It might sound like magic -- but it's actually true -- and it's what experts (🤓) refer to as "traffic evaporation". Here's a THREAD covering everything you need to know about the phenomenon. 
It can take months for traffic patterns to settle after an LTN is introduced -- but when it does the traffic evaporation leads to about 15% of the traffic in the area just disappearing into thin air
How do we know? Some very clever folks named Sally Cairns, Carmen Hass-Klau, and Phil Goodwin ran some experiments in 1998 and 2002. Here's what they found out...
By looking at 70 case studies across 11 countries and talking to 200 transport professionals (🤓) the found traffic doesn't behave the way we thought it did.
Unlike water making its way downhill via the path of least resistance, traffic is actually just real-life people, sitting in their cars and making decisions based on a whole host of factors.
When repeatedly faced with a barrier on their journey drivers changed their mode of travel, chose alternative destinations, or the frequency of their journey, consolidated trips, took up car sharing or didn’t make the journey at all!
In half of the cases they looked at, there was an 11% reduction in traffic across the entire area -- and that includes the main roads.
Whilst you're likely to see less cars in an LTN, there will be more traffic -- FOOT TRAFFIC THAT IS (🤓)
In just one year after Walthamstow introduced their world famous LTN, residents were walking on average 32 minutes more per week. That's good news for businesses, healthcare workers and Nike trainer outlets everywhere.
It all comes down to this: currently around 22% of all the car trips taken in London are for journeys less than 2km long. These short journeys just shouldn't be taken by car unless a disability means a car is your only way of getting around.
So next time someone starts telling you about how a low traffic neighbourhood will just disadvantage a different street -- send them this thread. And tell them you'll support them in a campaign for an LTN in their neighbourhood too. We need all that we can get.
Want us to show our working? You big, loveable, nerd (🤓). Here's where you can get more info: londonlivingstreets.com/2019/07/11/eva…
