Residents must have a say in road schemes

The Government is proposing that councils in England must consider the views of local residents before introducing new road schemes like low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNS) and 20mph speed limits.

That it is even necessary to release such guidance to town halls is emblematic of the gulf between those who make these decisions and those whose lives are affected by them.

It is hardly a revolutionary concept to take account of community opinion if significant changes are to be made that will inconvenience and potentially penalise road users. Yet Labour criticised the new approach as “dictating to local communities how they use their streets”.

The dictating, surely, is being done by council committees often conducting their meetings in secret with local people unaware of what is being planned until it is too late. The decline of regional newspapers, which in the past would alert readers to such decisions and lead campaigns against them, has tipped the balance of power away from voters.

LTNS have sprung up in towns and cities around the country with barely any debate. The same goes for 20mph zones which are routinely introduced on main roads that can be monitored yet are not enforced in residential streets where such a limit is justified but where there are no cameras.

The draft statutory guidance issued by the Transport Department says councils should be confident such a scheme has the support of most of the community. It recommends councils carry out leaflet drops, run online surveys and hold in-person meetings when considering introducing LTNS.

How is this a controversial proposition? The reason the councils do not like it is that they know local residents will probably oppose them. Such schemes cause traffic congestion and are a tick-box exercise to meet unrealistic green targets. They are designed to force people from their cars and on to local transport, yet that gets held up as well. One scheme in London has been scrapped after a three-mile bus journey took two hours.

They are, additionally, a great money-spinner for local authorities. Councils operating LTNS issue an average of 36,459 Penalty Charge Notices per scheme, with one exceeding 170,000 fines.

Supporters say these schemes are beneficial and environmentally friendly. In that case they should make their case to the local people and not foist them on communities without so much as a byyour-leave.