As regular readers of the live blog will know, February was well and truly the month of the Great 15-minute City Debate.
The hotly debated schemes – which, in a nutshell, attempt to combat congestion by ensuring that most local amenities can be accessed safely and easily by bike or on foot within 15 minutes – have spawned a head-scratching array of conspiracy theories, mostly based around surveillance, government control, and ‘climate lockdowns’ which will enforce people to stay within their own areas.
> Tory MP attacks 15-minute city concept with known conspiracy theory
These conspiracy theories, as unfounded and sometimes shameful as they are, have been raised by GB News stalwarts, Olympic swimmers-turned-controversialists, Members of Parliament, climate change deniers, and neo-Nazi-infiltrated demonstrations in recent weeks (the Monster Raving Loony party, meanwhile, bowed out of the debate, noting that the whole thing is even “too loony” for them).
The vocal and misleading opposition to the 15-minute city (which, it has to be said, has nestled up alongside residents who may have genuine concerns about LTNs and the like) was also tackled, with the kind of balance you’ve come to expect, on the road.cc Podcast last month.
> Why is the 15-minute city attracting so many conspiracy theories?
But, after a mad month of conspiracy theories and protests, a newly published YouGov poll has claimed that – shock horror – the majority of British people would actually quite like their local area to become a 15-minute neighbourhood, thank you very much.
Despite what you may have heard, a '15 minute neighbourhood' is simply one in which all essential amenities are within a 15 minute walk for everyone living in the area - and most Britons (62%) support their area becoming onehttps://t.co/9sHKzqhD1Ipic.twitter.com/ReDGLK53RJ
— YouGov (@YouGov) March 6, 2023
The survey found that 62 percent of those asked would support their local authority making it a target to turn their area into a 15-minute neighbourhood, with a majority of both Labour (73 percent) and Tory (57 percent) voters feeling the same way.
However, while most Brits are in favour of the concept, less than half believed that it would be easy to implement within their own area – a factor influenced, rather unsurprisingly, by geography, with most rural respondents reckoning that the practical nature of a 15-minute neighbourhood was beyond their reach. 65 percent of “very urban” residents, meanwhile, believe that the schemes would be easy to implement.
Forget the conspiracy theories, 15 minute neighbourhoods are popular in Britain.
Here's what amenities do Britons want within a 15 min walk from their home
Bus stop: 90%
Post box: 87%
Pharmacy: 85%
GP surgery: 83%
Park: 81%More in chart 👇https://t.co/9sHKzqhD1Ipic.twitter.com/ZnlWS4nedS
— YouGov (@YouGov) March 6, 2023
Those surveyed were then asked, in the event of the local council brining in the 15-minute concept, which amenities should or should not be included as part of the scheme, with over 80 percent of respondents reckoning that bus stops, post boxes, pharmacies, GP surgeries, and parks should all be reachable by a short walk or cycle.
It’s this kind of result which highlights the potential benefits of 15-minute-neighbourhoods. While 83 percents of those polled would fancy a GP surgery within walking or cycling distance, only 54 percent can currently reach one in that time.
This part of the poll, it must be said, did raise some eyebrows online – Why would anyone deliberately not want a post box or bus stop within 15 minutes of their house?
I suppose conspiracy theories will do that to you…