IN THE NEWS
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Robert D Bullard Writes to the Next Environmental-Justice Leaders
Time
27 March
The Time Earth Awards
Professor Robert D Bullard adresses issues of environmental justice that resonate with those involved with SEJ and many others throughout the UK.
Residents hate them … so why do officials keep making more LTNs?
The Times
21 February 2025
Andrew Ellson
A review of 90 low-traffic neighbourhoods found locals opposed the scheme in 87 per cent of cases where polling was conducted. The majority went ahead anyway
Lambeth’s net zero obsession: councillors in tears, ‘wellbeing’ leave for staff—but no listening to residents
LBC Opinion
14 February 2025
EJ Ward
A public meeting that ends with councillors in tears and staff needing “wellbeing” leave should be a wake-up call for local democracy.
Brake pad dust can be more toxic than exhaust emissions, study says
Research shows move to electric vehicles may not be enough to enable pollution from cars to be eradicated
The Guardian
14 February 2025
Rachel Keenan
Labour’s colonising my street: that’s traumatic
The Times
14 February 2025
Giles Coren
Camden’s plan for a low traffic neighbourhood has been dreamt up to protect the vast demesnes of local party grandees.
Hundreds of LTN residents demand council open up junction
Enfield Dispatch
11 February 2025
grace Howarth, LDR
An Enfield Council cabinet member told drivers forced to use North Circular to reach their homes he “totally empathised” with them.
Three year on BUT still relevant: The ceaseless self-pity of cyclists
The Spectator
From magazine issue:
29 January 2022
Julie Burchill
I know that all must have prizes in the Victimisation Olympics these days, but when I heard a bicycle-rider on Radio 5 Live this week complaining about being ‘dehumanised’ and ‘othered’, I really knew we’d reached peak woo-woo with the ceaseless self-pity of cyclists.
Mayor of 'anti-cars' council brags about limo chauffeur
The Times
26 January 2025
Andrew Ellson
His borough's residents pay up to
£800 a year for parking permits in
Lambeth, south London - but
John-Paul Ennis says being "driven around' in a 'nice car' is 'sick'
How dementia could be linked to air pollution in early life
The Guardian
24 January 2025
Gary Fuller
Sciottish researchers find childhood pollution a likely factor, but association with mid-life air quality less clear
Spare me the residential 'reimagining'. A planter or two is hardly Haussmann's Paris
The Observer
18 January 2025
Rachel Cooke
The on-trend word reeks of desperation, an attempt to make the unpalatable sound dreamy, while the reality is a nightmare.
"Reimagining" has closed a road, pushing yet more traffic & buses onto already over-burdened street and the result is chaos.
Selfish Range Rover mums at HP private school slammed for causing soaring pollution...but locals say a different menace is to blame
Mail Online
19 January 2025
Ayaat Yassin-Kassab
Local are united against an even bigger road menace - LOW TRAFFIC NEIGHBOURHOODS (LTNs).
Low-traffic neighbourhoods ‘have little local support’
The Times
14 January 2025
Andrew Ellson
Groups opposed to LTNs have written to the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, to demand that councils get communities’ approval before starting the schemes
Letters to the Editor
The Times
January 2025
More letters from the public concernming the implememtation of so-called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
Letters to the Editor
The Times
January 2025
Letters from the public concernming the implememtation of so-called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)
Anti-LTN campaign groups join forces to lobby government to change law
The Standard
14 January 2025
Jacob Phillips
Fifteen groups joined forces to urge the government to introduce a strict regulatory framework for both new and existing traffic management schemes, to ensure that local authorities do not disadvantage groups with protected characteristics, such as the disabled, and cannot implement or maintain schemes that do not have community support.
Labour council accused of pushing through parking charges opposed by 9 in 10 residents
The Telegraph
11 January 2025
Steve Bird
Lambeth Council creating new parking zone in West Dulwich, where residents are already fighting plans to impose a low traffic neighbourhood.
Liveable neighbourhood trial paused after protests
BBC news
10 January 2025
Beth Cruse, Alex Seabrook
Bristol City Council has faced strong opposition from some people living in the areas who say the scheme would make their journeys longer.
London has a congestion charge – and traffic in gridlock. We need other ways to end the obsession with cars
The Guardian
9 January 2025
Jonn Elledge
Opinion: Why won’t Lambeth Listen? Reflections on the Brixton Hill LTN
Brixton Buzz
08 January 2025
A reader’s detailed comments on the article about Lambeth’s intention to make Brixton Hill LTN permanent.
Euston cab rank 'virtually impossible' to access
BBC News
07 January 2025
Tom Edwards
Black cab drivers say rank cannot be accessed without long detours or potentially dangerour U-turns.
