Councils are reportedly drawing up plans to create car-free zones which would allow runners and cyclists to exercise safely during the coronavirus outbreak.
Traffic has fallen by up to two-thirds across the UK as stringent lockdown restrictions keep motorists off the roads with only key workers permitted to travel into work.
As vehicle traffic declines, planners in London, Brighton and Manchester are looking to close some inner-city routes to make them more exercise-friendly.
Manchester's Tib Street has already restricted access to cars and introduced temporary cycles or running lines.
Brighton & Hove City Council has also indicated that it could make some streets car-free after taking the lead from Berlin, Bogota and Mexico City, which have implemented similar proposals with great success.
Pedestrians have repeatedly expressed concerns that many joggers are not abiding by social distancing rules and were failing to keep two metres apart.
It is hoped that these new measures would allow residents to keep “healthy and active while socially distancing”.
Anne Pissaridou, a Labour councilwoman for Brighton, told the Argus newspaper: “I think it’s an interesting idea that is worth further exploration, so I’ve asked [council] officers to look at this to see whether any similar measures might be legally and practically possible in some areas of the city.”
Cllr Jon Burke, Hackney Council Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm, said: “The coronavirus is encouraging people to reassess the way our society functions, and nowhere is this more true than in terms of the amount of space we allocate to private cars, to the exclusion of pedestrians and other road users.
"Now, more than ever, people need space that they are finding is not available to them because so much is given over to roads.
“We are looking at how we can use temporary road closures to help people maintain social distancing and keep safe, and discourage the kinds of dangerous driving we’ve witnessed since the lockdown began.
“By creating temporary healthy and liveable streets we’d be helping people to socially distance during exercise and while queuing for shops, and keep them safer from higher traffic speeds. This would reduce pressure on our parks and green spaces, and assist the police at this difficult time.
“We are currently drawing up a list of roads, based on some of the Council’s existing work, to be considered by the Mayor and Cabinet next week.
"If approved, we’ll use planters and bollards on the streets to allow walking and cycling, while maintaining access for essential workers and emergency vehicles.”
Stephen Edwards, director of policy and communications at the UK's charity for everyday walking Living Streets, told the Times: “This pandemic is making us all realise how much public space is given over to individual car use rather than walking and cycling.
“Many of our footways are too narrow. This has long been a problem for people with wheelchairs, buggies and other mobility aids but now it’s affecting everyone’s ability to practise social distancing.
"We need to be following their lead to ensure people can carry out their daily exercise at a safe distance from others and free from road danger.
