Ealing Council Poised To Scrap Most LTNs
Report submitted to cabinet recommends removal of seven schemes
Final decision to be made at forthcoming Cabinet meeting
A report is to be presented to the cabinet of Ealing Council later this month recommending that seven Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) in the borough should be scrapped.
A final decision will be taken at a meeting on Wednesday, 22 September but it is unlikely that the cabinet will go against the recommendation.
The LTNs to be removed are:
• Olive Road (LTN 08)
• West Ealing North (LTN 20)
• Acton Central (LTN 25)
• Loveday Road (LTN 30)
• Junction Road (LTN 32)
• Bowes Road (LTN 34)
• Mattock Lane (LTN 35)
The decision comes after a consultation held into these schemes showed that respondents living within the LTNs were overwhelmingly against them. Over 22,000 people responded and a minimum of three quarters of respondents were opposed to each of the nine schemes being consulted on. New council leader Peter Mason had promised ‘CPZ-style consultations’ into LTNs soon after taking up the role. However, it was feared by campaigners that the council might renege on its commitment to remove unpopular schemes after the Prime Minister’s advisor Andrew Gilligan had told the council that its transport funding was being suspended following the scrapping of LTN21.
The report recommends that the low-traffic neighbourhood at Adrienne Avenue (LTN 48) is made permanent and that a new scheme at Montague Avenue and Deans Road is introduced permanently.
Two further schemes are also proposed after a 21-day consultation period. The first would be a redesigned LTN in Hamilton Road and another focuses on cycling and walking improvements in Gordon Road, Ealing.
In addition it is recommended that the access restrictions on Fisher’s Lane in Chiswick is made permanent, along with the 24-hour bus-lane along the Uxbridge Road and a cycle scheme in Church Road, Northolt (subject to statutory consultation). As Fisher’s Lane is a joint scheme with Hounslow Council, it would also need to approve it. The Fisher’s Lane restriction is expected to bring in over £1million a year from enforcement.
Plans for a cycle scheme for Boston Road will be brought forward at a future date following the decision in August to make a number of new cycle routes permanent including the one along the Uxbridge Road.
The council is also pressing ahead with five new permanent school streets schemes. Christ the Saviour CofE Primary School in Ealing, Horsenden Primary in Greenford, North Primary School in Southall, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Hanwell and Grange Primary in Ealing.
Conservative councillor David Millican said, " Finally, after 12 months, the council have listened to the thousands of local residents who have said they do not want the LTN roadblocks to ruin their lives and will remove most of them. Let’s thank these thousands of local residents who responded to the consultations, wrote to the council’s official email address, wrote to councillors, went on two marches to the Town Hall and responded to the petitions. It was this relentless pressure by residents that finally made the council listen."
There was an angry reaction to the announcement from local active travel campaign group Better Ealing Streets. In an announcement it says, “Our aims are aligned with your party’s stated policies but to be frank the only actions we see so far, from Mr Mason as leader, is the dismantling of active travel schemes. Surely Ealing Labour Party is not going to approve the dismantling of more? Consequently, we do not and cannot support any more active travel measures being removed; we are steadfast in our opposition to their removal.
“Statistics prove that they work in making our streets safer, and hence encouraging active travel and thus helping with climate change and other major societal problems such as bad health due to inactivity etc…”
The group disputes the result of the consultations into the LTNs saying Survey Monkey was not an appropriate tool to use and a professional consultation company should have managed the process.
The report acknowledges the concerns some local people had about the implementation of LTN trials and includes an independent review into the process to help the council improve consultation and engagement.
The independent review recommends that the council develops a new charter setting out key principles for engaging with residents and stakeholders on active travel schemes in future, ensuring that local people are involved from the very beginning. This will be considered as part of what the new council leadership describes as its commitment to a new open, transparent and inclusive way of working with residents.
It is understood that LTN restrictions will continue to be enforced until the cabinet ratifies the report at its next meeting.
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September 16, 2021