Mobility -from desire to disruption

Writing from London in 2022, in the past 5 years there has been an explosion of personal mobility devices, driven(!) by new battery capabilities. As a city more endowed than many with an extraordinary thickness /density of, public transportation infrastructure, in any case, the real significance can be difficult to grasp -at least given that, even throughout the UK, a car is rarely a sole option. Cars have been more objects of desire, aspiration, and choice for a long time, but now.., it's a matter of ..agency even, of being armed.

The kind of desires displayed by the most common choices are less technical whizz, elegance, style and more- dominance, disruption & contest. Movement is a competition -even a war, not harmonious. As an architect only, it is hard to say a lot and important not to say too much -without data, but as movement has been curtailed in some spots it has grown in others! It seems to be -energy, shifting from one form to another but staying the same in terms of quantity and power? 

This writing wants to help inform (for anyone involved with the built environment), where we are, and what is important to understand now in terms of mobility written mainly from the viewpoint of Greater London.

We are fortunate to be located in a position to watch (almost anthropologically) the explicit trashing of a part of a city as part of the collateral effect of a cities', economy, class/ethnic aspects (UK) & politics, using (of course) mobility-the love of speed, & it's disruption as the prime agent. Enter the LTN traffic control device with it's unintended, or intended privatisation enablement, objectives. Not so much there is no such thing as society, more "we" is a rather special group!

The location is on the contested Regents Canal, where it's, now very much besmirched, self crosses with a newly designated "Boundary Road", now a new London sink street.

Wasting

A small group of local, mainly women, had been trying to persuade the council to improve the street's public realm by revising the rubbish system, which consists simply of putting bags on the pavement, to one with bins, -attached actually to the edge planters. If there is to be a node, why not use it? The councils' objection, in times past, was that this would "just result in people gathering" at these nodes, now however gathering is good.., so why not?

This saga has lately culminated, hilariously really.. in a performance of disposal! A new residential wave lately moved and finding themselves with unwanted items, literally reinforced the sink street barriers with the adjacent islands, by tossing their surplus there, as a free exchange/disposal opportunity, offered to passers by! Some of this was benign as it was like an impromptu festive (holiday weekend) giveaway, the remainder was unwanted debris, causing the objection of street residents (there are still some in fact they seem a rather immobile bunch) & subsequent council enforcement, to try to solve a problem caused by the council itself?!

The small group of residents is still waiting :)