Issues that have been raised by the consultation on the LTN and proposals that have been made to address them.
Democratic
| For LTN | Against LTN | |
|---|---|---|
| Policy | Government[i] Mayor of London[ii] Croydon Council[iii] Rachel Flowers, Director of Public Health, Croydon[iv] Greenpeace[v] Friends of the Earth Living Streets Shape Better Streets ( a coalition of 12 local active travel and environmental groups) 130 other groups[vi] | Alliance of British Drivers[vii] Nigel Farage[viii] Bromley Council[ix] |
| Prior notice | Instructed by government to put in place measures as swiftly as possible to address urgent need to provide active travel in response to COVID-19[x] | Croydon council should have informed Bromley council (given Bromley council’s stance this is only a matter of lack of politeness) |
| Planning | Declared council policy with numerous documents that describe the implementation of LTNs[xi] | Claims that there was no planning, therefore was poorly implemented |
| Consultation | 75% of residents and 85% of businesses were so unconcerned about the LTN that they did not think it was worth responding Those who did respond did not reflect the population within the Temporary LTN in terms of: age, income or ethnicity[xii] | 15% (61% of the 25% of residents who responded) want the LTN scrapped |
Environmental
| Proposals by supporters | Proposals by opposers | |
| Climate change | Need for a massive reduction in car usage concentrating on Croydons’ over 50% of journeys that are under 3km | Scrap the LTN |
| Pollution | As above + maintain LTN to ensure that there is safe space for people to convert their journeys to active travel | Scrap the LTN |
Health
| Proposals by supporters | Proposals by opposers | |
|---|---|---|
| Obesity | Encourage active travel by providing safe space for people to walk and cycle | Exercise in the parks |
| Asthma | Need for a massive reduction in car usage concentrating on Croydons’ over 50% of journeys that are under 3km | |
| Ill health due to inactivity | Encourage active travel by providing safe space for people to walk and cycle | Exercise in the parks |
Safety/death and serious injury of pedestrians and cyclists
| Proposals by supporters | Proposals by opposers | |
|---|---|---|
| On main roads | Massive reduction in car usage Road design to reduce speed Fully protected cycle lanes where possible Wider pavements | Scrap the LTN |
| On residential roads | Maintain LTN to ensure that there is safe space for people to convert journeys to active travel Chicanes & pinch points Address speed More LTNs | Scrap the LTN |
| Throughout Croydon | Parking charges to discourage driving Encourage car clubs Pedestrianise shopping streets |
Other issues
| Proposals by council and/or supporters | Proposals by opposers | |
| Bus gate | Council has proposed allowing access to residents Most supporters oppose this | Eliska Finlay petition “to have Auckland Road re-opened for access, to local residents only” has 2,320 signatures |
| Emergency access | ANPR access | Scrap the LTN |
| Disabled people | ANPR access for blue badge holders Move bus gate to Auckland surgery and provide disabled parking | Scrap the LTN |
| District nurses | ANPR access | Scrap the LTN |
| Congestion on main roads | Keep the LTN to encourage people to swap car journeys on main roads to active travel Introduce measures to discourage driving | Divert traffic to residential roads such as the “sensible” rat run Southern Avenue |
| Traffic delays | Floow data shows difference in median journey time in: AM Peak ranged from -13.5 seconds to +116 seconds PM Peak ranged from -15 seconds to +161 seconds | Reported delays of up to 40 minutes |
| Diverted traffic onto Bromley roads | Include Bromley streets in LTN Install residential filter on Belvedere Road (proposed by Bromley Living Streets and Bromley Cyclists) | Scrap the LTN |
| Inflicts environmental apartheid on majority ethnic minority areas | Based on false comparisons, selective data and poor analysis[xiii] | Scrap the LTN |
| Life expectancy of black males (UK -10 years) | Address the particular needs of all disadvantaged parts of society | Scrap the LTN |
The case for scrapping the LTN relies mainly on the ‘votes’ of 15% of residents who are extremely unrepresentative of those living within the LTN particularly in terms of ethnicity and income, but also age.
The only ‘solution’ to all the wide-ranging issues raised by the 62 page report by council officers is to scrap the LTN and divert traffic from main roads to residential roads such as the “sensible” rat run Southern Avenue.
[i] Gear Change: A bold vision for cycling and walking
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold-vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf
[ii] TfL: Streetspace for London
https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/streetspace-for-london
Sustrans: all the streetspace programs in London
https://www.sustrans.org.uk/streetspace-for-london/
[iii] Croydon Council A Transport Vision for Croydon: Moving towards a more liveable place March 2015
“ACHIEVING A WALKING CROYDON
Our aim is a more liveable city. Traditionally the street is where much of the life of the city takes place. Liveable streets and cities are also walkable streets and cities. “
https://www.croydon.gov.uk/sites/default/files/articles/downloads/A%20Transport%20Vision%20for%20Croydon%20Feb%202016.pdf
Croydon’s Cycling Strategy 2018-2023
https://democracy.croydon.gov.uk/documents/s5603/Croydon%20Cycling%20Strategy%202018-2023%20-%20appendix.pdf
[iv] TMAC meeting 12 January 2021
https://webcasting.croydon.gov.uk/meetings/11439?fbclid=IwAR2xXf2bnvmUXrjVPpmX8-QxGf6NfZV5fG2_8PFLCeqoXIK7CSNeWb5eX7Q
[v] Greenpeace: What’s all the fuss about LTNs
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/low-traffic-neighbourhoods-who-are-they-for/
[vi] 130 groups unite in open letter supporting Low Traffic Neighbourhoods
https://road.cc/content/news/130-groups-unite-support-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-276999
[vii] https://www.abd.org.uk/government-rejects-popular-e-petition-against-road-closures/
[viii] commitment by Nigel Farage and his Reform Party to field candidates to oppose local politicians who support the madness of the Government’s green transport revolution
[ix] Conclusion based on Tory Bromley Council being one of the few London councils to defy their own Tory government advice
[x] Statutory guidance, Traffic Management Act 2004: network management in response to COVID-19
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reallocating-road-space-in-response-to-covid-19-statutory-guidance-for-local-authorities/traffic-management-act-2004-network-management-in-response-to-covid-19
[xi] CP-LTN supporters’ website Resources – Croydon Council
https://crystalpalaceltn.org/resources/#CroydonCouncil
[xii] CP-LTN website – It wasn’t a vote
https://crystalpalaceltn.org/2021/01/14/it-wasnt-a-vote/
[xiii] CP-LTN website – Myth and reality
https://crystalpalaceltn.org/2021/01/10/claims-made-by-the-open-our-roads-campaign-myth-reality/#inequalities
Shape Better Streets Croydon & Bromley 