Online English Conversation and Writing lessons on Skype with English Teacher Philip

Pedestrianisation – is it good for cities?


Norwich was the first city in the UK to ban cars from parts of the city centre. Planners wanted to protect pedestrians from cars and to reduce pollution in its old and narrow streets. That was 50 years ago. There’s a fresh interest in keeping cars out of cities now for the same reasons. Rob and Neil talk about pedestrianising streets and teach you new vocabulary.

This week’s question

What’s the average speed of a bus travelling along Oxford Street? Is it:

a) 4.6 miles per hour,

b) 14.6 miles per hour or

c) 46 miles per hour?

Listen to the programme to find out the answer.


a person who is walking, usually in an area where there’s traffic

tackle (something)
make an effort to deal with a difficult problem

officially say that something can’t be done

change the direction you’re travelling in

too much traffic, making it difficult to move

damage to the environment caused by releasing waste substances such as carbon dioxide into the air, or plastic into the sea

You can practice the above vocabulary with Philip your conversation class Teacher