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What we are calling for

Safe streets – with safe space to walk, cycle, scoot and cross on quiet, low-traffic streets in neighbourhoods

Healthy streets – where active travel is the natural choice for short journeys and air is clean enough for children to breathe

What is a Low Traffic Neighbourhood?

According to Living Streets, “Low traffic neighbourhoods” are groups of residential streets, bordered by main or “distributor” roads (the places where buses, lorries, non-local traffic should be), where “through” motor vehicle traffic is discouraged or removed. … And it’s not just the passing traffic that tends to go down.”

What are the benefits of LTNs?

LTNs contribute to reduced pollution overall. They do this by reallocating road space within specified neighbourhoods away from cars and back to people walking and cycling. This means that people can choose more sustainable ways to travel the short distances within their community (by providing a safe space). This is particularly useful in neighbourhoods with schools with a low catchment area as it enables children to cycle to school without the fear of traffic.

Ultimately, LTNs are not about traffic. It is about creating a liveable neighbourhood, creating a sense of community, playing, exercising, chatting with neighbours.

Why now?

The Covid-19 pandemic has made the imperative to improve streets for walking and cycling, to reduce pressure on road and public transport networks, and to support social distancing, even more urgent.

With London’s public transport capacity currently significantly reduced, millions of journeys a day now have to be made on other modes of transport. If even a small fraction of these are replaced by car journeys, roads will become heavily congested, air quality will worsen, and road safety reduced.

It’s happening all over
… London
… UK
… cities across the world

I fully support your measured and rational response to Croydon’s introduction of streetspace improvement schemes in Crystal Palace – a refreshing contrast to the hysterical opposition elsewhere!

Mark

Please keep the roads closed – our family love it!

Tom