UK government reveals “crackdown” on “anti-driver road schemes”

At the weekend, the government unveiled its Plan for Drivers, a self-styled “crackdown” that will apparently shorten journey times and emphasise the need for local buy-in for low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).

While LTNs have become something of a political football, the “wide ranging review” that the government’s new plan is based upon showed that the topic is much less contentious to local residents than headlines and political rhetoric would have us believe:

The government’s own survey of residents close to 4 LTNs said: “There was low awareness of LTN schemes. On average, across the schemes, a higher proportion of residents admitted to being unaware that there was an existing LTN before completing the survey than said they were aware – 58% compared to 34%. The survey, which saw 1,852 residents took part.”

As has been pointed out excellently elsewhere, the DfT’s report has provided plenty of evidence that the LTNs are successful. It found that they were not detrimental to emergency vehicles – an area previously identified as a problem area and used to argue against LTNs. The government’s report said: “LTNs do not adversely affect response times for emergency vehicles”, though there was mixed impacts for disabled people, indicating areas for important improvement.

Similarly, LTNs “succeeded in improving air quality on internal roads”. Boundary locations however, either saw minimal reductions, no reductions and some increases in air pollutants.

Any “tough on crime” government would also have been buoyed by the finding that LTNs provided some evidence of a reduction in street crime and road safety – with the caveat of ongoing research needed to draw more conclusive findings.

“Indirectly, improvements in air quality and increased active travel support findings of higher levels of quality of life within LTNs).”

It adds to the evidence in support of LTNs which, while not perfect, have huge benefits for local residents.

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “We want local people to have their voices heard, and any traffic schemes to have the consent of those they impact.

“Well thought out schemes, like 20mph limits outside schools, can make our roads safer, but we are raising the bar to help ensure all traffic schemes work for everyone in the community.

“We’re on the side of drivers, and these latest measures show we’re getting on with delivering what we promised in our Plan for Drivers – making their lives better, fairer and cheaper, and helping people travel in the way that works best for them.”

You can view more on the Plan for Drivers at Gov.uk