Politics and Policies for London’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have become a popular planning policy in many London boroughs in recent years. They are being rolled out in efforts to calm traffic and clean the air, to promote individual wellbeing as well as the environmental quality, walkability and liveability of neighbourhoods – many transformed from rat runs for cars into welcoming spaces for residents, walkers, cyclists and wildlife.

Yet despite their many benefits, LTNs have proven controversial. They have been mobilised in the culture wars, alongside other clean air urban policies such as the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) – pitting drivers against cyclists and pedestrians, and framed by parts of the mainstream press and politics as a ‘war on motorists’ and an affront to liberty.

This second seminar in this year’s London Planning series, organised by the UCL Bartlett School of Planning, seeks to unpack the politics, dispel the myths and assess the evidence for LTNs in London. We will be joined by leading experts and pioneers of LTN design and implementation to present their experience of envisioning, delivering and evaluating LTNs in various London boroughs. The seminar invites us to consider the record of LTNs to date, the evidence for their benefits, and what the future might hold in terms of political prospects.

‘The politics of the planter’, Zeina Hawa and Will Wright

The presentation will focus on the politics and context of low traffic neighbourhoods, providing an evidence review of public opinion and experiences from public engagement. It will shift to focus on the challenges of real life delivery of LTNs in London relying on case studies and experiences form Sustrans, with discussion on the framing of LTNs, delivering them as part of a package of wider interventions, and focusing on design solutions, and monitoring approaches that could potentially shift public perception. The presentation will conclude with a commentary on our latest research around factors that influence the ‘success’ of LTNs, and the policy implications.

These seminars are designed to generate discussion and debate amongst planners and policymakers, researchers and students, activists and residents across London.