London is Europe's most congested city, with drivers sitting in traffic an average 101 hours last year
The Guardian
06 January 2025
Harry Taylor
There has been an consistent increase in congestion in the city in recent years. The estimated cost to London is about £3.85bn.
London roads still the most congested in Europe
BBC News
06 January 2025
London is the 5th most congested city in the world, despite or as a result of TfL and borough policies and money spent.
'Littered e-bikes are not just annoying. For people with mobility issues, they're a serious problem'
Sky News
04 January 2025
Holly Beaumont (video producer)
Companies such as Lime allow riders to park anywhere as long as they are not 'obstructing' pavements but critics argue that users are abusing the guidelines.
Labour under fire over plans for 40 more 'greenwashing' waste incinerators
The Guradian/Observer
29 December 2024
Jon Ungoed-Thomas
Communities across the UK are fighting 'catastrophic' proposals to build new energy-from-waste plants
You're not imagining it, your car journey is getting longer
The i paper
4 January 2025
Jane Merrick
Keir Starmer's government wants to reduce traffic congestion, which impacts the economy in ways lost time and lower productivity in the workforce and increased travel costs, which can raise fees for businesses and retailers that are then passed onto households.
Comment: Tories' guidance on LTNs must become Labour's roadmap
The Times
01 January 2024
Andrew Ellson
Guidance was an uncontroversial document that simple reiterated basic standards of good governance.
Judge rules against TfL in low-traffic neighbourhood dispute
The Times
18 December 2024
Andrew Ellson
A court has ruled that Sadiq Khan cannot stop councils from removing unpopular LTN schemes
Tower Hamlets axing low traffic neighbourhoods is lawful, High Court rules
The Standard
Noah Vickers, LDR
17 December 2024
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman had promised to ‘abolish the failed Liveable Streets scheme’ in his 2022 re-election manifesto
Lambeth to dim street lights after £25m climate spending
The Times
Andrew Ellson
17 December 2024
A London Council that has spent £25m on climate initiatives & active travel and pays 40 staff in excess of £100k a year has a huge budget shortfall.
London Council ‘unlawfully’ used LTNs to balance books with fines, court to hear
The Telegraph
07 December
Steve Bird
Croydon council made six LTNs to raise millions of pounds, yet zones had ‘no environmental benefit and dispersed traffic’ to nearby roads
East Bristol liveable neighbourhood trial: Thousands sign petition
BBC News
21 November 2024
Peter Simson
More than 3,000 people have signed a petition to halt a liveable neighbourhood trial in Bristol.
Group sues Tower Hamlets Mayor over removal of LTNs
ITV evening news
20 November 2024
[see item at 12m40s]
Debate continues over LTNs as Tower Hamlets Mayor makes good on campaign promise to remove LTNs. Campaigners for and against LTNs speak about pros and cons of the schemes.
Tower Hamlets mayor taken to court over removal of low-traffic neighbourhoods
The Guardian
20 November 2024
Harriet Grant
Affluent TH residents take democratically elected mayor to court for attempting to keep his election pledge.
Taking a bus in London? It might be quicker to walk
The Times
17 November 2024
Andrew Ellson
The mayor has been urged to review cycle lane and low-traffic policies after a watchdog revealed that average bus speeds had fallen as low as 6.6mph
Cosplaying social justice is the new elitist way of elbowing out the working class
The Observer
10 November 2024
Liberal professional accused of talking about justice but entrenching inequalities. (But that's not just in the USA)
London buses: 'Urgent improvements' needed as average speeds fall below 7mph in central London
The Standard
07 November 2024
Average bus speeds range from 8.1mph in inner London to 10.3mph in outer London. Bus speeds were lower in every borough in 2023/24 compared with 10 yrs ago.
Lab London Assembly member asks SK to 'pause' bus stop by-pass rollout
ONLondon
24 October 2024
Dave Hill
Elly Baker raised concerns about their safety for blind people and other pedestrians.
Review by the UCL Institute of Health Equity concludes that racism damages health and wellbeing and drives inequalities in London
September 2024
The focus of this report is on the effects of racism on health and its contribution to avoidable inequalities in health between ethnic groups. It is urgent that society tackle the damage to health and wellbeing as a result of racism.
Hackney mayor defends LTNs & air quality plans following criticism from residents
Hackney Citizen
23 September 2024
Joe Steen
Air Quality Champions & SEJ members criticise Hackney for putting residents at risk from increased traffic.
