Following a century of unprecedented technological progress — the jet engine, the moon landing, the ability to order sushi to your front door from an app — the average speed of a car travelling in central London has fallen to that of a horse and cart.
This may not come as a surprise to opponents of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), nor the news that their fines have added up to £14 million.
LTNs serve a noble purpose. Many residential streets are not designed for a large flow or fast-moving vehicles, with few safe pedestrian crossings and less space for other vehicles or cyclists. And according to Transport for London, it is people walking, cycling or travelling on motorbikes who account for over 80 per cent of deaths on London’s streets.
LTNs also help to improve air pollution around residential streets. Thousands of Londoners die prematurely each year as a consequence of long-term exposure to air pollution. It is linked to cancer and an increased risk of heart disease, strokes and dementia.
Yet the risk these eye-watering fines pose is that a tool designed to nudge people to walk or cycle, and divert car traffic onto the capital’s main transport arteries, may lead to a loss of support.
Some residents complain that LTNs simply push vehicles onto already blocked main roads. Others take issue with the way in which they were implemented — at speed, during a pandemic and without sufficient consultation.
Ultimately, LTNs exist to serve a purpose, not to act as cash cows. Vague signs leading to punitive fines will only drain support. Public space was a contested arena long before the widespread roll-out of LTNs. But for LTNs to work, they must be viewed by all primarily as a tool to reduce congestion and improve air quality. We need carrots as well as sticks.
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