Canterbury’s council bosses have drawn up a radical plan to tackle congestion that will split the city into five zones and ban residents from driving directly between them.
During the Middle Ages, Canterbury, a cathedral city in southeast England, was a pilgrimage site. With cobbled streets and timber-framed houses, ancient Roman walls encircle its medieval center. It has a population of 43432.
In Canterbury’s ‘Local Plan to 2045’, the council proposes splitting the city into five districts, with drivers unable to cross between districts by private car – even if they live there.
Within the document is the idea of 15 minute neighborhoods: For example – “Community infrastructure provided as part of upcoming developments should be accessible to new and existing residents – preferably within 15 minutes walking time and always within 15 minutes.” – They say this is about ’living locally’.
Your tweet is completely untrue. The idea Canterbury is consulting on, for many years in the future, is closing inner city rat runs (it’s a medieval city) and building a new ring road. Happy to answer questions if you have them, but please don’t spread misinformation.
— Ben Fitter-Harding (@benfitter) December 10, 2022
Those who break the rules will face fines (possibly the same as Oxford’s £70) enforced by number-plate recognition cameras and won’t be able to make simple journeys around the city. According to Page 14 of the draft Canterbury District Local Plan to 2045 – there will be “Implementation of an ANPR-based sectoring system and modal filters to limit cross-city trips.”
They will instead have to drive out of their ‘neighbourhood’ and onto a new bypass – essentially a much larger outer ring-road – before re-entering their chosen zone. Short, direct journeys across the city – like to supermarkets, retail parks or GP surgeries – will be banned to encourage residents to walk, cycle or use public transportation.
Designed after a system used in the Belgian city of Ghent, the proposal is part of the council’s revised draft Local Plan. In the five zones, major roads will be closed, forcing drivers to ditch their cars or use the bypass. ANPR cameras will be at the entry and exit points of each zone so drivers can’t move between neighbourhoods.
Sustainable Development was one of the topics at the Canterbury hustings, with support from across the political spectrum. #conservative #SustainableDevelopment #Elections2019 https://t.co/BDJQTQaAv8
— Ben Fitter-Harding (@benfitter) April 22, 2019
Ben Fitter-Harding Conservative leader of Canterbury City Council, an advocate for sustainable development who has worked on the Canterbury Circulation Plan for two years, is confident the major road network transformation will turn out well. He said:
“For residents within the five zones, they can access the facilities within their neighbourhood by car if they need to. But if you want to travel to a different neighbourhood, the most convenient way to do that will be by walking, cycling or using public transport.”
“It would likely be a frictionless system, so there would be cameras.”
“We will fine people who decide ‘I’m planning to drive across the city, I don’t care’.
“If you drive between neighbourhoods you will receive a fine.”
He continued: “The amenities and services that you would need are all in your neighbourhood. You wouldn’t have all the rat running, so it’d be fantastic if we could achieve it.”
He also said: “In 20 years time, you’re likely going to have your groceries delivered or you’re planning to go to a different supermarket or a new local shop in your own neighbourhood.”
However Lib Dem councillor Nick Eden-Green says the scheme raises some “serious questions”. “When I visit friends I don’t consider which zone they are living in. It’s “frankly ridiculous – you’re creating ghettos where people are locked in and can’t travel elsewhere.”
It gets even more difficult for outsiders too: Visitors from other Kent districts and boroughs, or tourists, can’t park within the city walls. As a result, most parking lots will be made redundant. Tourists and visitors can park in one of four zones around the city center. From each zone, visitors will be able to ride the park and ride into the city.
What is a ‘15-minute city’?
This is all being done outside of the normal democratic process, for instance in Oxford where similar plans are afoot. Traffic filters will divide the city into “15-minute” neighbourhoods. Duncan Enright, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for travel and development strategy, said the filters would turn Oxford into “a 15-minute city” with local services within a small walking radius.
Mr Enright said: “It is about making sure you have the community centre which has all of those essential needs, the bottle of milk, pharmacy, GP, schools which you need to have a 15-minute neighbourhood.”
He insisted the controversial plans would move ahead whether people liked it or not. And it’s the same story in London. TfL consulted thousands of people who overwhelmingly said no to the ULEZ expansion. 60% of respondents opposed the expansion, but it’s going forward anyway.
