Introduction

A low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) is a residential area, bordered by main roads (the places where buses, lorries, non-local traffic should be), where "through" motor vehicle traffic is discouraged or removed. Strategic road closures (like bollards or planters) prevent through traffic. Every street is still accessible by vehicle.

There are many ways to design a low traffic neighbourhood, but the main principle is that every resident can drive onto their street, get deliveries etc., but it’s harder or impossible to drive straight through from one main road to the next.

The aims of LTNs include:

• deterring traffic from diverting from congested main roads to residential streets as rat runs
• making it safer for pedestrians to social distance, for instance by walking in the street where pavements are narrower than the recommended two metres
• encouraging people to use bikes where possible by reducing traffic that many find intimidating and off-putting for cycle journeys, especially short, local trips
• encouraging people to walk for short journeys such as local shopping trips rather than taking the car
• securing gains made during lockdown, such as cleaner air, neighbourliness and reduced noise
• reducing traffic on residential streets, creating low-traffic corridors across Merton so more people can walk and cycle as part of their daily routine.

Becoming a LTN means residents retain motor vehicle access, as do delivery vehicles, visitors and emergency and waste services. The goal is to deter drive-through access by those trying to avoid the main roads. This can be achieved by a variety of means, ranging from ANPR camera enforcement, narrowed access points, banned movements such as ‘no left/right turn’ restrictions, removable bollards, to street end closures. For example this already exists in the residential streets located to the north of Merton High Street.

Why LTNs?

Merton has too many car journeys, and this affects:

• climate change: London’s roads produce at least 20% of its carbon emissions. Vehicles account for nearly a quarter of Merton’s emissions.
• air pollution: causes 9,500 premature deaths in London per year.
• road danger: Merton sees 100s of injuries and some deaths on its roads every year.
• physical inactivity: we are so car-dependent we don’t get the exercise we need. Merton's rate of childhood obesity means that 1 in 3 pupils are obese by the time they leave primary school.

Low traffic neighbourhoods reduce car journeys and boost walking and cycling for all ages. They help combat the climate emergency, reduce road casualties, clean up our air and enable our residents to lead healthier lifestyles.

Kings College found that Waltham Forest’s low traffic neighbourhoods reduced air pollution and boosted healthy active travel significantly – leading to a longer life expectancy for residents.

Children in the area are once again playing on the street, people routinely walk in the middle of the road and it’s so quiet you can hear birdsong.

Better Streets tour of the Walthamstow LTN

Putting people before cars

Streets in many residential neighbourhoods are treated as short cuts by drivers avoiding main roads. This through traffic often dominates, as vehicles take priority over all other road users and residents. Sometimes speed and volumes are at unacceptably dangerous levels. But low traffic neighbourhoods reverse the pecking order.
On low traffic streets, kids can play, any age can walk or cycle, neighbours can socialise – and cars are ‘guests’. Once again, communities can flourish as people spend more time on their streets.

Opening up streets for active travel

Low traffic neighbourhoods are ‘active travel engines’ for all ages. In some residential areas, roads have such high traffic volumes and speeds that many people feel unable to walk or cycle on them, especially children and the elderly. A network of low-traffic streets would allow anyone to walk or cycle safely – and reach the main road cycle lanes on a bike.

Existing LTNs

Low traffic neighbourhoods are not a new idea. Many countries in Europe no longer design roads where people live or shop to be through routes for motor traffic.

Low traffic neighbourhoods in London (such as Hackney, Waltham Forest, Enfield, Lambeth) are an exception, inspired by Dutch urban planning and Barcelona’s "Superblocks".

Merton already has a number of older road closures that create low traffic neighbourhoods. They were installed primarily to stop rat running after resident complaints.

The difference now is that the context has shifted. In response to coronavirus, the Government and Transport for London are expecting councils to make radical changes to streets to promote a step change in active travel. We can’t just close off the odd street because residents complain of rat-running. Displacing traffic to the next residential street does not solve the problem.

Therefore a neighbourhood level approach is needed. A neighbourhood approach brings associated health and environmental benefits too.

Examples already in Merton include:

• South Wimbledon: 
  Hamilton, Hardy, Nelson, Victory, Trafalgar Hotham, Norman, Grove, Laburnum, Leyton and Milner Roads.
• Colliers Wood: 
  East and West of the High Street are all no-through traffic neighbourhoods.
• Mitcham: 
  Lewis Road, Love Lane, Mitcham Park, Sandy Lane, Tamworth Park
  St Georges Rd and Ashbourne Rd.

Effects within LTNs

What about the elderly and disabled?

Anyone who needs to travel by car or taxi will still be able to.
The streets will be much safer for a frail or disabled person to cross a road at their own pace, and for those who want to use a bike or trike as a mobility aid. Mobility scooters will be able get through the filters that stop cars.

Reducing traffic has been shown to boost communities in neighbourhoods; low traffic means more people are likely to consider their neighbours as friends. The elderly could especially benefit from a stronger community on their street.

How will I get to my home by car?

Every street will still be accessible by car, emergency services, delivery vehicles and refuse trucks.

To stop through traffic, some residents’ car journeys will be more indirect and may take a few minutes longer. For many people, this inconvenience is a price worth paying to have a quieter and safer neighbourhood and cleaner air. It also discourages people from making very short unnecessary journeys by car. Most trips in Merton are for less than 2km and can easily be walked.

A safer environment will encourage more walking.

How will emergency services get access?

Every street is accessible by emergency vehicles. A bus gate – which may be desirable in some low traffic neighbourhood schemes – is a point that prevents all through-traffic except buses, cycles and emergency services.

In Waltham Forest, emergency services supported the low traffic neighbourhood schemes because they meant fewer injuries in road collisions.