How children who grew up in polluted areas earn less as adults
The Times
09 September 2024
Tom Whipple
Researchers in USA found children from pollutesd areas had lower social mobility. (Yet traffic in London is rerouted onto rds w/schools & nurseries serving already disadvantaged CYP.)
People in England driving more, cycling less and walking further, survey shows
The Guardian
Gwyn Topham
28 August 2024
Walking up, post- Covid cycling boom continues to fizzle away & private car still most popular. Experts warn of a "mobility divide" w/transport system stacked against the poorest.
Labour 'ramping up war on drivers'
The Times
Andrew Ellson
23 August 2024
Sensible guidance on the implementation of local transport-related schemes appears to be cast aside by the new Labour minister to the dismay of groups (like SEJ) campaigning for environmental justice and others.
More low traffic zones will only add to the congestion
The Times
John Stewart
22 August 2024
SEJ's John Stewart urges the new Transport Secretay to look beyond LTNs and instead develop a transport policy that works for all.
Louise Haigh's LTN policy is doomed to fail
The Spectator
Andrew Tettenborn
23 August 2024
There are potential problems with Minister Haigh’s stance on LTNs making clear which social class benefits from recent transport policies. The losers do not have the luxury of a delivery- dependent lifestyle.
Why clean air is a luxury that many can't afford
BBC Future
The unfolding story of air pollution is one of environmental inequlaity. So, SEJ asks "Why is the Labour Party so happy to ignore it on its own doorstep?".
Row erupts over 'rushed through' LTN in north London.
The Standard
Ross Lydall
August 2024
More that 1,200 residents sign petition demanding Camden and Islington councils delay proposals. Residents have highlighted concerns about the displacement of traffic onto "boundary" or more aptly, "sacrificilai roads".
London could get 30 new LTNs after TfL earmarks cash for more traffic-calming measures
The Stanard
Ross Lydall
30 July 2024
Despite LTNs causing bus delays and displacing traffic onto other residential roads, London may be set for more in the coming year.
Sinéad O'Connor died from COPD and asthma, death certificate says
The Guardian
Michael Sun
29 July 2024
Since this article was published south London clean air activists have noted their continuing concerns about the roads where she lived during her tiime in London.
Childhood air pollution linked to adult healthThe Guardian
The Guardian
Gary Fuller
26 July 2024
Study finds air pollutiion breathed in during childhood is one of the factors in adult lung health.
Full Danger of Floating Bus Stops Not Disclosed
The Telegraph
Steve Bird
22 June 2024
TfL apologises to disability charities after collisions left out of safety report.
Blocked Off Roads: Petition Response
News from Crystal Palace
16 June 2024
Blocked-off roads: Lambeth’s 1,136 word response to petition opposing West Dulwich LTN – which News From Crystal Palace can just sum up as: Get Stuffed. Cyclists are far, far more important than anyone else.
Record of Parliamentary discussion of LTNs
Hansard
20 May 2024
Record of discussion in Parliament relating to LTN petitions.
Petitions Committee
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and Accessibility
Summary of results of online survey to help inform debate taking place on 20 May 2024
Bus Stop Bypass Safety Review
TfL 2024
Note: The study is based on data for people with all types of disability, therefore it does not isolate or identify any bus boarding changes according to a specific disability, such as blind or partially sighted people.
Sadiq Kahn Victory won't stop fight against LTNs, vows Mark Harper
The Tewlegraph
11 May 2024
New guidance to make it clear that before LTNs are implemented, councils must give "proper consideration" to the people they impact.
Greenwich told to apologise after ignoring concerns re: LTNs
One Greenwich - Equity for all
19 April 2024
Greenwich's Transport Dept has been told
to pay compensation and review its complaint procedure after it neglected to respond to a disabled resident’s concerns about LTNs.
Angel Islington Liveable Neighbourhoods
October 2023
Deliveries and Servicing Impact Review
Summary Report
On behalf of Building Design Centre
& Angel Islington Business Improvement District
SEJ's Ediz tours his local LTN
Lived Experience Video
14 April 2024
SEJ member, Ediz gives a quick tour of his local Enfield LTN devoid of cyclists, walkers, and children playing on the streets.
It's time to cry 'foul' over all the dodgy research out there
The Times
12 April 2024
Harry Wallop raises concerns, shared by many, about how too many studies passed off as valid research are just 'bunkum'.
SEJ Response to Department for Transport LTN Review and Draft Guidance
SEJ Response sent to DfT
2 April 2024
SEJ has written to the Department for Transport raising serious questions about the published review of LTNs and has made a number of suggestions for a way forward.