Nigel Farage has called out the Canterbury plans, claiming “climate change lockdowns are coming.”
Hi Nigel. This proposal is about solving Canterbury’s crippling congestion problem; improving journey times, creating safer, healthier neighbourhoods. Our medieval city was never designed for cars. What’s the problem with fixing that please?
— Ben Fitter-Harding (@benfitter) December 7, 2022
While Ben Fitter-Harding blasted the social media chatter and told people not to “spread misinformation.”
This is also part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals for cities and human settlements. As part of the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goal 11, “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable”.
Presented motion on #localizingSDGs to #Canterbury city council on behalf of #UNA and Canterbury SDG Forum proposing partnership to identify good local practices in implementing #SustainableDevelopment @UNAUK @CLGF_News @UCLG_Saiz @HelenClarkNZ @PScotlandCSG @Platforma4Dev pic.twitter.com/4yF8INy4Y0
— Carl Wright (@CarlWright_CLGF) April 26, 2018
Agenda 2030 is being pushed by local leaders.
Having been working with Canterbury #SDG Forum & City Council to #localiseSDGs in #Kent & input into 2019 UK Voluntary National Review to UN https://t.co/1bB5bcGfn4
— Carl Wright (@CarlWright_CLGF) May 1, 2019
In London, surveillance technology is expanding to control our car trips. London’s ULEZ zones will be expanded to cover most, if not all, of the city. This means you will have to pay £12.50 a day for the privilege of getting into your car, no matter how short or long the trip is. There will be a 200 million pound ANPR camera network to fine drivers when they do.
The plans for Canterbury seem to be derived from a plan which was proposed in 2020 labelled “The 15 minute city” and is part of the overall Net Zero 2030 agenda.
Under the plan described by Councillor Val Kenny: “The covid-19 crisis has torn a hole in city budgets decimating urban economies” and thus to build back better they recommended: That “all residents will live in 15 minute cities.”
The decentralisation of services has become known as the 15-minute city. This is where you can do your job, get to school, see your doctor and be entertained all within a 15-minute radius of where you live. Promoting active travel and reducing car use are key to achieving the 15-minute vision.
Also from the 2021 Canterbury Climate Action Partnership document under the section sustainable transport – it states the following: To “Encourage CCC to set up a low emissions zone(s) and tackle air quality hotspots; ensure that all council vehicles are ultra-low emission/electric by 2030;”
This plan is the same as London’s for the establishment of low-emission zones.
“As climate change and global conflict cause shocks and stresses at faster intervals and increased severity, the 15-minute city will become even more critical.” – World Economic Forum (WEF) – March 15, 2022.
The 15 minute city concept is also being pushed by our esteemed friends at the World Economic Forum: In the article: The surprising stickiness of the “15-minute city”
They explain what it means: The “15-minute city” concept—which implies having all necessary amenities within a short walk, bike ride, or public transit trip from one’s home—has demonstrated stickiness not just as an idea, but as a powerful tool for action – from Paris to Seoul, from Bogotá to Houston. It was coined in 2016 by Sorbonne professor Carlos Moreno, who won an Obel Award in 2021.”
According to Delloite: “The re-zoning model will gain further traction in the future, boosted during the COVID-19 pandemic by new ways of working that require less transport. With climate change as a major global concern, C40 in its C40 Mayors’ Agenda for a Green and Just Recovery has recommended this model for cities worldwide. This is because its pedestrianisation approach contributes to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and supports environmental sustainability. Most notably, the ‘15-minute city’ was popularised in 2019 by Paris and is a flagship initiative in the current programme for the city.”
In many other cities around the UK and the world, this plan is being replicated. Oxford City Council is working on the same thing.
Our democracy is an utter sham.
Cities worldwide are signed up to & following directives from a shady NGO called C40. The chairman of this dictatorship is Sadiq Khan.
Residents haven’t asked to vote on these plans. They are simply being adopted as law & reported in to C40! pic.twitter.com/6B7nNF2Xec
— Bernie's Tweets (@BernieSpofforth) December 5, 2022
C40:
There are 97 cities in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, which represents one twelfth of the world’s population and one quarter of the world’s economy. The C40 was created in October 2005 when London Mayor Ken Livingstone convened representatives from 18 megacities to reduce climate pollution together. With the help of former US President Bill Clinton, Mayor Livingstone and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) strengthened both organizations in 2006, expanding the network to 40 cities and helping cities deliver projects and project management to reduce emissions.
