Council scraps LTNs as locals reject ‘green’ road closures

A COUNCIL in an area where up to 91 per of residents opposed “green” road closures has scrapped four low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Councillors in Brent voted to remove the “controversial” schemes after a report revealed a public consultation received a “high number of objections and several petitions” against them.

Officials at the north-west London borough wrote that despite the London Ambulance Service, Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade supporting the promotion of more active forms of travel, they were concerned LTNs could cause “access” problems affecting response times to 999 calls.

The report on “Healthy Neighbourhoods and School Streets” points out that concerns had been raised by residents about the “engagement and consultation process, which was a result of the way in which central government

‘None of the five Healthy Neighbourhood trial schemes was supported by the majority of residents’

had sought to introduce active trials”.

It adds: “The outcome of the consultation during the trial period indicates that none of the five Healthy Neighbourhood trial schemes was supported by the majority of local residents.

“From the responses from the community with the Healthy Neighbourhood areas, between 70 and 91 per cent of respondents opposed the schemes.”

A council spokesman refused to say how much taxpayers’ money had been spent on the schemes. But Department for Transport data show it received more than £2million for such projects since their launch in May 2020.

The council report says the borough may have to foot the £20,000 bill to remove the LTNs.

A fifth LTN scheme will be kept but amended, and 26 School Streets schemes, which place limits on car access, will remain in place.

The spokesman said: “Like similar schemes across the UK, these low-traffic neighbourhoods were fully funded by the Department for Transport and came with strings attached about how they needed to be introduced.

“Although initial data showed that air quality was improving, we always said we would listen to local people before making the trials permanent.”