Environmental News Zaria Greenhill writes about Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Lewisham
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ould you ever sit and drink coffee in the street? Or chat to neighbours? Or ride your bike? No? If not, there’s a good chance that it’s because of the traffic, which makes it noisy, smelly and dangerous. Have you heard of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs)? Lewisham Council declared a Climate Emergency in 2019 and aims to be zero carbon by 2030; traffic contributes about a quarter of our borough’s carbon emissions. Roughly half of all Lewisham’s adults are car-free, but traffic jams have become more frequent, and the air we breathe is often unsafe. Unlimited car use can no longer be taken for granted as the roads fill up and journey times increase, as does frustration, air pollution and road rage. The Locked-down empty South Circular was literally a breath of fresh air. It helped us to imagine what a car-free space could be like, and many of us loved it. An LTN has been in development in east Lewisham since lockdown, which has been difficult but nonetheless a new vision has been born for Lewisham. An LTN is when areas of housing are divided into ‘cells’ with no through traffic, or ‘rat-running’. Residents are expected to use major roads for longer journeys (no cut throughs), but to walk or cycle for local short journeys: school runs, leisure, shopping, and access to public transport. TFL states that 20% of all journeys are less than 2km, or 1.2 miles. A healthy adult takes about 20 minutes to walk that distance, far less on a bike. Those who need to use cars are able to, and usually find it easier with less traffic. This model has been used globally but in London, with irregular streets and historically haphazard development, it’s not easy. Luckily, our borough is rich in small businesses with the flexibility to serve 15-minute communities. Imagine accessing almost all daily needs within 15 minutes’ walk? Actually, in SE23, can you do that now? How about trying it out? Walking is more pleasant through peaceful tree-lined streets. While cycling can be scary, lots of cycle lanes and ‘quietways’ are away from main traffic routes, through parks and green space and residential roads. Use OpenStreetMap, Cyclestreets or Bikemap to find safe routes. The main down-side of LTNs is that traffic is dispersed into neighbouring
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areas and not actually reduced, bringing more traffic to some streets in the short term. Generally, LTNs have a trial period when support is offered to residents to use active travel, and over time traffic diminishes. Railton Road LTN between Brixton and Herne Hill reported a doubling in cycling after just two months, and a huge reduction in traffic. One of the biggest benefits is the enrichment of communities. People on foot are more likely to chat to neighbours and we all feel safer and more comfortable on our streets: they can become more pleasant places to relax and socialise, to share things, and even grow food. This is possible and indeed desirable for the future of London. As the weather warms and economies get more challenging, our communities and our relationships will be crucial. Let’s build them while we can. Zaria Greenhill is co-chair of Climate Action Lewisham, which has just released a short film about cycling in an LTN, see: https://climateactionlewisham.org/film/
