The Mayor of London has made a humiliating two-word admission about one of his first major projects.
Sadiq Khan has said for the first time that one of the capital’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) is “not great” with gridlock regularly ruining bus services.
He said that his team has been in touch with Lambeth Council to try and resolve issues caused by the Streatham Wells LTN, which makes buses travel as slow as 1.5mph.
The Labour mayor said while appearing on LBC that the Low Traffic Neighbourhood was “causing huge problems” and having “unintended consequences”.
Transport for London data shows that last week the A23 (on the west side of the LTN) was so gridlocked that it took a bus two hours to travel three miles.
While on LBC, Khan told a south London listener affected by the traffic: “You’ll get some news very soon about the changes the council is going to make to that LTN because the evidence is that in the first few months, it’s not been great. It’s not working and we’ve asked the council to look at it urgently.”
These comments mark a change in the politician’s public stance on the controversial schemes with him previously ignoring criticism.
LTNs, which became popular with local authorities over the pandemic, have been criticised for pushing traffic onto boundary roads, creating congestion and increasing pollution due to drivers having to travel further.
Lambeth’s councillors have insisted that the traffic chaos is being caused by roadworks and rail strikes in the area.
But locals don’t agree. Harriet De Wolff, 57, owns the Indigo Tree gift shop on Streatham High Road. She told the Mail: “It is an absolute nightmare. It’s definitely not good for pollution. It’s made it worse.
“I can taste the fumes in my mouth as I walk down Streatham High Road. That didn’t use to be the case, but now, all the cars and buses stopped in traffic – it’s causing more and more pollution. People who live on this street will never be able to open their windows again.”
Bus driver John Monroe, 48, said: “What was once an hour journey now takes over two hours. It’s definitely quicker to walk or cycle than take the bus, but not everyone can do that.
“It kind of defeats the purpose of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood, because it’s not stopping the congestion – it’s creating more. There’s more pollution.
“Passengers hate it too. We’re not allowed to open the doors apart from at bus stops, but I have people asking all the time if they can get off – because we’re stuck in traffic, and they know they’ll get there quicker by walking.”
The Mayor of London’s office and Lambeth Borough Council have been contacted for comment.
