There are probably more low traffic neighbourhoods on the cards than you think

Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) have been around for decades, but local authorities are currently using emergency active travel funding from the government to roll out a great many more. The fact that these schemes are all at different stages of development means it’s quite hard to get a sense of exactly how common they are, but one man has made an attempt to document every LTN currently proposed.

LTNs block rat-running drivers while retaining access to residents. As well as reducing congestion and air pollution, they make roads safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Yesterday we reported how 130 groups have signed an open letter expressing support for them.

They’re not universally popular, however. Many have been met with resistance by a vocal minority and some have even been vandalised.

But how many have actually been proposed?

Brian Jones set himself the unenviable task of finding out and has put everything he’s found in a Google doc.

As you might imagine, Greater Manchester features heavily and London very heavily, but plenty of other towns and cities have schemes in the works.

Explaining how his efforts came about, Jones told us: “I was talking to a family member who lives next to one of the low traffic neighbourhoods in Lewisham and I made the point that these things are happening all over the place.

“I then realised that I didn't really know the true scale of the rollout of LTNs across London or even outside of London.”

Jones made a Twitter list of neighbourhood groups supporting existing schemes or advocating for new LTNs in their areas and for the last three weeks he has been digging around Twitter and trawling council websites, following up on every mention of LTNs in the country.

He has also contacted active travel campaigners to find out if they knew of or were advocating for LTNs in their cities.

“The list remains a work in progress and will be updated periodically," he said.