It was C40 that introduced the 15-minute city concept. It’s a network of mayors from nearly 100 world-leading cities working together to tackle climate change – right now it’s headed by London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
It’s understood that the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in accelerating this shift to 15-minute cities and according to Lisa Chamberlain of the World Economic Forum, “the 15-minute city grew from a “nice-to-have” to a rallying cry.”
Global organizations, such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, took notice too. In July 2020, they published a framework for cities to “build back better”, and the 15-minute city concept was at the heart of it.
And who funds C40.org? It’s a partnership with many companies including the Open Society Foundations, founded in 1993 by George Soros. Other partners include the Wellcome Trust, the Clinton Foundation and the World Bank.
In a Twitter thread posted by Frédéric Leroy, he outlined some of the chilling aspects of these so-called C40 Cities. Based on his research, you will own zero private vehicles under the ambitious goal.
You'll own *zero* private vehicles, according to the ambitious target. But if you do have one, you'd better use it for half a century. pic.twitter.com/5R3YEiOQFy
— Frédéric Leroy (@fleroy1974) July 24, 2022
He also reports that there are some really powerful people and organizations behind the C40 initiative. Michael Bloomberg is the C40 Board president, and Sadiq Khan is the current chair. C40 is also part of the Global Commons Alliance, a public-private partnership with PlanForThePlanet, the World Economic Forum, Rockefeller Foundation, WBCSD, EAT, Club of Rome, WWF, WRI etc.
But it's even more massive than that: C40 is part of the so-called #GlobalCommonsAlliance, a Public-Private Partnership with a "#PlanForThePlanet" (😬). On board: the World Economic Forum, Rockefeller Foundation, WBCSD, EAT, Club of Rome, WWF, WRI, … https://t.co/Xgth7n1GY9 pic.twitter.com/GZBgiazDjk
— Frédéric Leroy (@fleroy1974) July 26, 2022
Birmingham, Ipswich, Oxford, Manchester, London, Glasgow and Edinburgh are other 15 minute cities:
“15-minute city” – straight out of Agenda 2030. Combine a digital ID with a carbon credit score and their programmable CBDC token and you’ve got the makings of a digital open air prison.
As usual, ordinary people will pay for the 15-minute city. Particularly urban car owners and families who commute across town to visit relatives or friends.
The plan seems to limit car ownership. If you combine these plans with plans to ban petrol and diesel cars by 2030, it all starts to make sense. It is part of a coercive drive to keep motorists on their toes, posing as a revival of Britain’s green and pleasant land. Homes with cars will have to count how often they use them and there will probably be more surveillance, permits, and penalties coming.
No matter what is happening, it is being done outside of democracy, by climate change companies and climate zealots. This is in the name of saving the planet from net zero destruction.
Of course in order to save the day we have to give up more and more of our privacy and liberties or be fined. The classic behavioral nudge. No it’s not a lockdown in the normal sense, but it is more authoritarian for sure. This is where we must think about our own daily routines and make sacrifices for the supposed global good. Decabonising the west may be a way of deindustrialising the west.
3 comments
Are YOU people out of your FREAKING MINDS? Next thing is “they” will FINE you for watching the WRONG TV SHOWS or vist the WRONG WEBSITES. And if that dosn’t work “they” will throw your butt in JAIL for a week or two!!!!
The NUTJOBS who want this are the real Communists, Marxists and Socailist who ARE accusing YOU of being!!!
WAKE UP!
The plans assume that everything you need is within a 15 minute walking zone. For a city without an A&E and with many people unable to access a local surgery or dentist on that level alone it is already flawed. Then come the retail leisure and government offices which will clearly be out of a lot of peoples zones.
If the purpose is to entice people out of their cars put the services there first.
In the end people will just account for the additional time and drive around via the ring road, turning a 5 minute journey into a 15 minute one providing they don’t go out in rush hour.
If we concede any part of this diabolical plan, we’ve given the perpetrators everything.
Take your example. Imagine people are driving the long way around.
The lunatics will just ban the longer route, bingo.
Please don’t accept any other this.