Cabinet Approves Extension of LTN Trials Until August Next Year
Mixed reaction to proposed changes to schemes
Ricky Singh doubtful his shop can survive until end of the trial
Ealing’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods [LTNs] could be in place until August next year as changes to the trials have been approved by the council’s cabinet, but one convenience store owner fears his shop won’t survive until then due to the scheme’s impact on trade.
Ricky Singh, who owns Jay’s Superstore in the hotly contested West Ealing South trial zone known as LTN21, said many residents in the area “don’t come anymore” as they can’t drive and park nearby due to the series of barriers affecting his location on Midhurst Road.
During the first lockdown, Ricky says the shop was “very busy” and even ran free deliveries for elderly people to their homes. But since the trial began in late August, the businessman of 15 years feels there’s been a big impact from the traffic changes.
On Tuesday, December 8, Ealing’s cabinet approved reforms to the schemes across the borough, including to remove all bollards to allow emergency service access, and exemptions for blue badge holders within their own LTN.
The law requires the new traffic order to begin now, and due to disruption of the mayoral elections next May, this means the trials could run until July or August next year.
But Ricky said. “I don’t think we would still be here then, I can’t see myself here.
“It was just because of the support of people we were surviving, but I don’t see a choice here.”
Amongst a group of residents stood braving the cold by diagonal LTN barriers separating Woodstock Avenue and Mayfield Avenue, some feel uneasy that the bollards are being replaced with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras by the end of January, saying it will feel like “Big Brother” is watching.
LTN 21 residents have mixed reaction to changes in the scheme
For those such as Sharon Fullerton, she is partially relieved that emergency services will have easier access through the streets, after paramedics had to leave their ambulance to run through the barrier to her sister’s house who had called with suspected appendicitis just this week.
“I’m very concerned about the ambulance service because my sister could have died,” she said.
But on a day-to-day level she will see no difference to the impact of the “awful” LTNs on her life, adding: “If we go through there we get fined.”
Others also point out that no exemptions will be given for pharmacy deliveries or district nurse visits which they say many residents in the area use.
Resident Peter Mason, who is listed on the LTN 21 judicial review scheduled for next year, said he believes increased social isolation is also not a factor being picked up on during the trials.
“My wife is unable to walk about 50 yards, she has to drive,” he explains.
“The effect of the longer journey means she’s driving less, she stays at home, she’s seeing less people, fewer people come to see us, and particularly for the elderly this is increasing social isolation.”
But he is cautiously welcoming of the news Ealing Council is allowing blue badge holders, or their nominated person, to drive through their own LTN.
Diagonal barriers within LTN 21 - bollards are expected to be removed within six weeks
As Peter’s wife is a blue badge holder herself, he said: “It will help her, [but] she said this doesn’t actually change anything because we don’t know how the system will work at all, when it’s going to start.
“But actually there are very few people at the moment, the elderly, that have a blue badge.”
LTNs support group, Better Ealing Streets, also welcomed the interim assessment by Ealing Council, adding, “Important stuff, good to see ANPR access for blue badge holders is being recommended.”
But in the crunch meeting of Ealing’s cabinet, Lib Dem opposition leader Gary Malcolm warned the changes do not go “anywhere near far enough” and called for key workers and carers to also be exempt from the road blocks.
And for blue badges holders it was recommended they should be able to nominate more than one vehicle for exemptions, as they could have multiple carers.
Cllr Malcolm also said there are “too frequently” cases where 10-minute car journeys are now taking over an hour in the borough at least three months into the process.
He said, “Three months is more than enough time for residents to work out if they can do more affordably, they can go quicker on public transport, cycle or walk to do what they need to do…and many people haven’t found an alternative that is suitable for them.
“Therefore there is no real way of addressing this in the report and it doesn’t go far enough.”
The changes which come as part of the interim assessment of the scheme, will impact more than 20,000 households who live within LTNs.
Transport cabinet member Jasbir Anand said “nothing is off the table” for the future of the schemes and that changes being made to the trials showed the council’s commitment to responding to evidence and feedback.
“We know from the feedback that residents remained concerned about emergency services access to their homes,” she said.
“We have received no formal complaints from the emergency services from the schemes and are not aware of any instances where response time targets have not been met in the trial LTN areas. Nevertheless resident concern is understandable and the safety of the residents must come first.”
She added, “I hope that in making these changes we will be able to demonstrate we can address some of the most commonly raised concerns about the trial while also keeping the benefits that many have seen from them.”
The changes are estimated to cost around £140,000, which will be covered from funding for LTNs through central government and additional grants from Transport for London.
The initial budget of £133,000 allocated to the council, the cabinet report noted, proved to be “inadequate” due to the “large level of vandalism”, particularly relating to LTN 21 which alone cost around £30,000.
Cabinet also agreed eight out of nine recommendations presented by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee over the schemes, to increase clarity and consultation such as what data will be used for final assessments and more proactive engagement with residents.
While the nine current trials across the borough have been controversial, with five facing legal challenges, council leader Julian Bell flagged that residents in some areas were frustrated they have not yet had LTNs introduced.
He said, “That 10th LTN we still haven’t introduced in the East Acton ward, on the Golf Links estate, that is being positively campaigned for by the residents’ association, and they’re not happy we haven’t implemented it there.”
East Acton Golf Links Residents’ Association chair Neil Swatton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the community has been raising concerns of rat-running through the estate for many years, and they’re hoping LTNs could be the solution.
While he believes each area is different and has not experienced an LTN so far, he said: “It’s fair to say it is always difficult, whatever is implemented is going to affect residents, some more so than others, but sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture…
“I guess this is where the benefits of consultation come in, whatever is implemented needs to be something that doesn’t simply push the problem to another area of the estate.”
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Anahita Hossein-Pour - Local Democracy Reporter
December 10, 2020