London should learn from Paris about reducing traffic
OnLondon
31 March 2024
Paul Wheeler suggests that a programme for overall London traffic reduction should be planned & directed by the mayor, rather than by individual LAs with the chaotic outcomes they produce. A focus on public transport and targeting certain types of vehicles should be part of that strategy.
Andrew Ellson's Notes on Survey Research
From X
(with permission)
"I've now read all 79 pages of the govt's LTN review. There is plenty I could say about it but for now I thought I'd focus on unpicking the survey evidence that suggests LTNs are more popular than not. My analysis has found this conclusion to be a very misleading:"
Andrew Ellson's Notes on LTN Guidance
From X
(with permission)
"I have been ploughing through the government's statutory guidance to councils on implementing LTNs so you don't have to."
The Injustices of LTNs
Talk TV
19 March 2024
Cristo highlights some of the injustices of LTNs and is joined by SEJ's John Stewart who exposes the fact that Ipsos has admitted that "support" for LTNs comes from a survey of those within LTNs only.
Times Radio
Times Radio
17 March 2024
SEJ's Clair Battaglino tells a bit about her experience as an LTN victim, debunks the myth of their popularity & highlights their classsist negative impacts.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods - Research Report
17 March 2024
Government Review of some of the research that exists on so-called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
Streatham Wells - how to get a LTN scheme wrong
On London
14 March 2024
Streatham Wells resident Caroline Thorpe give an honest appraisal of the now suspended LTN.
Air pollution levels have improved in Europe over 20 years, say researchers...
The Guardian
13 March 2024
But 98% of Europeans live in areas WHO says have unhealthy levels of PM2.5. Click on the interactive map to learn more about levels in different places.
Councils spend £5m on "parklets" left strewn with rubbish
The Times
10 March 2024
An honest look at some of the issues surrounding so-called parklets. Cash strapped Councils spend money on parklets which many claim simply provide focal point for ASB.
Low-traffic Zones could cost lives, says ambulance service
The Times
09 March 2024
Contrary to an article published in another newspaper, The Times begins a more balanced coverage of the long-awaited review of LTNs.
Lambeth LTN suspended after Sadiq Khan admits it caused 'huge problems'
The Standard
08 March 2024
Lambeth Council to suspend the Streatham Wells LTN after LTN-displaced traffic caused public transport chaos. (Photo of 44 buses standing still made international news.)
Buses take two hours to travel in LTNs
The Times
25 February 2024
Andrew Ellson exposes the negative impacts on buses caused by LTN-displaced traffic.
Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah: High Court action over girl's pollution death
BBC News
12 January 2024
Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah is bringing a high court claim against the govenrment in a bid to establish a "right to clean air".
Gaza & LTN protesters rally at town hall
Brixton Blog
25 January 2024
Speakers addressed the crowd outside Lambeth Town Hall, highlighting the unfairness of policies that displace traffic from one set of residential roads to another. The negative impacts usually afflict a higher proportion of less affluent residents and People of Colour.
Lambeth Town Hall protest
January 2024
Sofia Sheikh tells the crowd about her court case and the negative impact of LTNs on her life, highlighting the increased struggle she faces as a woman with a disability.
Lambeth Town Hall Jan 2024
January 2024
Long-term Lambeth resident, anti-noise and public transport campaigner, John Stewart, instills a sense of hope in the people who are standing up against the social and environmental injustice of LTNs.
Lambeth Town Hall protest
January 2024
Bus driver Ediz Mevlet tells those gathered at Lambeth Town Hall about his experience of living on an LTN sacrificial roads. As Ediz say, "Believe your eyes, not the lies".
Lambeth Town Hall protest
January 2024
Dr Kat Alcock was supposed to speak in the council chamber but instead she spoke to the people outside Lambeth Town Hall.
Bus drivers considering strike action over delays caused by LTNs and removal of bus lanes
The Standard
11 December 2023
Jacob Phillips reports on the difficiulties facing bus passengers and drivers as a result of policies that benefit an extremely small group of those travelling in London.
The bus took 11 minutes before LTNs - now it takes 45
The Times
08 December 2023
Andrew Ellson examines how transport policies such as the removal of bus lanes & LTNs are impacting journey times and reliability.
Oxford's road 'havoc' prompts new grassroots political party
The Telegraph
25 November 2023
Alliance of independents believes it is wrong for councils to ‘deliberately cause congestion with LTNs’
Of course working-class people care about the climate crisis: they emit the least, but will suffer most
The Guardian
November 2023
An introduction to the relationship between class and climate politics that doesn't go quite far enough.
The Great Carbon (Class) Divide
The Guardian
November 2023
The world's richest 10% (inc most of the middle classes in developed countries) are responsible for half of all global emissions. "A blanket approach by governments to shift to green lifestyles" should only be used to target the better off who have the capacity to make cuts - subsidies and support are needed for those unfairly burdened.
