Low Traffic Neighbourhood
[5][6] Local councils engaged in extensive public consultations and provided educational materials to ensure community awareness and support for the LTN implementations.
[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–21, 72 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods with modal filters were rolled out under emergency legislation in London, covering a population of around 300,000.
[16] A 2023 Department for Transport review found that LTNs were "effective in achieving outcomes of reducing traffic volumes within their zones while adverse impacts on boundary roads appear to be limited".
[14] The introduction of LTNs has also been associated with improved air quality, contributing to public health benefits by reducing pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide.
[19] The introduction of LTNs leads to a decrease in total street crime, increasing with duration since implementation, and with no displacement to other areas.
[4] In Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman was urged by the Metropolitan Police not to dismantle a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Bethnal Green, reflecting concerns that removing it would lead to an increase in crime.
[3] In Waltham Forest, a study found that the number of cars and vans fell in mini-Holland areas, particularly in those involving an LTN.
[23] A 2020 study of the impact of the Waltham Forest LTN in London found no evidence that fire brigade emergency response times were affected inside LTNs and some evidence that they improved slightly on boundary roads, despite a perception among fire crews that traffic calming was the cause of some delays.
[24] A 2021 study in Findings journal examined the impact of 72 LTNs in London on fire brigade emergency response times.
It found no evidence that response times were affected, either for LTNs that use physical barriers, or for those that use camera enforcement.
The British motoring magazine Auto Express criticised the schemes for their levels of cost, calling them a "waste of money".
[29] In the UK, the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in 2020 was compared to Brexit in its divisiveness,[30] and there were speculations that the issue would affect election results.
[31][32] Opposition to the schemes has been linked to the "15-minute city" conspiracy theory, with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue describing the LTNs being used as a "lightning rod" for wider culture war issues.
[41] In 2023 the UK's Department for Transport surveyed residents of trial LTN areas in London, Birmingham, Wigan, and York; an average of 45% of respondents supported the schemes and 21% opposed them.
