As Europeans face the risk of another ‘Covid Christmas’, a new study suggests that reducing car traffic could throw a lifeline to local traders hit by the epidemic.

An analysis by the Clean Cities Campaign published today, shows that people are shopping more in urban areas where car traffic has been cut back. In Madrid, in the low-emission zone (i.e. where only modern cars can enter), shop revenues increased by 8.6% over the 2018 Christmas period, compared to only 3.3% in the city as a whole. And following pedestrian and cycling improvements in London's high streets and town centres, the proportion of shops closed was 17 per cent lower than in neighbouring areas where no such improvements were made. In London's shopping districts, shoppers on foot spend 4.3 per cent more per month than motorists. In Bern, the conversion of car parking spaces into cycle parking has resulted in shoppers spending 13% more per square metre of shop floor area than before. In Berlin, which has recently taken strong measures to promote environmentally friendly modes of transport, shoppers using walking, cycling and public transport spend 91 percent of all shopping expenditure.

András Lukács, President of Clean Air Action Group, said: “As the renowned Danish urban planner Lars Gemzøe told our international conference in 2005, local traders were vociferously protesting against the plans to transform of one of the main car routes in Copenhagen city centre into the longest pedestrian street in Europe. However, after the city authorities implemented the transformation, the traders made a fortune. The present study by the Clean Cities Campaign has once again confirmed that reducing car traffic is not only good for the environment, but also for a city's economy.”

Márton Vargha, the organisation's transport theme officer, added: “During the height of the epidemic, it is particularly important to reduce air pollution as much as possible, as an international study found that air pollution is responsible for 25 per cent of coronavirus deaths in Hungary. However, several studies have shown that the risk of infection on public transport vehicles is almost negligible if masks are worn and other hygiene measures are followed. Of course, it is best to go shopping on foot or by bike if you can. We should also make sure that what we buy has as little environmental impact as possible during production, transport and use.”

The Clean Cities Campaign is a joint initiative of NGOs from several European countries, including the Clean Air Action Group, to ensure that transport in our cities is no longer polluting the air by 2030.