Effects on surrounding main roads

Won’t traffic displacement clog up main roads?

Walthamstow’s first low traffic neighbourhood saw some increases in traffic on surrounding main roads, but the increase was not catastrophic.
One study showed that average bus journeys times were not affected (see Chapter 4 of this Living Streets report) and a Kings College study of the same area suggests that there has not been a decrease in air quality on main roads following the introduction of LTNs (see pages 8-9 of this Waltham Forest report).
Main roads are better suited to absorb traffic than residential neighbourhoods, with a wider carriageway ; its what main roads are for.
We would expect to see some traffic build-up in the early weeks of a trial, followed by a steady decline in traffic as drivers adjust back to similar levels as before.
Not all of the traffic from Walthamstow’s low traffic neighbourhood was displaced onto main roads – many car journeys simply disappeared. There are 10,000 fewer car journeys per day across the Walthamstow Village area, including the surrounding main roads – a decrease of 16%. This is known as ‘traffic evaporation’ and has been documented in similar situations all over the world.
For more information, see Evaporating traffic? Effect of low traffic neighbourhoods on surrounding main roads by London Living Streets.

What if I live on a main road?

Merton Council also supports healthy main roads, which are often just as much places where people live.
It would not be practical to remove motorised traffic altogether from major through routes, but they can be made healthier in a number of ways.

• a 20mph limit
• more and better pedestrian crossings
• better, wider pavements
• safe space to cycle
• seating, greenery, shelter.

Low traffic neighbourhoods are a step towards reducing *overall* volumes of motor traffic, not just in neighbourhoods. We hope that the effect they have on encouraging people not to drive short journeys will benefit all of Merton’s roads in the long term.

What about the high street?

Low traffic neighbourhoods bordering high streets will make it easier and more pleasant for people to walk or cycle to their nearest shops.

This should make shopping locally more attractive, rather than driving to shops further afield. There is plenty of evidence that good walking/cycling access to shops is good for business. Coronavirus has led us all to stay local and explore our own neighbourhoods, parks and local shops.

Longthornton Road proposed closure 

February 2024

To address rat running and speed, the Council is considering the introduction of a road closure along Longthornton Road.  To facilitate unhindered access for emergency services, the closure will be non-physical and will be enforced by an ANPR camera.

Three options have been developed for the point of closure and the option with the majority support will be progressed to statutory consultation. Options include:

1. Closure at Longthornton Rd / Stanford Rd junction
2. Closure at Longthornton Rd / Rowan Rd junction
3. Closure at Longthornton Rd / Hemlock Close junction

To determine the preferred option and level of support, we are undertaking an informal consultation between 19 February to 8 March 2024. The decision to proceed with a road closure and on the preferred option and whether to proceed with the next step, which would involve a statutory consultation on the preferred option, will be subject to the responses received during this consultation. We would ask that you submit your views online via our questionnaire.

• Newsletter
• Survey

If you require a hard copy, please contact Traffic & Highways on 020 8545 3700 and one will be posted to you. Please provide your full postal address and quote Longthorton closure. 

Please note at this stage, it is only one response per address. Duplications will not be considered.

Review of LTNs

Botsford Rd – November 2021

After careful consideration of all the feedback received during the statutory consultation it has been agreed to make the experimental Botsford Rd scheme permanent. The permanent Order will be advertised on 17 November 2021 and will come into effect on 29 November 2021. Details of all the feedback received and officer's recommendations can be found within the Cabinet Member report. Cabinet Member decision is also available below: 

• Cabinet Member report
• Cabinet Member decision
• Newsletter
• Notice
• Traffic Management Order

Seely Road and Links Road LTN - September 2021

After careful consideration of all the feedback received during the statutory consultation and the questionnaire, it has been agreed to make the experimental LTNs in Seely and Links Roads permanent. The permanent Order will be advertised on 14October and will come into effect on 18 October 2021. Details of all the feedback received and officer's recommendations can be found on the Cabinet Member report. Cabinet Member decision is also available below: 

• Cabinet Member report
• Decision sheet
• Newsletter
• Links Road Traffic Management Order
• Seely Road Traffic Management Order

Seely Road and Links Road LTN

The Seely and Links Road LTNs have been in place since September 2020. The feedback received from the 6-months consultation is currently being analysed.
Before making a final decision, we are now undertaking a review of the scheme. As part of this review, we are asking you to submit your views to a simple online questionnaire using the feedback link provided below. The deadline for submission is 2 July 2021. Please note that it is only one submission per household and as part of this review individual responses will not be made.

A final decision will be made based on the feedback received during the statutory consultation and the outcome of this review. Your participation within this review is, therefore, important.

• Survey: Seely Road and Links Road LTN 
• Newsletter: Review of Seely Road and Links Road LTN (June 2021)

Commonside East – October 2021

After careful consideration of all the feedback received during the statutory consultation and the questionnaire, it has been agreed to make the experimental LTN in Commonside East permanent. The permanent Order will be advertised on 28 October 2021 and will come into effect on 8 November 2021. Details of all the feedback received and officer's recommendations can be found on the Cabinet Member report. Cabinet Member decision is also available below:

• Cabinet Member report
• Decision sheet
• Newsletter
• Traffic Management Order
• Notice

September 2021
Having considered the feedback received in response to both the statutory consultation and the review engagement, a Cabinet Member decision has been made to make the experimental LTN in Sandy Lane permanent.
Details of all the feedback received and officer’s recommendations can be found on the Cabinet Member report. Cabinet Member decision is also available below

Sandy Lane

• Newsletter
• Cabinet Member report
• Cabinet Member decision
• Traffic management order
• Waiting restrictions