THANK you to everyone who has been in touch with their thoughts about how to shape the “new normal” and improve our city when we come out of lockdown. You’ve sent me lots of great ideas – please keep them coming.

The lockdown is making life difficult for people in all sorts of ways, so it was interesting to read that only nine per cent of people in the UK want life to return to “normal” after the coronavirus outbreak is over.

Cleaner air is one of many changes that people responding to a YouGov survey say they are happier about – and here in Brighton and Hove the difference is clearly evident.

As car use plummets, people tell me they prefer the quieter streets where not only can you can hear the birds sing, you can walk around more safely. But it’s a mixed picture. In some areas, high numbers of pedestrians and narrow pavements make it hard for people to carry out the necessary two metres of separation.

To free up space on the seafront for walkers, cyclists and joggers the council closed Madeira Drive to cars. This has proved a big hit with residents and I hope the new temporary cycle lanes on Old Shoreham Road get the same positive reception.

Social distancing is making many sports and gym-based exercise impossible, although tennis and basketball courts are reopening for people to use as long as they are with members of their own households. Walking, running and cycling outdoors can certainly be compatible if enough space is made available.

Are cleaner air and quieter streets changes we could lock in for good? I certainly hope so. Brighton and Hove is already one of the UK’s least car-dependent cities – a third of residents don’t actually own one.

Bus use is the highest in any city outside London and the council has supported the transition of the fleet towards low emissions with the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles.

People will still need to physically distance on buses, and we must give priority to those who need to use public transport to get to work, particularly frontline workers in the NHS and emergency services. Where possible we should walk and cycle during lockdown – there are significant health benefits in doing so. Physical activity reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, some cancers, dementia, and diabetes, all of which worsen outcomes in coronavirus cases.

Walking and cycling may be preferred to other forms of transport for those of us who are physically able, travelling shorter distances and unable to work from home. In Brighton and Hove we are well placed to take a lead and open up more space for walkers and cyclists.

Nearly twice as many people here already walk to work compared with the rest of the UK. We are still getting used to major adjustments to the way we live our daily lives, but cleaner air and more exercise is a win for us all in terms of quality of life and our health – both physical and mental.

To retain the benefits of low car use here in Brighton and Hove the council wants to rethink how much space we give over to motor vehicles in future. We welcome your suggestions about what would work best.

Last week it was agreed at a virtual committee meeting that we will develop a transport action plan designed to help the city recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Its key principles include supporting vulnerable people, making essential journeys safer, supporting the local economy and the transition to a carbon-neutral city by 2030.

Measures in the plan, that gained cross-party support, include “pop-up” cycle lanes, widening footways, increasing the length of some bus lanes, and prioritising walking and cycling at junctions across the city.

If you have ideas on the aspects of lockdown we should retain in future, including how we can keep carbon emissions down and encourage more cycling and walking, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you at nancy.platts@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

Finally, you may have seen my recent media appearances urging tourists to stay away from the city. We need to make sure residents can continue to use all the city’s open spaces safely and maintain physical distancing, which would be made more difficult with an influx of visitors, so we are still asking people who don’t live here not to travel to Brighton and Hove.

We need a steady and safe progression towards lifting the restrictions, which means maintaining physical distancing and protecting lives.

For now, I am urging visitors to stay away from Brighton and Hove – because my top priority is to keep people living in the city safe.