Backers of London LTNs outnumber opponents by three to one

Results of a survey published last week show that across London, supporters of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which block residential streets to rat-running motorists, outnumber opponents by around three to one.

The poll, conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies which has published the results here, found that 47 per cent of respondents supported LTNs, against 16 per cent who were opposed to them. 28 per cent said they neither supported nor opposed them, and 9 per cent replied, “don’t know.”

Some 14 per cent of respondents said they were strongly in favour of LTNs, compared to just 9 per cent who said that they were strongly opposed to them.

LTNs, which typically use bollards, planters or a mixture of both of those to block streets to through traffic while retaining access for residents, have been around for several decades.

In recent months, however, they have attracted vocal opposition, albeit from a minority of people as the results of Redfield & Wilton’s research shows, as councils increasingly roll them out as part of their response to the coronavirus pandemic.

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It is the third time that the firm has surveyed the views of Londoners on LTNs, with previous polls conducted in October and January.

While the percentage of people in favour of LTNs is lower than the 52 per cent in October’s survey, it marks a rebound from the 44 per cent in January.

Meanwhile, opposition to LTNs peaked at 21 per cent in January, up from 19 per cent in October, but stands at its lowest level in the latest survey,

Support for LTNs was slightly more pronounced among people who own cars, at 49 per cent, than those who do not, at 46 per cent – although motorists were twice as likely as non-drivers to be opposed to them, at 21 per cent versus 10 per cent.

At 24 per cent, one in four respondents to the survey said that they live in an LTN, while 49 per cent said they did not, with the remaining 27 per cent not knowing the answer, suggesting lack of awareness on what LTNs are and where they are situated.

The polling firm added that people without a car were more likely to be unaware of whether or not they live in an LTN compared to people who drive, at 34 per cent versus 22 per cent.

The survey was conducted between 6-8 March among 1,500 eligible voters in London.