The Times reports that Richard Rogers is pushing with new vigour his long-nurtured dream of reclaiming the North Bank of the Thames from motor traffic:

“There are lots of gardens and open spaces along the Embankment, but they all have their backs to the river. There are some of the finest views in London, but you can’t enjoy them because of the traffic. We could close the Embankment to traffic on Sundays as part of the civilising of this public space.” Lord Rogers, 70, who prefers to travel round London on a bicycle, said that the idea that the car should have supremacy was slowly fading: “We are going to see a revolution in how people move, especially in cities. Major changes in the way we use fuel will mean the car will no longer dominate. It is ridiculous to surround a single person with all that metal. We need a city which lends itself better to walking and cycling. I know it’s annoying for drivers to lose some of their access but they need to think of other people.” Transport for London, which is responsible for the Embankment, said that it would study Lord Rogers’s plans with interest. Peter Hendy, TfL’s director of surface transport, said: “We do need to look at how we could make better use of that space.”