I found myself cycling through The Frontline on Saturday afternoon. This is usually a great cut through from Brixton through to Herne Hill and beyond. The LTN really works.
But not on Saturday.
There was another Reimagining Atlantic Road taking place, organised by the ever energetic Brixton BID.
You have to spend all that compulsory local taxation on something.
I kinda get the idea. Local businesses are forced to pay the BID a tax. In return, the BID needs to do the business.
Reimagining - which is a piss poor name btw - is about thinking the impossible: what if there were no cars?
But it’s not that impossible. Reclaim the Streets was shutting down Brixton three decades ago. No taxation on local businesses was collected either.
Instead we have Reimagining, which closes a stretch of the LTN, and an attempt is made to put on a street party.
Any enforced attempt to PARTY or have FUN usually leads to the opposite in my experience.
The local bars and restaurants benefitted. But not much. The space was a little sparse when I passed through at the peak period.
There was the usual kids face paining, which is hard to criticise. Plus some very lively and friendly DJ’s.
Shutting down an LTN though is a most strange decision to help celebrate the possibilities of what can take place on our streets.
