A Labour council has been accused of raking in cash from a low traffic neighbourhood dubbed Britain’s smallest.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – known as LTNs – were introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in early 2020 in a bid to reduce traffic in residential neighbourhoods through measures designed to restrict vehicles, including barriers, bollards and fines.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council in west London has installed CCTV in 350ft-long Rivercourt Road used by motorists as a rat run between the A4 and King Street near the centre of Hammersmith. Now non-residents, Blue Badge holders and businesses will now need a permit to use the route, or face a £130 penalty for using the short stretch of road monitored by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras.
But a report by The Hammersmith Society, which campaigns on improving the area, claimed the measure “seems to be another divisive LTN pitting resident against resident”.
It added that a “small handful” of people will gain, while “the vast majority” will lose out as a result of the scheme, which launched on Thursday, November 26, according to the Society.
The Hammersmith Society report said: “It’s been suggested that speed bumps might be a rather simpler and better disincentive, but that would cost money rather than raise it. The council will be rubbing their hands with glee as their coffers fill up.”
Meanwhile, the council has claimed that 4,000 motorists used the road daily, with 80% of them being commuters from out of town.
Hammersmith and Fulham also said there have been a series of near misses where the LTN now applies and the local authority is meeting locals’ demands for a safer, less congested street.
Management consultant, Chris Johnson, a 72, whose family has lived on the road for over 30 years, said neighbours of the dozen or so homes in Rivercourt Road have campaigned for the LTN due to “intolerable” traffic, pollution and noise.
He told the Telegraph: “We have no view about LTNs, but we are absolutely delighted with this.”
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said: “The newly live trial will prioritise the street for residents, visitors and local businesses. It will restrict non-Hammersmith and Fulham drivers from using the street as a cut-through.
“The 18-month trial comes at the request of residents following a series of near misses. They want their street to be safer, quieter and less congested.”
Those behind LTNs want to lower vehicle numbers on the roads, encourage walking or cycling and reduce pollution. Most LTNs were initially set up with temporary measures but they have since become permanent. Critics say they push the problems onto other roads while supporters argue they cut congestion, pollution and crime.
A study by Churchill Motor Insurance found that motorists received 264,920 LTN fines between January and May 2023.
The research also found their numbers continue to grow, with 103 permanent LTNs last year compared to 87 in 2021, according to Churchill Motor Insurance.