Blocked-off Roads: New Rachel Aldred report on LTNs admits research shortcomings
News From Crystal Palace
November 2023
Blocked-off Roads: New Rachel Aldred report on LTNs admits research shortcomings, many limitations, that traffic counters don't count all traffic - and why they're 'not relevant'
The Injustices of Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) Schemes
Air Quality News
November 2023
Plans to close rail ticket offices in England scrapped
BBC
1 November 2023
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government asked train operators to withdraw their proposals. The Government received 750,000 responses in a public consultation – a record response to any Government consultation.
No action to be taken against pro-LTN academic who stole poster
The Sunday Telegraph
29/10/23
The Sunday Telegraph reported that pro-LTN academic Anna Goodman, who removed & stole an anti-LTN poster from her local shop, has been let off by her university. She is the author or joint author of most of the research into LTNs.
Former Oxford Labour councillors form new Independent Group
Oxford Mail
26th October 2023
One of the best known Oxfordshire councillors quits Labour Party over its transport policies, including her opposition to low traffic neighbourhoods. "Overwhelmingly working-class people and communities ... have not been consulted properly and their needs and the reality of their lives have not been factored into the creation of these policies."
TfL cycle czar caught "distorting" increase in cycling figures
The Sunday Telegraph
21st October 2023
Will Norman, Sadiq Khan's cycling czar, has been accused of distorting statistics after “cherry picking” data to triple the % increase in cyclists. Norman and Transport for London were said to have unfairly selected cycling counts to justify spending £millions on new cycling lanes despite only a modest increase in people travelling by bike.
CAB (Cabs Across Bank) campaign launched
9th October, 2023
A campaign to restore taxi access across Bank Junction and other routes where buses are permitted has been launched.
Cycling falls as councils spend millions on bike lanes and LTNs
The Telegraph
30 September 2023
Cycling figures drop to pre-Covid levels despite literally hundreds of millions of pounds ploughed into boosting bike numbers and reducing car use.
'Division not the answer' as Mayor makes decision to remove most LTN traffic restrictions
Tower Hamlets Council
21 September 2023
The Mayor of Tower Hamlets says: "While LTNs improve air quality in their immediate vicinity, they push traffic down surrounding arterial roads, typically lived on by less affluent residents...The result is division... I have decided that division is not the answer. We need to find better solutions to improve air quality that can unite our residents and businesses."
Tower Hamlets Council to scrap LTN road closure scheme
BBC News
21 September 2023
Lutfur Rahman, mayor of Tower Hamlets, said the LTNs had divided communities: "While LTNs improve air quality in their immediate vicinity, they push traffic down surrounding arterial roads, typically lived on by less affluent residents."
Sustrans given £92m in grants to introduce LTNs
The Sunday Telegraph
17 September 2023
Cycling charity Sustrans handed £92m in grants to introduce LTNs. Sustrans refuses to say how many of its staff are 'embedded' in local councils.
Our view: Sustrans' role in reviewing LTNs must be cancelled by the Department for Transport. Last month @andrewellson revealed in the Times Transport Secretary Mark Harper's shock that Sustrans was part of the review team – see previous item: Minister wants Independent Review
Islington Planning New LTNs
13 September 2023
With the Government no longer funding them, it is unclear where the money is coming from. SEJ has put in Freedom of Information Requests.
Mildmay LTN: https://islington.media/news/your-chance-to-shape-greener-healthier-more-welcoming-streets-in-mildmay?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo
Barnsbury and Laycock LTN
https://www.letstalk.islington.gov.uk/barnsbury-laycock-liveable-neighbourhood/
Greenwich Planning New LTNs
13 September 2023
With the Government no longer funding them, it is unclear where the money is coming from. SEJ has put in Freedom of Information Requests.
West Greenwich LTN
https://greenwichwire.co.uk/2023/08/22/return-of-the-ltn-council-revives-plans-for-traffic-curbs-in-greenwich-and-blackheath/
Lambeth Planning New LTNs
13 September 2023
With the Government no longer funding them, it is unclear where the money is coming from. SEJ has put in Freedom of Information Requests.
Slade Gardens LTN:
https://sladegardensltn.commonplace.is/proposals/what-is-changing-in-the-area/start
Stockwell Green LTN:
https://stockwellgardensltn.commonplace.is/
Tower Hamlets LTN Monitoring Report
Tower Hamlets
12 September 2023
Congestion up on boundary roads . Emergency vehicles delayed. Air quality gains mainly due to ULEZ. Tower Hamlets is committed to replacing its LTNs with other measures.
