To consider any requests received in accordance with Part 4, Section B, Paragraph 29 of the Council’s Constitution.
Minutes:
The Panel received a deputation on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods from Alexander Charalambous. The main points put forward as part of the deputation were noted as:
· Following the introduction of LTNs, two mile journeys that used to take ten minutes now took over an hour.
· LTN’s had increased pollution as the closure of roads under the scheme had increased stationary traffic. Cyclists and pedestrians breathed in increased amounts of pollution as they moved past this traffic.
· Schools on ‘sacrificial’ roads were also seeing increased levels of pollution from standing traffic
· Local businesses were down anything up to 100%
· Cars are being drive additional unnecessary miles in order to skirt the LTN.
· It was suggested that those living on affected roads were being discriminated against. Previously, traffic congestion was evenly spread but now disproportionally impacted the poorer sections of our communities.
· The deputation speaker questioned the extent to which Haringey had carried out a fair consultation, given that that consultations were weighted to those inside the LTNs who were disproportionally a white British demographic and were the likely beneficiaries of the LTNs. However, these people have still submitted objections.
· 10,000 people in total had raised objections to date and the objections of disability organisations and special schools were ignored. Schools were disproportionally within sacrificial roads. The deputee commented that LTNs had been done to residents rather than for or in consultation with.
· One of the justifications for LTNs was reduction in car traffic but, it was suggested that, Haringey had taken its data from a discredited report. In the ten inner London Boroughs that introduced them, LTN’s had in fact increased the number of miles driven by cars in 2020 by an average of 11.4% compared with 8.9% for the two inner London boroughs who did not implement LTNs.
· There is no data to show that Haringey is monitoring carbon emissions, no baseline data before the LTNs, no documented plan to show Haringey is monitoring emissions during the LTN trial. Without this there is no objective basis with which to determine whether carbon emissions and air pollution have increased or decreased. The speaker suggested that if there were plans to monitor this then the Panel should be pushing for this to be publically available.
· A further justification for LTNs was increased physical activity but 65% of Haringey residents were physically active which was higher than the national average. How would this be measured and in what time frame?
· 71% of serious accidents in built-up areas happened on 30MPH or main roads but LTNs closed 20 MPH back roads and push that traffic on to these more dangerous roads. It was suggested that a far better idea would be to keep all roads open and make them all 20MPH. This would also help encourage active travel as all roads are safer.
· The community was not against the goals of the LTNs but no evidence was submitted to show how the schemes would meet their stated goals. It was suggested that data used by the administration was out of date and inaccurate.
· The spokesperson requested that the LTNs should be paused to allow a full and proper consultation to be carried out. Clear aims for the LTNs should be set out and measurements agreed. Discussions should be held with the community in order to agree how best to achieve the stated goals.
In response to the deputation, the Chair welcomed the detailed submission given by the speaker and commented that she felt it carried the weight of sentiment from the majority of the community. The Chair stated that she recognised that there were some significant constraints involved with the implementation of the LTNs and that she had similar conversations with her work colleagues at St Ann’s hospital. The Chair advised that she would raise the deputation with the Cabinet Member and would provide a response in writing to Mr Charalambous, outlining the actions that would she would take forward on behalf of the scrutiny panel.
In addition to the above deputation, the Panel also received a large number of public questions on LTNs, which were submitted prior to the meeting. It was agreed before the meeting that written responses would be provided at the meeting for the first 15 questions that met the necessary criteria and excluded questions that were largely duplicates. The Clerk called out the name of the questioners in turn and they were invited to ask their questions. The Chair then read out a written response to each question.
Question 1
How are you assessing the impact of this LTN on the local residents, business and commuters.
Response:
The trial LTNs are subject to comprehensive monitoring. Details of monitoring for each LTN are provided in published Monitoring Strategies on the Council's Streets for People webpages. All data collected to date is published on Haringey My Maps and residents can download the raw data as provided by our contractors. Once some time has passed to allow the scheme to bedded in, we will also launch residents’ perception surveys which will give residents and businesses a further chance to have their say on the trial schemes. We will keep communication channels open throughout the trials. The Council will appoint a third party consultant to analyse the monitoring data and prepare a summary Monitoring Report before the end of the trial period
Question 2
Why did they not think of the results of doing this? By doing this, did they not consider the inconvenience to motorists who do not know as well as the visitors of residents.
Response:
The Council's decision to proceed with the trial LTNs was informed by an extensive listening exercise with residents, businesses and other stakeholders, High-Level Transport Assessments assessing the potential impact of each of the LTNs on the highways network, as well as an Equalities Impact Assessment assessing the likely impacts of the proposed LTNs on groups with protected characteristics
Question 3
Why did the consultations documents for the St Ann’s LTN only have option A or option B why was there no box to say no to both
Response:
You are correct that the survey did not provide an option to specifically reject both options A and B. However, it did provide the opportunity to provide feedback on both options on a scale of 1 (negative) to 5 (positive). It was therefore possible to indicate a negative view of both proposals within the same survey.
