Why the LTN debate should focus on fairness and better mobility

At the end of last month Rishi Sunak ordered the Department for Transport to review low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) policies. The policies, which have been heavily criticised, aim to make residential streets safer and cleaner by reducing motor vehicle traffic. Vaughan Anderson, from sustainable design and engineering firm Stantec, suggests the debate should be centred on fairness and better mobility.

“Improving mobility while enhancing community wellbeing shouldn’t be an issue where sides are taken. Collaboration, balance and compromise must be front and centre for something this important. Regardless of how low traffic neighbourhoods operate in practice, it’s vital we consider the development of our streets fairly, and from the perspective of all users. We need dense urban areas to be created or adapted in ways which encourage healthier and more sustainable lifestyles, but also support unquestionably better mobility for everyone, regardless of whether they own a car.

“All of us responsible for the design and development of our streets have an opportunity to support communities, bringing stakeholders together to make routes safer, public transport more efficient and appealing, and spaces more liveable and prosperous. Ultimately, poor design will drive poor attitudes between road users, sub-par mitigation measures, and frustration. This is why it’s so important we take a more holistic and integrated approach.

“There are countless projects out there that show how good engineering design and collaboration can help us create, healthier, fairer streets for all. Whether it’s Suffolk County Council’s Streets Guide, which focuses on the routes people need to travel by foot, wheel or cycle instead of vehicular accesses, or Waterbeach Barracks in Cambridgeshire, where miles of new pedestrian and cycle paths will improve connectivity for residents, the solutions are out there.

“Designing with all users in mind does not preclude residents from using cars, instead it helps them consider and discover alternative approaches to get to where they want to be. As planners and designers, we can do this through subtle changes and encouraging better options, lessening the burden of cars in dense urban areas where they don’t need to be.”

“Creating liveable streets which are truly shared spaces for people and cars will better support active travel, encouraging people to lead more healthy lifestyles, while providing informal spaces for neighbours to meet, engage with each other, and develop a sense of community.”

Vaughan Anderson is urban design director at Stantec