Oil poured on roads and vandalism as protests against low-traffic neighbourhoods turn nasty

Initiatives to close roads to rat-running motorists in several London boroughs are being threatened by anti-Low Traffic Neighbourhood protesters – with one such scheme in Ealing not only seeing planters intended to block roads to through traffic vandalised or moved, but also having oil poured on the road, creating danger for cyclists.

The scheme in question is in the Northfields area of the west London borough, an area of residential streets that many non-local drivers use as a cut-through to avoid congestion on nearby main roads.

So this is a LTN planter in Midhurst Road in Northfields, Ealing. It has been in less than 24hrs of a six month trial period. How can it be right for one individual to vandalise and suggest an abuse of power when an elected council has installed it for the benefit of the many. pic.twitter.com/rpm2WqjYcS

— Richard Bourchier (@RBourchier) August 27, 2020

The terrifying thing is that I and my kids have to share the roads with the monsters who do this in their cars. I thought Northfields was better than this. https://t.co/mivFanOVur

— Just Darren 💚 (@darrenmoore) August 27, 2020

If you see oil on your streets tonight, please report it to the police on 101. https://t.co/GICml6JHxQ

— Ealing Cycling Campaign (@EalingCyclists) August 27, 2020

Similar schemes in other boroughs including Hackney, Islington, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth have also attracted vocal opposition.

However, there are strong suspicions among active travel campaigners on social media that in many cases it is not coming from people who live on the streets concerned and instead from what might be termed ‘NISEBYs’ – Not In Somebody Else’s Back Yard.

LTNs, which have been around for decades but are now becoming increasingly common in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, as explained below, essentially work on the basis of what is called filtered permeability, with one common misconception being that they block local residents from accessing their own streets.

Emergency #LTNs explainer.. pic.twitter.com/FmwV93LlIQ

— ILoveHanwell (@ILoveHanwell) August 28, 2020

That’s simply not true. By placing obstacles such as bollards or planters in specific locations, they make it impossible for motorists to use residential streets as a short-cut between main roads.

But car-owners who actually live on those streets – and it’s worth highlighting that only 54 per cent of households in London have access to a car at all, rising to more than two thirds in some boroughs – can still drive to their homes, although they may have to take a slightly circuitous route to do so.

The effect is that those streets become quieter in terms of traffic and its associated noise, safer for children and people on foot or on bikes, and the air quality improves;  certainly it seems that once local residents with cars understand that they aren’t being prevented from driving home, the schemes are broadly welcomed.

An LTN observation. Practically all the young male driving "enthusiasts" (BMW / Merc etc) have disappeared from my streets. Obviously all through traffic on their way to nowhere in particular. LTNs kill antisocial driving because there's no reason for such drivers to be there.

— J.G. Bollard (@JamesNonchalant) August 28, 2020

One common argument deployed against LTNs is that they restrict access for emergency vehicles – with opponents eagerly seizing on this video posted to Twitter yesterday of a fire engine in Lambeth.

However, what is stopping the driver from getting through the gap is not the planter itself – it’s the poorly parked car on the right, and Lambeth Council confirmed that emergency services had been consulted during the design process.

Hi Paige, we agree the angle is tight here, so we’re going to have the planter tweaked tomorrow so that it’s easier for them to pass through. The planter layout was agreed with emergency services in advance but wherever there are issues like this we’ll quickly fix them if needed

— Lambeth Council (@lambeth_council) August 27, 2020

Many opponents of LTNs on social media, it has to be said, seem to share common views on some of the major issues of our time – whether that be Brexit, wearing a mask when entering a shop, immigration … well, you get the idea.

Black cab drivers seem to be over-represented too, and are known to have participated in weekly marches on Upper Street to protest outside Islington Town Hall about street closures – while, coincidentally, effectively closing the street they are holding the protest on.

I see the Lambeth anti-#LTN protest was a UKIP rally ... just like the one last week in Islington. pic.twitter.com/Pqf7P9cvHe

— always last (@lastnotlost) August 28, 2020

David Kurten, by the way, is stading for election as Mayor of London next year. He was elected to the London Assembly in 2016, representing UKIP, before subsequently declaring his ... well, independence ... from the party. 

And, just to finish off with, take a look at this post on Twitter this morning. It looks as though we'd all forgotten the bit in the Magna Carta about motorists' rights?

Quoting Magna Carta because the council has put up some bollards. That's just magnificent. https://t.co/S7u3m7N3M5

— Karl Tomlinson (@KarlT0) August 28, 2020