Question 4
Why was option A implemented when Haringey Councils own report states that option A was not well received, and that option B was the more popular choice and if this was the case why was Option B not implemented?
Response:
With respect to the St Ann's LTN, there was a more positive consultation response to Option A than Option B. 62% of respondents were positive about Option A with 32% negative. 34% of respondents were positive regarding Option B and 43% were negative.
Question 5
The public consultation for the Bounds Green LTN was conducted by Sustrans, which is a cycling advocacy group. Do councillors deem this at all appropriate?
Response:
While we note that Sustrans does promote walking and cycling, and is a custodian of the National Cycle Network, it is also the case that organisation has a transport consultancy arm which offers a range of quality transport planning, design and public engagement services to local authorities. Sustrans was commissioned by the Council as it was the best placed consultant to support the Council with engagement on, and design development of, the LTNs.
Question 6
Why are there no exemptions in place for us residents who simply want to drive freely around our area/bottom of our road. We are not rat running on our own roads. The technology clearly exists for BB holders to be considered, put in the system and made exempt. Us residents who have already had to qualify for residents’ status for the CPZ parking zones should already be in a database somewhere already? Why can’t our VRMs not be matched up with your new LTN/ANPR systems?
Response:
The Council considers that an approach of exempting all residents from their home LTN would conflict with the primary objectives of LTNs and therefore this option was discounted. The Council has a comprehensive exemptions approach to help meet the needs of residents with access and disability needs.
Question 7
So many streets/households did NOT have an information pack delivered including myself, houses with multiple flats, Kitchener Rd, Handsworth Rd, Dongola Rd, Clonmell Rd and Broadwater Farm estate to name a few? Many were promised redelivery and to date still haven't received the leaflet. Can you tell us who you used to deliver these leaflets and explain why so many households were missed out in the direct LTN zone? Hundreds are left unaware of the whole thing and not everyone can access the stuff online. This seems deliberate on your part not to inform people properly.
Response:
LBOX communications hand delivered letters and leaflets to addresses within consultation area. All deliveries were geo-tracked and reports provided by the delivery company did not indicate any large areas not being covered. We understand that some individual addresses may have been omitted for a number of reasons and whenever reported a redelivery was arranged.
Question 8
Is there Air Quality data/measurements for the immediate and adjacent area of the trial LTN, before LTN introduced (and planned for after).
Response:
Yes. The Council has air quality monitoring in place using both diffusion tubes and air quality sensors. Further information is available in the Monitoring Strategy for each LTN which can be viewed on the Council's website. All data is available on Haringey My Maps. Monitoring was initiated ahead of implementation and will continue throughout the scheme trial.
Question 9
Is there Traffic data/measurements (both quantity and routing) for before LTN introduced (and planned for after).
Response:
The Council has a comprehensive monitoring programme in place in relation to traffic. Further information is available in the Monitoring Strategy for each LTN which can be viewed on the Council's website. All data is available on Haringey My Maps. Monitoring was initiated ahead of implementation and will continue throughout the scheme trial.
Question 10:
How are we to get to our families or our elders if you block entrance to the roads. Some of us a lot of us look after sick, our in-firmed, our people who are unable to go the distance. How are we the drivers to get to them.
Response:
The Local Government Association’s guidance on consultation sets out that “Consultation is technically any activity that gives local people a voice and an opportunity to influence important decisions. It involves listening to and learning from local people before decisions are made or priorities are set.” The Council carried out three rounds of engagement/consultation in advance of a decision to approve the making of experimental traffic management orders to implement the LTNs. This was not statutory consultation bound by legal requirements rather it consisted of an extensive listening and learning exercise. The Council took account of all feedback received in reaching its decision and the feedback influenced key aspects of the approved schemes, including design and the subsequently approved exemptions approach. The LTN consultation reports provide full details of consultation feedback and the Council’s response. In relation to the experimental traffic management order, the Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 set out the statutory requirements for consultation relating to the making of traffic management orders (which are the legal documents that the Council used to give effect to the trial LTNs). The Regulations require the Council to consult certain consultees (Regulation 6) and also include specific provisions relating to the publication of proposals (Regulation 7). The Council has complied in full with these requirements for the LTNs. Indeed, it has gone significantly beyond the statutory requirements in terms of the engagement and consultation it carried out. During the first six month period in which the experimental traffic management order is in force, it is subject to a statutory public objection period.
Question 11:
How are we to get to our families or our elders if you block entrance to the roads. Some of us a lot of us look after sick, our in-firmed, our people who are unable to go the distance. How are we the drivers to get to them.
Response:
All addresses within the LTNs continue to be accessible by car although we acknowledge drivers may need to use a different route to access their destination. The Council has an exemptions approach in place which helps meet the needs of residents with access and disability needs. Please refer to our website for details.
