Spin, Ford Motor Company’s micromobility unit, has partnered with urban design agency Yes Make and Lewisham Council to create a community space from on-street parking spaces.
With on-street parking currently suspended on Staplehurst Road in Lewisham, ‘The Arc’ parklet has been built across nine car-parking spaces to create more space for winter social distancing.
The partnership aims to make London streets more people-centred places, encouraging more walking and cycling as the UK capital continues deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
The 22m x 5m parklet, located near Hither Green station, more than doubles the pavement width, creating an open sided shelter than can be used as a community outdoor space once current lockdown restrictions are eased.
The parklet will be in place for 12 months and includes a wooden canopy with 10m table space in front of local businesses. There is also a bicycle rack with space for e-scooter parking, in anticipation of the vehicles being legalised following national trials.
Kay Cheng, streets programme director at Spin, said: “Through our Spin Streets programme we are committed to helping UK communities by making their streets safer, more liveable and enjoyable for everyone, be it pedestrians, cyclists — and hopefully soon e-scooter riders.”
The Arc is the second Spin Streets project in London following the Pallet to Pavement project in Brixton, which was another collaboration with Yes Make and InUse-ReUse that expanded the footway on Atlantic Road to help pedestrians with social distancing.
Spin currently has an e-scooter trial in Milton Keynes and will soon be operating another in Essex.
