Are Low Traffic Neighbourhoods on the rise?

You might have heard of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – it’s a term that’s become increasingly more widespread over the last few years, and if you regularly drive through places like London or Manchester there’s a fairly good chance you’ve already encountered some in person. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are exactly what they sound like – essentially, areas where targeted traffic measures have been implemented to reduce the number of vehicles moving through them, and improve life for residents.

They’ve not been without controversy though, which you can probably understand if you’ve ever come across them after you’ve hired a car or van – they can be an absolute pain to try and navigate around. So whether you’re for or against them, one universal question you’ll probably want some more clarity on is this one: are Low Traffic Neighbourhoods on the rise?

What defines a Low Traffic Neighbourhood?

Before we go any further, let’s kick off with the full definition. Basically, a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (or LTN) is an urban planning initiative designed to reduce vehicle traffic and promote walking, cycling, and the use of public transport within residential areas.

LTNs typically involve measures such as closing certain streets to through traffic, adding cycle lanes, widening pavements, and creating pedestrian-friendly zones. The primary goal is to enhance the quality of life for residents by reducing air pollution, noise, and traffic accidents, while also encouraging healthier lifestyles and more sustainable modes of transport. These changes are often implemented through a combination of traffic regulations and “modal filters” like bollards and planters.

Are LTNs becoming more widespread?

They are indeed, but slowly. They were first widely adopted in London a few years ago, with a large number of them installed quite rapidly during the Covid lockdowns of 2020. The aim was to help people travel more safely and easily by bike or on foot, at a time when there was significantly fewer vehicles on the roads.

LTNs are now gradually being adopted in other cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, and Brighton and Hove.

Now, that sounds like a lot, but it’s worth noting that at the moment, the spread is very much concentrated in London, which has an estimated 100 to 150. By contrast, most other cities have somewhere between 5 and 20. So while they are spreading quite far, the concentration of them is still fairly minimal. Partially because of that, there’s still relatively limited information on their long-term effects and impacts, beyond the data available from those in the capital.

Is there any opposition to LTNs?

Yes – but interestingly, possibly not quite as much as some people would have you believe.

A study commissioned by the previous Conservative government in the summer of 2023 found that LTNs have broad support. Reports suggest that the Department for Transport's review, commissioned in July by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, was intended to bolster the Conservative argument against LTNs (which are largely installed by Labour-run councils).

However, the data actually contradicted this assertion. Surveys of over 1,800 residents in four sample schemes in London, Birmingham, Wigan, and York found an average of 45% support and 21% opposition. Of the people who did oppose it, one of the more prominent concerns was the worry that LTNs benefit residents within their zones by pushing traffic onto nearby roads. Again though, thankfully the results largely don’t appear to support that.

According to the study’s authors: "The available evidence from the UK indicates that LTNs are effective in achieving outcomes of reducing traffic volumes within their zones while adverse impacts on boundary roads appear to be limited."

According to the Guardian, since the results of the study didn’t support the Conservative argument, the report was effectively buried afterward, although senior party figures dispute this.

The report did make another of other important observations, such as highlighting mixed findings among people with disabilities: some found that LTNs made their journeys longer, while others reported the opposite. It illustrates that if LTNs are to become more common fixtures on our streets, at the very least they’ll probably need some further development.

It's far from the only study available – in March of this year, the Standard published a separate study showing that LTNs can create public health benefits up to 100 times greater than their costs.

So what’s the plan now?

As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve had a change of government in the last week or so, one that’s ostensibly more friendly to the idea of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Or at least, less overtly hostile!

In practice though, Labour is sitting on the fence a bit: rather than overtly throwing the party’s weight behind them, or condemning them completely, Prime Minister Kier Starmer has said “I think this is very much a matter for local people in their area to decide, according to their local council.”

Elsewhere, his new Transport Minister is firmly proclaiming Labour to be “the only party truly on the side of drivers”.

Now, those aren’t necessarily competing positions – but at the same time, it’s no secret that regular drivers make up some of the fiercest critics of LTNs. To revisit a well-worn criticism of Labour in recent years, it’s fair to say that the party seems to be trying to have its cake and eat it – so it’ll be interesting to see how it consolidates its messages as it settles properly into the role of government.

For now though, whatever your views on it, the good news is that if you travel for work they’re still few enough and far enough between that they shouldn’t make a serious impact on your journey, unless you’re going through London (and you’re probably already allotting a fair amount of extra time for your journey through the capital anyway!).

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