Question 12:
Will the Councillors define what the success criteria are for the three Haringey LTNs (Bounds Green, St Ann's and West Green/Bruce Grove), including specific targets for demonstrating success? And if no specific targets can be given, why not and when will you be able to specify detailed targets? Additionally, will the Councillors confirm that if the specific targets are not achieved in 18 months from implementation that the LTNs will be scrapped?
Response:
Any future decision on LTNs will be considered in light of all relevant considerations, including feedback received during the trial, formal objections to the traffic orders giving effect to the trial and evidence collected as part of the monitoring process.
Question 13:
Have the architects of this scheme ever actually travelled down west green road? If so, how can they in sound mind justify increasing the pressure on a road which is already prone to severe delays? This is surely just going to result in more stationary traffic on the road, increasing pollution and thereby negating a key aim of the scheme?
Response:
The scheme has been designed by the Council with support from expert consultants and all parties involved are familiar with the borough and its roads. The potential impacts of the LTNs were assessed via High-Level Transport Assessments. In regard to West Green Road, specific assessment was carried out looking at the cumulative impact of the St Ann's LTN and Bruce Grove West Green LTN. The Council is closely monitoring the impacts of the LTNs on traffic and air quality as set out in the Monitoring Strategies published on the Council's website. At the moment, there is insufficient post-implementation data available. However, once some time has passed to allow the scheme to bed in, the Council will appoint a third party consultant to analyse the feedback received to date including formal objections received during the first six month period, and monitoring data, together with feedback received following further engagement to be undertaken with stakeholders. A Monitoring Report for each LTN will subsequently be produced which will help inform future decisions on the scheme. The Council is aware of specific issues with congestion on West Green Road since the introduction of the St Ann's LTN which has negatively impacted bus journey times. We are working with London Buses/ TfL road network planners to identify ways of mitigating these delays, improving bus operation. The traffic signals in the West Green Road area have already been optimised to improve efficiency of traffic flow.
Question 14:
What is the purpose of all these restrictions? These roads have never been congested long enough for car emissions to be polluting the streets, never had accidents on them and have been short cuts to save people like myself time and money to get to where we need to be.
Response:
Haringey is embarking on a programme of implementing LTNs to deliver the objectives set out in the adopted 2018 Transport Strategy and the adopted 2022 Walking and Cycling Action Plan. LTNs are needed across the borough to 1) reduce pollution, especially NO2 and particulate matter, which can affect lung function and breathing, worsening respiratory diseases including asthma in children and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults; 2) improve health outcomes related to inactivity; 3) reduce motor traffic collisions; 4) reduce carbon emissions in our attempt to avoid catastrophic climate change and finally 5) reclaim neighbourhood streets for pedestrians and communities and to make safe welcoming, inclusive spaces for all residents. The rationale for specific schemes are provided in the related Cabinet reports from 7 December 2021.
Question 15:
Where is the argument and examples that this clears air pollution rather than just moving it?
Response:
The ultimate goal of the LTNs is to reduce traffic both within the LTNs and on the boundary roads of the LTNs. Evidence from Waltham Forest has shown LTNs can reduce air pollution within both LTNs and on their boundary roads. The Council is carrying out comprehensive monitoring of air quality to understand what impacts the trial LTNs are having on air pollution. Details or air quality monitoring are provided in the Monitoring Strategies for each LTN and data collected to date is published on Haringey My Maps.
As per, the Committee Procedure Rules, the following supplementary questions were allowed:
a. The deputation spokesperson advised the Panel that he believed that some of the information contained in the responses to the questions was inaccurate.
b. The Panel was asked why, in light of comments about people not being consulted, the consultation letter was not sent out to everybody in the borough along with their annual Council Tax statement? Concerns were also raised about the fact that residents could not find any useful information about the LTNs on the website. It was also queried whether the company that carried out the consultation was asked to consult a percentage of residents or what that methodology used was? A further question was why the west of the borough had been omitted from any of the LTN trials?
c. A resident advised the Panel that she had a disabled child who needed to travel by taxi as his parents could not care for him whilst travelling if they were driving a car. The Panel was asked, in light of this, why those with similar care needs did not receive a blanket exemption from all LTNs? It was argued that the no left turn on Seven Sisters Road had added around £5 to a typical taxi journey and that this had a financial impact on their family. The resident gave an example of her child being stuck in traffic for two hours due to the congestion caused by the LTNs and that the child had suffered a seizure as a result. It was commented that Haringey had adopted a social model of disability, which involved removing barriers to those with disability. LTNs, it was suggested, literally involved putting barriers in peoples way. The resident advised that her local area was effectively an experiment and questioned why they should be the subject of this experiment, given that it involved some of the poorest and most vulnerable parts of the borough.
d. In response to the above comment, the Chair acknowledged her own experiences of speaking to residents and advocated the need for people who provide domiciliary care to be able to use cars to reach their patients.
e. The Chair advised that she would speak to the Cabinet Member and would provide a response in writing to the supplementary questions.