Police Hours Wasted on LTN Paperwork
The Times
4 September 2023
Excellent comment piece on LTNs by @andrewellson accompanying his story in the Times that appealing against LTN fines for unmarked police cars wastes thousands of hours of police time.
Minister Wants Independent LTN Review
The Times
14 August 2023
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has insisted, after SEJ wrote to him, the DfT LTN review (separate from the PM's review) is independent. “It was an eyebrow-raiser” that parts of the review will be carried out by LTN advocate Rachel Aldred and her team in the Active Travel Unit of the University of Westminster and by SUSTRANS, the wealthy cycling charity. It's like marking their own homework, as Aldred’s team did much of the LTN research, and SUSTRANS advised on the implementation of many LTNs.
Air Pollution speeds progression of lung diseases
The Guardian
11 Aug 2023
Dr Gary Fuller (Senior Lecturer in Air Quality Measurement at Imperial College, London) makes links between air pollution & social class.
Any LTN review must be impartial, independent and local
SEJ supports the government's review of LTNs, but that review must be:
- impartial
- independent
- local
LTNs should be reconsidered in cost-of-living crisis, says minister
Evening Standard
31 July 2023
"...we think that where they are not working or where there is not local support low-traffic neighbourhood projects should be looked at again."
Sunak orders review of anti-car schemes
The Telegraph
29 July 2023
Sunak has ordered the Department for Transport to carry out a review of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which often use cameras, giant planters and bollards to turn away cars. A source said he was “concerned by the levels of congestion outside the roads in which they are implemented”, amid fears that the measures simply displace traffic to neighbouring areas.
Air we breathe in UK depends on race and income, studies show
Guardian
28 July 2023
It is vital we tackle the injustice that means black or mixed-race people and the poor face worst pollution.
Academic who wrote ‘impartial’ LTN reviews tears down protesters’ petition
Telegraph
1 July 2023
An academic who wrote “independent” reviews praising low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) was spotted tearing down a petition opposed to a scheme near her home. Dr Anna Goodman was caught on CCTV removing the poster from inside a shop in south London, where businesses are fighting plans to create new one-way routes and ban some turns while fining motorists who break rules. The video has fuelled claims that “impartial” academics paid by the Government to review LTNs are biased campaigners.
National Audit Office Report: Some cycling infrastructure may not benefit
The Times
7 June 2023
Now it seems some LTNs don’t even benefit cyclists. The National Audit Office found that the speed at which cycling infrastructure was delivered during the pandemic led to some poorly designed schemes that may have discouraged cycling. “The report also raises questions over the environmental benefit of the schemes. In 2020, when the funding for LTNs and other schemes to encourage cycling and walking were announced, the government said the cash would help Britain to “build back greener”.
Bakerloo Line Extension backed by all London councils
London World
31 May 2023
London Councils, a cross-party organisation that represents London’s 32 borough councils and the City of London, says the development could unlock over 110,000 new homes and 130,000 jobs across the capital.
One of SEJ's directors goes live on radio
Times Radio
Jane Garvey & Fi Glover
25 May 2023
Unscripted, unrehearsed and certainly not written by council staff.
Clair passionately states her view that the negative impacts of LTNs are not just "greenwashing" but a clear example of both environmental classism and environmental racism. Why is this not being acknowledged more widely? How & why are these measures so unequal in their impact being perpetrated by Labour councils?
Bus times at their slowest for 10 years
TFL Publications
3rd November 2023
London’s bus services were the slowest they have been for almost a decade. In the 4 weeks commencing 16 September 2023, the average speed across all routes was 8.7mph. It is time to stop removing bus lanes and put those removed back before more damage to bus services is done.
The CYCLIST at war with LTNs: Furious biker documents congestion chaos in the capital after tragic death of sister
Daily Mail
23 Apr 2023
SEJ Comment: Cyclist, bus driver, SEJ founding member and dedicated family man, Ediz Mevlit, explains the very serious negative impacts LTNs have had on his family and his community.
Shout it from the rooftops: the noise pollution in towns and cities is killing us
10th April 2023
Town Hall nets over £1m from e-bike contracts
Camden New Journal
26 May 2023
Tom Foot
Lime bikes dumped on pavements causing a hazzard for pedestrians of all abilities but especially the elderly, blind and disabled.
John Stewart on Dublin City FM
Dublin City FM
25 May 2023
One of SEJ's directors, John Stewart, in discussion with Dublin City FM host Gary Kearney. John outlines the proven flaws with LTNs, with a special focus on the way many disabled people asre losing out.
