Southend and Westcliff roads without cars in pictures
The artificial intelligence tool from Dutch Cycling Lifestyle takes a road address anywhere in the world, scans the Google street view and produces four different images from a future populated by just people and bikes. Here are five major roads in Southend and Westcliff, re-imagined without cars in these pictures.
Hamlet Court Road
Fondly known as “Southend’s second High Street”, Hamlet Court Road can be incredibly busy at times. However, the bot has erased all the cars and vans in this image and replaced them with plant beds and pots.
There are some unusual results in the AI’s image, including doors being added to the vacant building and the post box being removed, however Dutch Cycling Lifestyle notes occasional errors will occur due to the AI being new and “still learning”.
A127 Prince Avenue, Westcliff
The AI has doused the entirety of Prince Avenue in the original picture with a litany of grass, shrubbery and flowers – in case there was any doubt about how this bot felt about nature. There is also a small footpath for pedestrians in this car-less A127.
A13 Southchurch Road, Southend
The traffic lights remain in the AI’s version of the A13 despite it being transformed for pedestrians and cyclists – perhaps to avoid accidents between riders and shoppers as they cross the busy road close to the city centre. Southchurch Road can become incredibly congested as it is bustling with shops, restaurants, and more popular businesses – but can you imagine if it looked like this?
Queensway
There is no need for the speed camera in the AI’s version of Queensway, where the road has been revamped into a footpath for pedestrians.
Despite its transformation into a tropical oasis, the cyclist-serving bot appears to have left a lone car in the opposite side of the road.
Prittlewell Chase
Due to its location, with Southend Hospital and Chase High School being based in the road, Prittlewell Chase can get rather congested during rush hour and the morning and afternoon school runs.
In this car-less version, the road is bumble bee’s dream with flowers scattered across the new green space.
The AI bot has even spruced up some front gardens.