Madrid, Copenhagen, London, Oslo, Brussels, Munich aren't Edinburgh!
"Following an announcement this week, the Spanish capital confirmed that, starting in November, all non-resident vehicles will be barred from a zone that covers the entirety of Madrid’s center. The only vehicles that will be allowed in this zone are cars that belong to residents who live there, zero-emissions delivery vehicles, taxis, and public transit. Even on a continent where many cities are scaling back car access, the plan is drastic. While much of central Madrid consists of narrow streets that were never suitable to motor vehicles in the first place, this central zone also includes broad avenues such as Gran Via, and wide squares that have been islands in a sea of surging traffic for decades. The plan is thus not just about making busy central streets more pleasant, but about creating a situation where people simply no longer think of bringing their cars downtown.....
Madrid may be blazing a trail on this front, but it’s unlikely to stay at the forefront for long. Despite some resistance and wrangling, Oslo still plans to go car free by 2019. Many European cities contain large car-free zones, with Copenhagen, Brussels, and Munich taking the top three places in terms of square feet. Meanwhile Paris has taken a different but equally bold step by pedestrianizing major through-routes across the city. London, long held up as a pioneer for its 2003 introduction of a central congestion charge, will pedestrianize its main shopping street, from which private cars are already banned. "
https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2018/05/madrid-spain-car-ban-city-center/561155/
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