New research claims that LTNs in London have substantially reduced traffic on roads within the schemes themselves without adding much to traffic on boundary roads.

The research from the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy (ATA) was based on traffic counts before and after 46 LTNs were installed in London and researchers concluded there was significant overall evidence of so-called 'traffic evaporation'.

These LTNs were introduced from the first Covid-19 lockdown of March 2020 when traffic levels naturally dropped across the capital.

However, the research team claim the data is adjusted to account for the Covid era and other long-term season changes.

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The usable data from just under half the 96 LTNs installed in London between March 2020 and May 2021.

The controversial schemes use bollards and planters to prevent through traffic, making neighbourhoods quieter and promoting cycling and walking.

In Oxford, the schemes were made permanent in Cowley in July and there is an ongoing experimental trial of LTNs in East Oxford.

Critics have said they offset traffic into surrounding roads - as well as badly damaging businesses.

Labour Iffley Fields and St Mary's councillor Damian Haywood posted a Guardian article on the study on Twitter and commented: "Peer reviewed paper. Proper research provides proper results... LTNs appear not to push traffic on to boundary roads, London study finds."

 

 

The analysis of London LTNs found a reduction in traffic within the zones of 32.7 per cent when measured as the median, and a 46.9 per cent drop when calculated as the mean.

It found a substantial increase in the proportion of 413 streets within the schemes seeing under 1,000 motor vehicles per day, rising from 41 per cent to 66 per cent.

This is "seen as a good shorthand for a street receptive to more cycling and walking", said the authors.

"This may imply a qualitative change in the local environment on at least some such streets", because of the LTNs said the researchers.

According to the study, average traffic on 174 boundary roads showed "a more mixed picture, but without apparent evidence that such roads were necessarily seeing more traffic once an LTN was installed".

Of those monitored, 47 per cent showed a fall in traffic and 53 per cent showed an increase.

When measured as a median, the overall average for boundary roads rose by 2.1 per cent, but fell by 1.6 per cent when calculated as a mean.

When the totals were adjusted to account for factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and the seasons, boundary roads had an overall mean increase of 0.7 per cent in traffic, or 82 vehicles a day on average.

But the researchers found “substantial variation in both directions” on boundary roads.

They said this was "unlikely to be primarily caused by LTNs" and may be due to local major works.

The researchers noted that the majority of counts took place within inner London rather than the suburbs.

And their review also found that "the extent, quality, and presentation" of traffic data supplied by councils "varied widely, suggesting a need for transport authorities to improve monitoring and evaluation practice".

"Most worryingly, some had not produced any monitoring and evaluation reports on LTNs that they had introduced".

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The authors also said other effects of LTNs, including how to best mitigate their impact on people who need to drive on local journeys, for example people with disabilities, required further research.

The research used data from Transport for London and was funded by the climate charity Possible and carried out by the ATA.

READ ALSO: Councillors push for LTN removal due to 'inaccurate data'

In October 2022 the Department for Transport (DfT) admitted that the Government data which was used to justify LTNs was incorrect.

Independent city councillor for Temple Cowley, Sajjad Malik called for the LTNs to be ‘abolished’ from Oxford after it was found that the data which supposedly showed a rise of traffic on smaller roads was ‘significantly over-counted’.

 

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This story was written by Miranda Norris, she joined the team in 2021 and covers news across Oxfordshire as well as news from Witney.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Miranda.Norris@newsquest.co.uk. Or find her on Twitter: @Mirandajnorris

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