Newcastle City Council has removed the experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) order which led to a furious backlash by residents.
Transport officials deemed the 18-month-trial unsuccessful, concluding it had increased traffic on other residential streets by more than 100 percent, had not persuaded people to start walking or cycling, and made “little to no impact” on reducing school traffic in the area.
Speaking to the Telegraph, one resident complained: “When they put the LTN in I had to turn left and sit in traffic. I ended up not using the shops. If you want to move people around the city, get better public transport.”
The trial began when streets were closed in March 2022, and ended on September 8, 2023.
Local council data showed there had been a “significant reduction” in vehicle traffic on streets in Fenham, but a jump in traffic on neighbouring streets. The worst affected route was Queensway, where the daily traffic count jumped from 706 prior to March 2022 to 1,795 in September last year, according to Chronicle Live.
However, there have been fans of the LTN order, and many gathered to protest as news of the reversal emerged. The pro-LTN group said they feared some roads would experience an “inevitable return to heavy morning traffic”.
Councillor, Jane Byrne, cabinet member for a ‘connected, clean city’ spoke to ITV News: “Fenham was the first area of the city to pilot a neighbourhood low traffic zone trial and we haven’t seen enough evidence to keep it in place, particularly with the displacement of traffic onto what should be quiet residential streets, rather than rerouting onto the main roads.”
Councillor Byrne added: “We also know that some people will be disappointed, but we’ve taken a lot of learning from the scheme, and we have a good basis for refining a future scheme by listening to residents and looking at the data in more detail.”
They said each neighbourhood low traffic zone is “unique” and they use the data collected alongside public consultation feedback to decide on the long-term future of individual schemes.
Traffic counters, however, will remain in place in the area. This traffic data and discussions with residents of Fenham, Newcastle, will inform new proposals for the area, which could be installed in the summer of 2024.
In May, the Government stripped central funding for all projects that involved creating car-free zones, and in July, Rishi Sunak ordered a review of LTNs, with Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, suggesting local authorities consider scrapping existing LTNs where they were unpopular.
