LTNs ‘risk lives’, warn emergency services

A government report into low-traffic neighbourhoods cites fears among emergency services that they risk lives by slowing first responders, The Telegraph has been told.

The report into LTNs, which is yet to be published, forms part of what the Government has dubbed its “plan for motorists”.

A scaling back of LTNs is expected to be unveiled within weeks, when the report, which was commissioned by the Department for Transport, is also expected to be published.

A government source familiar with the findings described one line said to quote an emergency services figure raising concerns on the effect of LTN barriers on responses.

Other findings said to be in the report include how one LTN scheme cost £1.49 million to create and how another had racked up more than 170,000 penalty charge notices.

The line in the report is said to read: “[Emergency services] reported that the implementation of LTNs has caused certain hindrances to emergency services such as delays due to physical barriers and lack of access keys. They stress this could potentially risk lives because ‘this adds precious seconds and minutes when seconds do really count.’”

A government source shared the detail with The Telegraph after leaks from the report talking about the positive effect of LTNs were published in The Guardian.

But elsewhere public support for LTNs was found to be much higher than Tory MPs who have criticised the schemes often suggest, according to the newspaper, which said it had seen a copy of the report.

The newspaper said one line read: “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.”

Surveys of more than 1,800 residents in four different schemes in London, Birmingham, Wigan and York, were also said to have been on average that 45 per cent supportive and 21 per cent opposed.

The full details of the report and how the criticism and praise for the schemes balance out is unclear because it is yet to be published despite being commissioned last July.

It formed part of what the Government has dubbed its “plan for motorists”, which has been seen as the Tories politically positioning themselves as being on the side of drivers.

A DfT spokesman said: “We are clear that many local authorities have not put local residents first when implementing low-traffic neighbourhoods.

“We are backing motorists and will produce new guidance focused on the importance of securing strong local support.”

The department declined to comment further on leaks.

The Government announced what was dubbed a “long-term plan to back drivers” last September on the eve of the Conservative Party’s annual conference.

It included guidance to councils in England to scale back 20mph limits and LTNs.

Rishi Sunak said then: “For too long politicians have focused on the short-term decisions with little regard for the long-term impact on hard-working families.

“We’ve seen this consistently with people’s freedoms on transport. The clamp-down on drivers is an attack on the day-to-day lives of most people across the UK who rely on cars to get to work or see their families.

“Our plan will sit alongside our continued investment in public transport and active travel as part of a package of measures designed to help people travel in the best way that works for them.”

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said: “This week the UK Government will set out a long-term plan to back drivers, slamming the brakes on anti-car measures across England. We are taking the necessary decision to back the motorists who keep our country moving.”