In a wide-ranging discussion, John details not only the flaws in LTNs, but also how people are fighting back against them.
A MUST listen!
London’s fares, the highest in the world
Picodi
March 2023
Lower fares increase public transport use, provide more choice when travelling, enable more people to access jobs & especially assist those on low incomes. The extra revenue would cut subsidies.
Bike sales fall to their lowest level for 20 years
The Times
19 March 2023
SEJ backs cycling, so takes no pleasure in the news bike sales fell to their lowest level for 20 yrs. Recent investment in cycling may yet bear fruit but the findings re-enforce recent TfL research that LTNs are only having a limited impact on numbers cycling.
Bike sales dipped to their lowest level in 2 decades as the pandemic cycling boom turns to bust.
Low-traffic zones ‘just greenwashing’, says lobby group
The Times
22 May 2023
Department for Transport could give no evidence that low-traffic neighbourhoods reduced the number of miles driven. An official responsible for LTNs said no studies on the effect on distance travelled had been requested because “LTNs don’t exist to reduce miles driven”.
The statement has alarmed campaigners who query LTNs’ effect on the climate. Clair Battaglino, of SEJ, said: “Until we see better evidence, claims that LTNs are good for the planet are just greenwashing.”
£40m for cycling charity behind low-traffic zones
The Times
1 May 2023
Ten years since the Vision for Cycling in London, what has been achieved?
OnLondon
9th April 2023
Dave Hill asks, "Is the capital becoming a true cycling city or has a lifestyle choice of the affluent been subsidised at others' expense?"
SEJ comment: TfL’s own research shows that the main beneficiaries of cycling policy are affluent white males in their mid-twenties to mid-forties with very limited signs of other categories of Londoners joining them.
Just 1 in 10 cyclists stop to let pedestrians pass to reach ‘floating bus stops’
The Telegraph
18 March 2023
Research by the Telegraph revealed that just one in 10 cyclists stop to let pedestrians cross to floating bus stops, where busy cycle lanes are wedged between the pavement and a bus stop island, with a zebra crossing bridging the two. The Telegraph survey showed just 8% of cyclists gave way to pedestrians waiting at three crossings in central London. Giving way is required by the Highway Code.
More evidence spillover traffic from LTNs not counted correctly
Loving Dalston
March 2023
More evidence has emerged that between 5% and 35% of cars, vans and lorries in slow-moving or stop-start traffic are not being counted.
UK study adds to evidence of air pollution link to long-term illness
The Guardian
30 Dec 2022
Now fancy that: how Hackney and other councillors benefit from LTNs
Loving Dalston
2023
London LTNs: Motor traffic reduced by 47%, study finds Published 19 January
BBC news
19 Jan 2023
Worst London air pollution in six years as home fires burn
Guardian
27 Jan 2023
London LTNs: Haringey council makes £2m in fines over four months
BBC
26 Jan 2023
Shout it from the rooftops: the noise pollution in towns and cities is killing us
The Guardian
10 April 2023
"Noise pollution is undoubtedly a class issue. It must be, if only those with certain resources can buy their peace, through soundproofing or access to quieter neighbourhoods".
SEJ comment: The "dis-benefits" for those on residential roads outside LTNs include increased noise related to taffic esp. rerouted HGVs.
How traffic counters under-record when they check LTN ripple effect in Hackney and elsewhere
Loving Dalston
March 2023
Tenant with incurable lung disease ‘caused by mould’ to sue Hackney council
Guardian
22 Jan 2023
Official LTN review by cycle lanes lobbyist ‘will be a whitewash’
Telegraph
25 Mar 2023
Low traffic neighbourhoods are a mass demonstration of Haringey's contempt for disabled people
difficultparent
30 Dec 2022
Street transport’s year of road rage and regression
OnLondon
29 Dec 2022
Incident dementia and long-term exposure to constituents of fine particle air pollution
PNAS
27 Dec 2022
Clean Air Neighbourhoods – a discriminatory policy?
The Hammersmith Society
16 Dec 2022
Islington LTN anger two years on
EC1 Echo
9 Dec 2022
‘Eco’ wood burners produce 450 times more pollution than gas heating – report
The Guardian
8 Dec 2022
The racial justice perspective will only add to the climate conversation
Philea
30 Nov 2022
Islington residents bring criticism of Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme to health meeting
EC1 Echo
25 Nov 2022
Plans to close rail ticket offices in England scrapped
BBC
1st November 2023
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said the government had asked train operators to withdraw their proposals. The Government had received 750,000 responses from individuals and organisations in a public consultation – a record response to any Government consultation.
