Third of Norwich homes have no car or van, census data shows

Data collected for the 2021 census showed 32.7% of households within the city limits were vehicle free, with 16.8% owning two cars.

In some city centre areas, the figure for car-less homes is more than 70%.

But in some of Norwich's suburbs, more households are without a vehicle - like Bowthorpe and West Earlham, where 46.1% do not own a car or van.

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And in Heartsease that figure is even higher at 47.1%, with Keswick - just three miles south of Norwich - seeing more than 60% of its households vehicle-free.

Liam Calvert, a local Green Party community activist, said: "It’s really important that there are good, safe, reliable alternatives for getting around the city.

"There needs to be high-quality crossings where people need them and unobstructed pavements. There needs to be reliable and affordable public transport.

"There needs to be safe and convenient cycling routes that are usable by riders of any age or confidence level.

Liam Calvert and his twin sons on the way to school in a cargo bike (Image: Liam Calvert)

"There are plenty of tasks that, without a car, become impossible or very expensive - like a trip to the recycling centre or sending your children to the school of your choice."

Investments are being made into the city's public transport.

Next year a 15-strong fleet of electric buses is set to hit Norwich streets.

Matt White, founder of Car-Free Norwich, said pedestrians are often made to feel like "second-class citizens".

"Our pavements are regularly blocked by selfish and illegal parking. There are insufficient drop-kerbs for wheelchair users and prams," he explained.

Cars obstructing the pavement in Norwich (Image: Car-Free Norwich)

"Many of our crossings feel hostile to pedestrians - giving nowhere near enough time to cross, or forcing us to wait too long for the lights to change, inhaling toxic fumes in the process.

"Norwich's compact size and topography make it an incredibly walkable city.

"With the right interventions - enforcement of pavement parking, more school streets, a parklet policy - more people would be enticed to explore our city on foot."

Matt White, founder of Car-Free Norwich (Image: Matt White)

Peter Silburn, chairman of Norwich Cycling Campaign, added: "We need to give people a genuine choice of how they get about by providing a high-quality network of protected cycle routes.

"We’re regularly told what puts people off is the lack of safe space protected from motor vehicles."

Peter Silburn, Peter Silburn, membership secretary of Norwich Cycling Campaign (Image: Peter Silburn)