View all newsletters
Sign up to our newsletters

Support 110 years of independent journalism.

  1. Politics
  2. UK Politics
18 January 2021updated 25 Jul 2021 11:49am

Exclusive: Londoners support low-traffic neighbourhoods and Greater London boundary charge

New London polling reveals enthusiasm for car reduction measures such as LTNs and Transport for London’s planned toll on driving into the capital.

By Anoosh Chakelian

More Londoners support than oppose car reduction measures, according to new polling for the New Statesman.

When asked about low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTN) – closures of some residential roads to motor traffic introduced by many London boroughs last year – 44 per cent of respondents support the schemes compared with 21 per cent who oppose the schemes (27 per cent neither support nor oppose, and 9 per cent don’t know), according to exclusive polling by Redfield and Wilton Strategies.

The polling of Londoners was conducted on 13-14 January, the same week as Transport for London’s proposals to introduce a £3.50 daily “boundary charge” for vehicles registered outside the capital to enter Greater London were reported by the Evening Standard – an idea first proposed last December by London mayor Sadiq Khan as a measure to ease TfL’s funding crisis.

Forty-one per cent of those surveyed support this idea, compared with 32 per cent who oppose it (20 per cent neither support nor oppose, and 6 per cent don’t know).

Traffic reduction measures became a point of particular controversy in the capital last year, as councils introduced LTNs without the need for consultation. Many championed the schemes, noticing an improvement in their quality of life, while others in the same communities felt they were unequally distributed, or were forcing more vehicles onto busier roads.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

[See also: Low-traffic neighbourhoods: How the culture wars came to a street near you]

Yet the polling shows that 69 per cent of Londoners surveyed associate LTNs with the word “environment”, while less than half that proportion – at 31 per cent – associate the schemes with the word “gentrification”.

Nevertheless, when asked to consider the effect of LTNs on adjacent areas that are not LTNs, more Londoners say that there are a higher number of cars in adjacent areas than previously – with 34 per cent saying surrounding areas have higher traffic than before, and just 18 per cent saying there are lower numbers of cars (17 per cent think there are a similar number of cars, and 31 per cent don’t know).

Content from our partners
The promise of prevention
How Labour hopes to make the UK a leader in green energy
Is now the time to rethink health and care for older people? With Age UK

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com Our Thursday ideas newsletter, delving into philosophy, criticism, and intellectual history. The best way to sign up for The Salvo is via thesalvo.substack.com Stay up to date with NS events, subscription offers & updates. Weekly analysis of the shift to a new economy from the New Statesman's Spotlight on Policy team. The best way to sign up for The Green Transition is via spotlightonpolicy.substack.com
  • Administration / Office
  • Arts and Culture
  • Board Member
  • Business / Corporate Services
  • Client / Customer Services
  • Communications
  • Construction, Works, Engineering
  • Education, Curriculum and Teaching
  • Environment, Conservation and NRM
  • Facility / Grounds Management and Maintenance
  • Finance Management
  • Health - Medical and Nursing Management
  • HR, Training and Organisational Development
  • Information and Communications Technology
  • Information Services, Statistics, Records, Archives
  • Infrastructure Management - Transport, Utilities
  • Legal Officers and Practitioners
  • Librarians and Library Management
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • OH&S, Risk Management
  • Operations Management
  • Planning, Policy, Strategy
  • Printing, Design, Publishing, Web
  • Projects, Programs and Advisors
  • Property, Assets and Fleet Management
  • Public Relations and Media
  • Purchasing and Procurement
  • Quality Management
  • Science and Technical Research and Development
  • Security and Law Enforcement
  • Service Delivery
  • Sport and Recreation
  • Travel, Accommodation, Tourism
  • Wellbeing, Community / Social Services
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU