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Any doubts about whether low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are going to be used as a political football in the lead up to the next general election have been unceremoniously booted into touch by prime minister Rishi Sunak.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, published on 30 July, Mr Sunak confirmed he has ordered a review into LTNs in England, saying he wants to support people to “use their cars to do all the things that matter to them”.

To quote him in full, Mr Sunak said: “The vast majority of people in the country use their cars to get around and are dependent on cars.

“I just want to make sure people know that I’m on their side in supporting them to use their cars to do all the things that matter to them.”

Needless to say, Labour has condemned the comments.

As reported by BBC News, Louise Haigh, the shadow transport secretary, accused the Conservatives of “pure hypocrisy” for accelerating and funding LTN’s before “denouncing” the policy.

Ms Haigh said road safety measures were often demanded by local communities so the decisions must be properly consulted on and made by them.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association, which represents local councils, said the review was “unnecessary” and councils were best placed to make decisions with their communities.

It is not clear whether the Government could make councils alter or scrap existing schemes.

The review will only look at LTNs in England, as they are a devolved matter in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

What does the research say?
LTNs aim to reduce through traffic in residential areas, usually by the use of barriers which prevent cars from accessing certain streets, while leaving them open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Many LTNs were put in place during 2020, thanks to Government funding, to prevent an increase in vehicle traffic as people avoided public transport during the Covid pandemic.

The schemes have polarised opinion, with critics claiming that LTNs have increased traffic and pollution in surrounding areas.

Some Conservative MPs have even described them as harming the freedom of motorists.

However, research published in December 2022 suggests LTNs reduce traffic and air pollution without displacing the problem to nearby streets.

The study by researchers at Imperial College London looked at three LTNs in London, to identify their impact on both air pollution and traffic within the LTN zones and in the surrounding area.

Researchers found that concentrations of nitrogen dioxide fell by 5.7% within the LTNs and by just under 9% on their boundaries. They also found that traffic dropped by over half inside the LTNs and by 13% at the boundaries.