Agenda item

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Deputy Leader of the Council.

Note the interim reviews undertaken of the operation of the Bruce Grove West Green LTN, St Ann's LTN and Bounds Green LTN and consider recommendations for any appropriate adjustments to be made under a new Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO). The report informs on the impacts of the LTN schemes to date and makes recommendations for changes where this is practicable to help mitigate against some of the identified negative impacts of the schemes. Any changes to the ETMO will trigger a further six-month statutory consultation period to come into place.

Appendices are attached in a separate pack.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Deputy Leader of the Council, introduced the report which set out the results of an interim review of the three trial Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), which were implemented in 2022.

In response to questions from Councillor Hymas, the following was noted:

-               There was not a ‘do nothing’ options in terms of the climate agenda.  The schemes would be monitored carefully and it was hoped that improvements would continue to be made.  It would be a disservice to the borough not to expand the schemes, if the trial areas continued to deliver on their aims.

In response to questions from Councillor da Costa , the following was noted:

-               There had been a reduction in speeding on roads, and this would continue to be monitored.

-               A full data set on air quality would be available after 12 months of monitoring.  However, borough trends showed a 13% increase of air pollution on the roads and roadsides, but within LTN areas, the roadside and ambient readings had been much lower.

RESOLVED to

1.            Note the results of the interim LTN reviews summarised in Sections seven (Bruce Grove  West Green LTN),  eight (St Ann’s LTN), nine (Bounds Green LTN) and detailed in Appendix A1, A2 and A3 (Monitoring Data),   Appendix B1, B2 and B3 (Feedback) and Appendix C (Business Perception Surveys) and Appendix  D (Footfall and Mastercard Spend Data).

2.            Agree the following physical changes to the Bruce Grove West Green LTN:

•     Remove traffic filter at Linley Road, permitting motor vehicle access in both directions.

•      Permit motor vehicle access on The Avenue in westbound direction, eastbound to remain restricted.

•      Remove traffic filter in Moorefield Road (revert road to one-way), permitting motor vehicle access.

•      Introduce a 7.5 tonne weight limit on Downhills Way and Belmont Road with camera enforcement.

3.            Agree the following physical change to the St Ann’s LTN:

·           Move the traffic filter at Avenue Road approximately 10 metres north, removing 4 parking bays to form a turning space.

4.            Authorise the Head of Highways and Parking to revoke and make all necessary new ETOs to give effect to recommendation 3.2 and 3.3 which will trigger a further statutory objection period of 6 months.

5.            Authorise the implementation of changes to the Bruce Grove West Green LTN, subject to the statutory requirements associated with 3.2 and 3.3 and 3.4 following the preparation of detailed designs.

6.            Note the new ETOs will be made to remain in effect for the maximum duration of eighteen months but aiming to decide on the future of the LTNs well in advance of reaching this.

7.            Note that any representations made during the statutory objection period associated with the experimental traffic orders referred to in recommendation 3.2 and 3.3 will be presented to Cabinet in 2024, alongside a final monitoring report, when deciding whether or not to make the traffic orders permanent.

8.            Note that, after consideration of the available options, no interim physical changes are recommended to the Bounds Green LTN.

Reasons for decision

The interim review considers the analysis of the data collected and feedback received on each LTN.  This includes the legal obligation to consider all formal objections raised on an ETO before determining whether to make the provisions of the TMO permanent. This has led to a number of physical changes being proposed for Bruce Grove West Green LTN and one change for St Ann’s LTN.

Although no physical changes have been recommended for Bounds Green LTN, it is important to report on the details of the analysis undertaken on the data and feedback which informed the changes considered, but not recommended. 

In accordance with the decision by Cabinet in December 2021, any key decision regarding changes to the LTN would be reported back to the Leader, Cabinet or an individual Cabinet member.

In view of paragraph 3 and to ensure transparency on the impact of the LTN trials to-date, this report is brought to Cabinet for approval.

The reason for recommendation 2 and 3 is discussed in paragraphs 7.76 to 7.78, and 8.73 to 8.75 and Appendix G.   It is important to note the LTNs have not yet been assessed (and could not have been assessed) with the changes now being proposed and that the ETOs as now proposed would be a genuine and novel experiment.

The reason for recommendation 4 to 6 is to enable the Council to implement the changes recommended in paragraphs 2 and 3 in accordance with provisions contained within the Road Traffic Regulation Act, 1984 (as amended).

Alternative options considered

Do nothing

The aim of the ETOs, which have been in operation for over eight months and can run for a maximum duration of 18 months, is to genuinely undertake an experiment to see if the scheme is working in practice and having the desired outcomes.  The December 2021 Cabinet report stated the outcomes desired and made it clear that, if the trial LTNs were implemented, there would be a period of review of the feedback and the monitoring data before taking a decision on whether to make alterations, revoke the ETO or make the trial changes permanent.  

A decision on whether to make the trial schemes permanent or revoke the ETOs can be taken before the current traffic orders expire in 2024.  However, given the scale of changes delivered, it is appropriate to review the information held to date, both in terms of feedback including formal objections received in the first six months of the statutory objection period and the various data monitored and obtained to date.  This is so that the Council can understand if the objectives of the scheme set out in the December 2021 Cabinet report are starting to be realised, whether there are any negative impacts, and consider if any solutions can be implemented now to mitigate these whilst still aiming to meet the objectives of the scheme.

This review has been undertaken and summarised in this report with more detailed information contained in the appendices.

Given that the review has led to the recommendations to make changes to two of the three trial schemes now, the option of doing nothing now for these two schemes has been rejected. 

For the Bounds Green LTN, although no physical changes are recommended in this report, it is appropriate for reasons of transparency that the information used to inform this decision is contained in this report.

Alternative changes to the LTN designs

A broad range of options have been considered, as detailed in the Options Appraisal (Appendix G).  Some of these options are recommended for implementation and others are not, for reasons provided within the body of this report.

With over 80 km of roads within and on the boundary of the three LTNs, there are several changes that could be made to the road network. However, the options considered within the Options Appraisal have been led by the results of the Monitoring Reports (data and feedback) and demonstrate that the Council is listening to all feedback.