LTN petition to receive revised response from government

The petition which was created by Mark De-Laurey, currently has over 14,000 signatures.

It calls for a review into the possible benefits and disadvantages of LTNs in the local and wider area.

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The petition states: “This should include pollution, road safety, mental wellbeing, effects on the vulnerable, and congestion.

“Many residents that live on the boundaries of these LTNs experience increased congestion, road traffic accidents, pollution, damage to their mental wellbeing, and feel like they are not being listened to or consulted.”

The government initially responded to the petition on March 7 stating that responsibility for traffic management rests with the relevant local authority.

They have pledged to review the impact of their funding that made the Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes possible.  

But the Petitions Committee (the group of MPs who oversee the petitions system) has stated that they do not feel the government’s response directly addresses the request of the petition.

They have therefore written back to the government to ask that they provide a revised response.

Here is the government’s initial response to the petition in full:

“Responsibility for traffic management on local roads rests with the relevant local authority as they are best placed to consider how local needs can be effectively met. 

“It is entirely a matter for individual authorities to decide on the nature and scope of policies.

“The Department is responsible for setting legislation and for providing guidance to local traffic authorities but has limited direct influence over locally managed roads.

“To help local authorities make safe provision for pedestrians and cyclists during COVID-19 and to mitigate the lack of capacity on public transport due to social distancing, the Department launched the Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF).

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“This funding was designed to help local authorities create an environment that is safe for both walking and cycling, allowing people to get around whilst maintaining social distance while also aiding longer term increases in walking and cycling along with the associated health, air quality and congestion benefits.

“Some local authorities decided to implement temporary LTNs as part of this programme.

"Many of these were made permanent as part of later funding rounds, where authorities considered that the schemes were working effectively.

“A number were also removed.

“In order to better understand the impact of this funding, the Department has appointed the University of Westminster to undertake an independent evaluation of schemes funded through the second tranche of active travel funding, including a deep dive into the impact of segregated cycle lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods.

“The results will be published in due course.

“The Department has been clear that traffic management schemes should always be developed through consultation and engagement with local communities.

“As a condition of receiving funding provided by Active Travel England ATE), all local authorities are required to undertake consultation, and monitoring and evaluation work, to ensure that schemes meet the needs of the local area and the people that live there.

“ATE is an Executive Agency of the Department, based in York.

“It was launched in August 2022 and is working with local authorities to develop and deliver new high-quality walking and cycling infrastructure schemes.”

The Department for Transport has been contacted for comment.