Thread by @mikehakata

A🧵on congestion and boundary roads.
With new LTNs traffic increases significantly on some main roads. This added disruption is painful for all residents, including those who travel by sustainable modes or who live on those roads. This is part of the design. Here's how it works..

LTNs are behaviour-change programmes designed to reduce the number of unnecessary journeys. We need to do this because the growing decades-long issue of congestion is killing people now and killing the planet. Habits don't change overnight and almost always need a serious nudge

The main issue is traffic travelling through an area, but there is also an issue of unnecessary local trips. When the inconvenience of those trips outweighs the benefits of making different choices, the volume of traffic on borough main roads decreases.
h2020-flow.eu/news/news-deta…

In fact, the only traffic mgmt interventions which have proven to reduce traffic volumes on main roads in urban areas are where network access is scaled down, as with LTNs.
Schemes across the world have proven this to be the case. Barcelona is just one.
sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

The unfortunate reality is that in the initial months the pain will be felt equally on some or all of the main roads at certain times. The long-term gains, though, are fewer cars, less congested & safer roads, cleaner air and more attractive and inviting places to live and visit

It's worth repeating - schemes such as LTNs are the only traffic management interventions which have cracked the problem of reducing congestion without actually banning cars altogether

It is certainly true that on some boundary roads schemes have seen longer-term increases in traffic. This alone cannot be a reason to throw out an entire scheme if it is working to reduce traffic on most roads. Work needs to be done to improve those roads too.

Some factors could be due to long-term issues on those roads, such as illegal and even legal parking causing bottlenecks, roadworks or other traffic and construction projects. What follows is data collected on main roads from 3 London boroughs following implementation of schemes

Data included reveals both traffic increases and reductions. What becomes obvious is that in most cases traffic on main roads either reverts back to its normal volumes pre-LTN or actually decreases, sometimes dramatically, and on roads known for historic and chronic congestion.

Further data reveals that often where there have been increases, journey times have been only moderately impacted. The data is taken from interim reports and may not fully reveal recent changes and improvements. Where counts on same road differ, they're listed beside each other

Lambeth
Oval
Overall: -2%
Clapham Rd -7%
Harleyford Rd - 1%
South Lambeth Rd +3%

Railton
Overall: -18%
Effra Rd -20%
Coldharbour Lane -19%, +16%
Dulwich Rd +9%

Hackney
Homerton
Overall: -5%
Homerton Rd +11%
Homerton High St -5%
Wick Rd West -6%
Wick Rd East -6%
Kenworthy Rd -21%

Hoxton West
Overall: -18%
City Rd - 24.6%
East Rd -12.7%
New North Rd -18

Elsdale St & Mead Place
Overall: -15%
Cassland Rd -21.9%, -27%, -16.8%, -41%
Mare St +3.25%, -2.22%
Morning Lane +6.11%
Well St -17%

London Fields
Queensbridge Rd -3%, -19%, -25%
Kingsland Rd -1%, +2%
Mare St -16%
Whiston Rd -19%, +55%
Dalston Lane +23%
Graham Rd +25%

Islington
Canonbury East
Overall: -10%
Southgate Rd -13%, +55%, -13%
Baring St -8%
New North Rd +7%
Balls Pond Rd +7%
Essex Rd +5%, -3%

Canonbury West
Overall: -14%
Essex Rd -9%
St Paul's Rd +15%
Canonbury Rd -42%

St Peter's
Overall:-2%
Essex Rd +1%
City Rd -19%
N North Rd +32%

In the end we need to decide whether we are prepared to work together for greener, cleaner, safer and more active boroughs. Are we prepared to tackle the clear and present danger Climate Change poses for all of us?

We need to decide whether reducing the number of collisions on our roads is essential. We need to decide whether we act now on the devastating impacts of air pollution. If we respond in the positive then we need to give low traffic neighbourhoods a chance.