A group of middle-class volunteers are fighting back against their south London low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) as they say they are battling the council’s attempts to “make money” off motorists. The group hand out leaflets and posters warning of the £130 fines for drivers entering LTNs to “educate” drivers about how they could be caught out.
Volunteers accuse the system of pretending to be a way of making streets safer, but is actually “about making money for the council.”
Jim Bennett, 71, told the Telegraph he had once stopped 150 vehicles from entering LTNs in a single day – an equivalent of £19,500 in fines. The retired accountant said: “We are educating motorists about road signs which most people do not realise mean no entry for motor vehicles.
“The council tries to brand LTNs as a way of making streets safer. But, really they are about making money for the council. And, that’s where we come in.”
He claimed the vast majority of drivers do not realise the signs which show that motor vehicles, except buses and taxis, are banned from the designated areas, branding the signs “confusing”. Mr Bennett insisted, however, that they are not vigilantes, and instead are “public spirited volunteers”.
A recent survey by #BikeisBest, a cycling campaign group, found a third of drivers wrongly believing the sign actually means only cars and motorcycles are allowed to enter.
In a statement responding to the group, a Lambeth Council spokesman said he welcomed “local residents engaging with the trial LTN and helping ensure people do the right thing”.
He said the Streatham Wells LTN trial was introduced to “make the area safer, more sustainable and give everyone in Lambeth more equal access to their local streets”.
The council has previously vowed to prosecute vandals after a road sign informing motorists of the LTN in Valley Road, Streatham, was chopped down and dumped in a nearby planter.
Some people have supported the LTN for making the streets in the area quieter and safer to cycle down, reported South London Press. But others argue the traffic scheme has pushed vehicles into already busy main roads, doubling journey times and simply moving pollution into other areas.
The trial of the lTN came under from residents almost immediately after it was introduced, as gridlock traffic backed up for at least a mile.
Videos posted on social media showed cars and buses stopped. Some residents complained that car journey times had tripled.
At the time, residents put old kitchen cabinets with signs on them out, to warn drivers about possible fines.
Neil Salt, chairman of Streatham Action’s transport group said it had “clearly been a very difficult start to the [Streatham Wells] LTN”.
“No one could have predicted a burst water main which necessitated Thames Water coming to do major repair work. Nobody would wish that on any local council to have to deal with an issue like that.
“Luckily it’s been half-term week but you wouldn’t have noticed that on the flow of traffic. There have been significant issues on Leigham Court Road for a year and a half with some very old pipes. Lambeth council have known it is susceptible to failure all the way up the road.”
Deputy Leader of Lambeth council Rezina Chowdhury, said: “The trial Streatham Wells LTN will have a dramatic impact on traffic volumes and associated toxic emissions that pollute the air, while helping us make our streets greener and more sustainable.
“This is not about pitting different groups against each other, rather it’s about giving everyone equal access to their local streets and not prioritising one group over another.
“Lambeth’s streets are dominated by traffic, whether its vehicles using them as short cuts or rows of parked cars that increase road danger for everyone, especially the most vulnerable.”
