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Photo of south Bristol road free of cars goes viral
“Cars gone for resurfacing day in Bedminster. Really shows how much space we could reclaim for trees, plants, benches, pedestrians, children & residents if we didn’t INSIST on storing our metal boxes outside our homes.”
Benjamin Nathan took the photo above on Elmdale Road and within just a few hours of him posting it on social media, it had received more than 100,000 views.
Many people commenting on Twitter were supportive but others were more sceptical of this car-free utopia.
is needed now More than ever
@linuxlucy tweeted: “I used to play football with my cousins in the middle of a street just like that in Bedminster. It had a couple of cars on it, not enough to get in the way of a good game though. It makes me quite sad to think about what we’ve taken away from children (and ourselves!)”
Landscape architect and urban planner, professor Steve Austin, even used Nathan’s original photo to create an even more enticing car-free area:
Steve Austin has made Elmdale Road even more inviting – image: Benjamin Nathan / Steve Austin
“So where does Nathan think people should store their cars?” tweeted @FreeBathStreets.
“Unless, of course, he thinks people shouldn’t have any cars at all. His comment makes about as much sense as saying: ‘This hospital would look so much better if we didn’t have all these sick people in it.'”
Former Labour prospective parliamentary candidate Rachel Burgin tweeted: “Currently on a crowded and delayed train back to my terraced house with double yellow lines outside (our choice, of course). But just reading this is exhausting. Try emptying your car of grocery bags when your car is parked several streets away.”
Nathan replied: “Really Rachel? I do this all the time. You can’t carry bags? My mum has a great little trolley thing for all her Lidl trips-looks great, and rolls along even with loads of wine and dog food.”
Main photo: Benjamin Nathan
Read next:
- Photo of Bristol’s sub-standard cycling infrastructure goes viral
- Work begins to build new cycle lane on Bristol Bridge
- ‘I want a city that prioritises cyclists, walkers and wheelers over cars’
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