'We want everyone to feel benefits' of LTNs, says council deputy

A cabinet meeting last night confirmed that Haringey’s three trial low-traffic neighbourhoods will now be made permanent, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The Bounds Green LTN and (inset) deputy council leader Mike Hakata

Three low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) were made permanent at a Haringey Council cabinet meeting yesterday (Tuesday 10th).

The LTNs are based in St Ann’s, Bounds Green, and Bruce Grove and West Green and are intended to reduce traffic in residential areas and make streets safer for walking and cycling.

During the meeting on Tuesday strong support for the schemes was shown.

The chair of Healthy Streets North Tottenham, Lee Berlinski, made a deputation congratulating the council for the implementation. He complimented the council’s courage in “sticking” to “divisive but essential” schemes.

Lee said: “On a personal level I now cycle rather than drive to Downhills Park [inside the Bruce Grove West Green LTN] with my three children because it now feels safe to do so.”

He added Northumberland Park and Tottenham Hale were in “desperate need” for similar measures due to residential streets taking “volumes of traffic” they weren’t “designed for”.

The three LTNs were first installed in 2022 on a trial basis. This month the council released independently monitored and analysed data that showed an average 58% fall in traffic levels on internal roads and an average 34% reduction in collisions.

However, the schemes have also been met with opposition from motorists and businesses as well as being blamed for increasing traffic on boundary roads.

Liberal Democrat councillor Luke Cawley-Harrison said the Bounds Green LTN had seen the “greatest disparity in support” between residents on the internal roads and the boundary roads.

“What will be done to address their frustration and improve their wellbeing going forwards?” he asked.

Mike Hakata, cabinet member for climate action, environment and transport, said the introduction of satnavs and navigation apps had encouraged drivers to go on to neighbourhood roads but the LTNs attempted to push traffic back onto main roads.

He said: “However, what we’ve seen elsewhere and what we looked at and analysed before we brought in these schemes is overtime you see, if not on all boundary roads on most boundary roads, that traffic decreases over time.”

The data showed a “minimal” 3% average increase in traffic along boundary roads.

Cllr Hakata continued: “Despite that, we’re not prepared to sit and let time take its course. For instance on Durnsford Road we’re exploring a bus priority programme in order to ensure public transport is prioritised on that route and that becomes the most sensible and efficient way to travel.”

Durnsford Road marks one of the boundaries of the Bounds Green LTN and at the start of the trial businesses along the road hit out at its introduction as they said it impacted trade.

Cllr Cawley-Harrison asked why increased numbers of walkers and cyclists weren’t always showing in the results.

Cllr Hakata said this was due to a disproportionate amount of respondents being car owners.

He said: “We know that the people most activated to respond were the people who felt that it had impacted them negatively. There are a number of disparities we’ve seen across data collected and the perceptions of certain residents.

“That doesn’t mean we ignore it, absolutely not, we want to bring everyone on board and we want everyone to feel the benefits.”

Cllr Cawley-Harrison asked, given the backdrop of the council’s budget pressures, how soon complementary infrastructure for the schemes would be delivered and how much revenue was raised from “non-compliance” with the LTNs.

Cllr Hakata said complementary measures were “already in play” referencing school streets, bike hangers, and cycle lanes and said LTNs were just “part of the picture.

In terms of funds raised, he said: “We don’t want any money to be raised, we want zero pounds. However, as a borough, we make sure absolutely every penny from any money raised from fines is spent on increasing and improving road safety as well as improving travel for vulnerable residents.”

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