Yes, I did. Apparently very successful and well attended - still plenty of people milling around when I was there, though they were more or less 'sold out' or 'swopped out' by then.It's a bit tedious all this 'Dear leader' and 'blaming the government' stuff.The changes have been introduced by Hanif, working with officers, supported by Katherine and me. The leader has had no involvement, other than urging officers to act quickly. This is partly because this is what DfT were urging, but at least as much prompted by fears about what would happen with no action. I was tweeting (and I think blogging) about what happened when lockdown was eased in Wuhan weeks ago and have been saying all along that the intent of these changes is to encourage people to use walking and cycling rather than cars, at a time when it is apparent that using public transport is limited both by capacity and anxiety about infection.The roads in London simply do not have the capacity to support everyone driving everywhere. I was speaking to someone who lives in Walthamstow yesterday. There was huge resistance to their 'Mini Holland' scheme but because people feel safe walking and cycling, and because car use is less convenient, the school run by car (for example) has become far less prevalent. The benefits are pretty obvious in terms of reduced pollution, more active children and parents, safer, leafier and calmer streets and less carbon. Also (as people who live around schools will tell you) less conflict between residents and parents.That we're doing it quickly is a result of this urgency, and it means that consultation will mainly come after temporary measures are implemented, though feedback is already leading to modification of schemes. Some of what we do will likely be mistaken: if it is, we can modify or reverse it with minimal cost.
Guy Lambert ● 1856d