London boroughs take different routes on local traffic policies

Differing positions are emerging in London boroughs about their policies on local traffic, set to be key issues in the London elections this May.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) advocate Mike Hakata in Haringey has stood down amid disillusionment with diminishing commitment to such measures. During his time as Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment & Transport, Hakata pressed  for LTN schemes and also oversaw the roll-out of School Streets in the borough.

In Southwark, meanwhile, Cabinet Member for Clean Air, Streets & Waste James McAsh re-affirmed his determination to press ahead with schemes that challenge the dominance of the car. 

At the School Streets South conference last week, he urged London boroughs to: “Explain that you are going to reclaim the space for communities. Say, ‘yes, we’re going to have fewer cars and we’re going to have less traffic’. ”

But in a statement last month Hakata suggested that he no longer had support of his council’s leadership for such an agenda. “My family has carried a burden that was never theirs to carry,” he said. “That sacrifice only make sense when you have the full  mandate and conditions to deliver the change you believe in.” 

Other London boroughs have also tried to reverse LTN policies. Earlier this month Tower Hamlets Council’s attempt to remove three major LTNs was blocked by the Court of Appeal (LT931).

Politicians in London boroughs with higher car ownership appear particularly reluctant to support any measures that reallocate road space in the run-up to the local elections.

The boroughs most in favour of supporting sustainable transport modes – such as Lambeth, Southwark, Camden, Islington and Hackney – tend to have a higher proportion of car-free households.