance. We were there a few weeks ago and there was a demonstration about it.

I think that you can only drive into the centre a set number of times but can drive out and into another suburb via the ring road.

It's tricky because I was a 20 min walk from DC's school but had to drive because I didn't have time to walk back then get to work in time.

Your comment tells me history is not your strongest suit. It would be amusing to see how you dive in life, however it is not a laughing matter.

This will add more power to the councils. Do you strongly believe they will be reluctant to take away that power?

The restriction applies to all cars, large, small, petrol, diesel, electric, etc.

Looks like Brexit hasn’t teach the majority that we need to be more involved in how decisions are made politically.

I strongly believe there are other options, like innovations which are happening right now. Anyway, use this info if you can.

I think the Oxford Mail quoted the council as saying that they know it is very unpopular but they don't care!

Where did the leaflet come from?

There is an anti climate action group that have taken something actually sensible but needs planning and turned it into yet another conspiracy theory.

And given the issue with the climate the questions we should be asking (particularly those of us with children) is our own convenience more important than the issues we are leaving for our children.

Who is the leaflet actually from? It sounds like a tin foil flat earther. No one is going to be stopped from driving anywhere.

Having supermarkets and essential services within a 20 min walk is an excellent idea. I do it anyway.

I've read this, it says a supermarket will be in each area. But what if it's not the supermarket you want to shop in? My nearest is a very big Tesco. What if I can't afford Tesco and want to shop in cheaper Aldi or more expensive M&S. I'll only be able to do that on a set number of times a year or I'll have to pay? Stuff that.

It's also weird how the Oxford one gets misrepresented so often. Rather than restricting people from "leaving their neighbourhoods" it instead just stops people driving through 4 (or 6) traffic hotspots in specific areas more than a specific number of times per year. If people really do have a life that means they can't avoid a busy junction and desperately want to drive through it every day they still can and just pay. Two separate plans in fact that people have conflated into a conspiracy

www.timeout.com/uk/news/the-small-english-city-at-the-centre-of-the-global-15-minute-city-storm-022023#:~:text=In%20its%20Local%20Plan%202040,and%20increasing%20mobility%20within%20neighbourhoods.

@LaLadyGreySpillsTheTea I'm in the Netherlands, but have also lived in several French and Swiss cities that worked on the same principle. French cities evolved like that (I don't know why large British cities didn't), but in NL it was a conscious decision after the 80s to go that way. In my city we recently dug up the ugly 60s ring road and replaced it with a canal and park all the way round the city. There was huge opposition from motorists and still is every time the council remove parking to plant trees, but people get used to it and the car addicts eventually die or move to the countryside. There was recent opposition to removing parking on the or local High St from businesses. Guess what though, people who walk or cycle go on more shops, look in windows and stop for a coffee because they're not worried about the metre, plus there are loads of cafe tables on the street where the parking used to be.

I totally understand and it’s a concern. I think it may work well for some, but definitely not for everyone.

Right, poor planning adds up to the issues.

Lucky you!

What about hospitals? Are they going to build more? What about doctors and nurses that need to commute?

What has Brexit got to do with it? Do you genuinely think the council will stop you from going to work if there are no public transport options? Why are so many people against progress? The world is literally on fire (Canada?); we need to act now or life on earth will be hell soon.

They have already pledged for this. Is this the mandate provided by the people who voted for that council? I think not. This decision that impacts the whole community should be democratic. Saying otherwise is corrupting the system.
That’s what makes me furious.

It is stopping them if they can't afford to pay.

What on earth are you on about?

OP you sound like you've read a conspiracy thread on Facebook! Are you okay??

Plastic has nothing to do with climate? If anything, plastic reduces emissions.

I don't think you understand how democracy works.

This doesn't read like a genuine OP.

People are losing their shit over the idea because it will curtail their freedoms. Lockdown was another one of those ideas where we were supposedly losing our freedom to protect vulnerable people (thinking of society first) and it was first to be entirely pointless.

in a world where countries such as India and China keep pumping out fossil fuels with no intention of stopping, the fact that Maureen in Oxford won’t be allowed to drive her Fiat outside of a certain perimeter if she exceeds her limit, is going to make absolutely fuck all difference to anything.

a) the Oxford plans haven't happened yet and won't for at least another year - one of the main radial routes into the city is closed at the moment and will be closed for 6 months next year as well - nothing will be implemented until that is reopened.

b) in oxford there are no limits to how often you can drive into the city but to get into the bit of the city you want to visit you will need to use one of the radial routes in from the bypass. There are a few additional journeys with it oxford allowed for people who actually live in oxford. The hospital for example is accessible from 3 exits on the bypass.

There are huge flaws with the plan - not least the fact that the public transport offering is not great. Buses are very slow, the bus lanes are patchy so the buses end up caught in traffic so a 15 minute journey can take an hour.

The cycling infrastructure is poor, particularly if you need to come into the city. This should all be sorted out before implementing the bus gates.

The bypass is already at capacity and has regular accidents so closing the city would mean a loss of resilience for all other routes.

We should be looking at the practicalities rather than conspiracy theories.