Theme: Public Policy | Content Type: Journal article

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and the Paradox of UK Government Control of the Active Travel Agenda

David Banister, Geoff Dudley and Tim Schwanen

Matt Seymour LTN

Matt Seymour

| 1 min read

Low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) are designed to remove motorised traffic from residential streets, while leaving them permeable to pedestrians and cyclists, and they have become a popular means to promote active travel. During the recent pandemic, the government introduced the Active Travel Fund in England to facilitate the rapid implementation of LTNs, but this also resulted in a powerful top-down control element. This in turn has resulted in a paradox where funding is contingent on certain conditions being met, but insufficient and changing guidance has been given to the local authorities charged with implementation. This article outlines this highly unpredictable process, the controversies and the uncertain implementation through the development of the LTN process in England and the experience of Oxford, where many of the issues are currently being confronted.

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  • David Banister

    David Banister

    David Banister is Professor Emeritus of Transport Studies at the University of Oxford.

    Articles by David Banister
  • Geoff-Dudley_avatar.png

    Geoff Dudley

    Geoff Dudley is Visiting Research Associate in the Transport Studies Unit at the University of Oxford.

    Articles by Geoff Dudley
  • Tim-Schwanen_avatar.png

    Tim Schwanen

    Tim Schwanen is Director of the Transport Studies Unit at the University of Oxford.

    Articles by Tim Schwanen
Volume 96, Issue 4

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Volume 96, Issue 4

Includes a broad range of other articles including 'Nigel Farage is no Ramsay MacDonald: Comparing the Rise of Reform with the Rise of Labour' by Ben Jackson, 'Are the Rights of Nature the Only Way to Save Lough Neagh?' by Laurence Cooley and Elliott Hill, and 'Modernising the House: Why the 2024 Parliament Highlights the Need to Formalise Party-Group Rights in the House of Commons' by Louise Thompson. Reports include 'Before the Boil: Addressing the UK's Living Standards Crisis' by Alfie Stirling, and 'Understanding Inequality in the UK: What Can We Learn from the Deaton Review?' by Indranil Dutta. Finally, there is a selection of book reviews such as Mary Dejevsky's review of Everyday Politics in Russia: From Resentment to Resistance, by Jeremy Morris, and Donald Sassoon's review of One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This, by Omar El Akkad.

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