'money spinning' LTNs - Council said to be 'banking' on bringing in millions of pounds from LTN enforcement cameras
Haringay Community Press
25 Nov 2022
Road closure trials are not popular
Islington Tribune
23 Nov 2022
We’re furious as the council has turned a 10 minute drive home into an HOUR
Sun
22 Nov 2022
How UK air pollution is putting teenagers at risk of high blood pressure and heart attacks in later life
inews
16 Nov 2022
‘Appalling’ councils are fining Londoners £100m for driving through LTNs, says mother of girl killed by toxic air
LBC
15 Nov 2022
How much has Hackney Council made in LTN fines?
ThisIsLocalLondon
26 Oct 2022
London’s controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhoods spark fierce debate over their effectiveness following latest DfT figures
RAC
26 Oct 2022
DfT data suggests increase in car use in low traffic neighbourhoods
Fleet News
25 Oct 2022
London LTNs: Councils that closed rat runs now have even more cars on their roads
The Times
24 Oct 2022
Who uses the bus?
London Travel Watch
23 March 2022
People on low income, people of colour, people with disabilities and women with children are more likely to rely on the bus.
Anti-LTN campaigner stages silent protest after being told her question about air quality would not be considered at health meeting
Hackney Citizen
27 Sept 2022
Highbury: Apology after contradictory LTN reports are published
Islington Gazette
15 Mar 2022
Islington council forced to apologise after wrongly claiming LTNs reduced pollution in report
MyLondon
13 Mar 2022
'I woke up from a 6-week Covid coma to find out my home is now an LTN - a 20-minute journey can now take 3 hours'
MyLondon
11 Feb 2022
BAME and poorer Londoners more likely to live in areas with toxic air
Mayor of London office
12 October 2021
New data from the London Mayor shows communities which have higher levels of deprivation, or a higher proportion of people from a non-white ethnic background, are more likely to be exposed to higher levels of air pollution.
Two more London boroughs to review LTNs after protests
Evening Standard
8 September 2021
Tower Hamlets to follow Ealing's example of removing LTNs after review showing majority of people against them.
LTNs reveal 'tale of two Hackneys', says campaigner
Hackney Gazette
20 July 2021
Students have checked out pollution levels near schools
Islington Tribune
28 Jan 2022
Look at the record on road safety in Highbury
Islington Tribune
21 May 2021
Alarming results showing distribution of road collusion serious injuries and fatalities shown on main roads adjacent to LTNs.
'Women fear walking down car-less streets', say campaigners against LTNs
Button
LTNs: ‘The policy is environmentally unjust’
Hackney Citizen
14 January 2021
Long-time Hackney resident exposes the negative impacts of so-called Low Traffic Neighbourhoods for those voctims who live, walsk and attend schools & nurseries on thei scarificail roads.
Air quality voice Rosamund Kissi-Debrah slams Lee Green LTN
newsshopper
30 July 2020
Paul Wheeler: Why London’s road wars are tearing Labour apart
OnLondon
2020
How London got rid of private cars – and grew more congested than ever
Guardian 11 Feb 2020
Poor most exposed to air pollution caused by rich, study finds
Air Quality News
2019
Research led by the AQMRC found that traffic pollution within poor areas is likely to be caused by those living in relatively more affluent areas.
RESEARCH
(1). https://www.centreforlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/CFL-StreetShift-LTNs-Final.pdf
(3). London Noise Map
(5). https://ealing.nub.news/news/local-news/ealing-majority-of-residents-oppose-ltns-consultation-finds
(8).https://www.hackneygazette.co.uk/news/homerton-ltn-to-be-made-permanent-2021-8537300
(9).https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692321002477
(10).http://www.uknoiseassociation.com/uploads/4/1/4/5/41458009/david_smith_interview.pdf
(12): https://tfl.gov.uk/corporate/publications-and-reports/cycling-and-walking… .
(13).
https://www.ft.com/content/2a1c7d1f-d012-4679-b413-f9a19a110471
RESOURCES
How to contact your local Council:
https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS UK: https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request
https://www.gov.uk/make-a-freedom-of-information-request/how-to-make-an-foi-request
How to make a Freedom of Information request: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/official-information/
FOI Hackney Council: https://foi.hackney.gov.uk/ (don't forget to continue to click through until you receive a reference number)
FOI Islington Council: https://www.islington.gov.uk/about-the-council/information-governance/freedom-of-information/freedom-of-information-request
FOI Greenwich Council: https://www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/200168/freedom_of_information_foi/795/make_a_freedom_of_information_request
FOI Haringay Council:
https://www.haringey.gov.uk/contact/information-requests/freedom-information/make-freedom-information-foi-request
