My response to this article:

1. Cars are expensive. Bicycles are very cheap. It's an extremely egalitarian form of transport.

2. An obvious point. Liveable Streets do not prevent you from owning a car. https://twitter.com/DaveHill/status/1290304555297767424

3. "Oh no, you've made my neighbourhood nicer and my rent will go up". As a private renter, I sympathise, but I know gentrification and high house prices are caused by lack of localised supply. We can't use this argument to prevent public realm improvements. It's self-defeating.

4. It misses the strategic longer-term goal. Yes, cycling is a transport choice for the affluent in London but it isn't 'naturally' that way. In Amsterdam, Copenhagan, Paris there are no "cyclists" - with good infrastructure and healthier road culture, cycling just becomes a norm

5. I don't really buy the argument that cars are 'necessary' for large families. We need to build a 15-minute city to help tackle climate change and for longer journeys, public transport is often faster and more efficient.

6. Finally. The elephant in the room.

1/3 car journeys in London are under 2km! Another third are under 5km (approx 20-minute cycle ride) Livable Streets are about disincentivising car use for short journeys. 1/

http://content.tfl.gov.uk/technical-note-14-who-travels-by-car-in-london.pdf

Once upon a time, the wealthy of London lived on the main roads... and then cars came along. The wealthy then moved to 'quieter' streets. Now it is poorer residents left to cheaper homes on busier arterial roads. It's the cars that damage these roads.

2/

Liveable Street close rat runs. If the same number of people try and drive from A to B, they will get clogged on arterial roads. It's then their choice. Do they want to get stuck in traffic or do they want to change their behaviour, walk, cycle, or hop on a bus?

3/

People's behaviour will change when they realised they cannot rat-run from A-B across London and they will move to other means of transport (the stick). Because of liveable neighbourhoods, we will have a network of roads which are pleasurable to walk and cycle on (the carrot) 4/

Once car users stop using their vehicles for short journeys, our arterial roads will become clearer. All in all, this is a gradual process of making London a greener and more liveable for all.

London's working-class have the most to gain from improving air quality.

Ends.