Downing Street today warned that ambulance response times have to ‘take precedence’ over controversial green schemes such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).
No10 insisted the ability of emergency services to respond to life-threatening situations must be a ‘priority’ over measures introduced to curtail vehicle traffic.
The warning came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ordered a review of LTNs as he made an effort to show car drivers he is ‘on their side’.
No10 pointed to the scrapping of LTNs in Wandsworth, south London, due to concerns about access for emergency services.
The Department for Transport will now use their review to see whether a hindrance of ambulances, police and fire crews are a more widespread problem of LTNs, Downing Street added.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ordered a review of LTNs as he makes an effort to show car drivers he is ‘on their side’
Ministers pursued a growth of the schemes in the wake of the Covid pandemic as they sought to encourage more people to walk or cycle in towns and cities
But LTNs have proved unpopular with drivers and residents, with many instances of road bollards being vandalised, for forcing them away from their usual routes.
No10 insisted the ability of emergency services to respond to life-threatening situations must be a ‘priority’ over measures introduced to curtail vehicle traffic
Ministers pursued a growth of the schemes in the wake of the Covid pandemic as they sought to encourage more people to walk or cycle in towns and cities.
But they have proved unpopular with drivers and residents, with many instances of road bollards being vandalised, for forcing them away from their usual routes.
Local councils used LTNs in an attempt to limit traffic in town and city centres – with drivers often prevented from using quiet residential roads as through routes.
Yet there are concerns the schemes have merely moved congestion and pollution to other roads.
Mr Sunak has ordered a review of LTNs as part of a bid to show Britons he is supporting them to use their cars.
It comes in the wake of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, which the Conservatives won in large part thanks to a local backlash against the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez).
Asked today whether the response times of emergency services should trump green considerations as part of the review of LTNs, the PM’s press secretary said: ‘Particularly those who are trying to get patients to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, that has to take precedence.
‘They have to be able to get there as quickly as possible.’
Quizzed about whether this could involve the removal of bollards or large planters that are often used to block traffic from certain roads as part of LTNs, Mr Sunak’s press secretary added: ‘It depends on which area you are looking at, I don’t the specifics of how they’re set up.
‘But the ability of emergency services to get to places quickly, to provide the services people need, is certainly a priority so we’ll be looking at all those things.’
Downing Street said Wandsworth was ‘one example’ where LTNs have been suspended because of issues with emergency service access and traffic flows.
‘That is one example, part of the work of this review is to see if that is a more widespread problem,’ the PM’s press secretary added.
But No10 denied Mr Sunak’s language on protecting motorists had change in the wake of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip result.
The PM’s press secretary said: ‘The PM has always been of the view that local consent is important.
‘And it’s worth mentioning that a lot of these low-traffic neighbourhoods were introduced during Covid, often without votes or local feedback to them.
‘They’ve got to work for residents, businesses and emergency services.
‘We we want to be giving people the choice on how they travel, not just restricting or making their life difficult for those who rely on cars.
‘And that’s why we’re reviewing the impact of LTNs.’
Downing Street pointed to some LTNs being ‘imposed even in the face of significant local opposition’ such as in Oxford city centre.
It came as the father of Hollywood star Florence Pugh declared ‘stupid’ LTNs should be scrapped and claimed they had helped lay waste to one of his cafes in Oxford.
Clinton Pugh, who owns businesses on the city’s busy Cowley Road, has accused the local council of acting like ‘dictators’ by imposing LTNs and ignoring local opposition.
Mr Pugh, whose daughter is fast becoming one of Britain’s biggest stars in Hollywood, has castigated LTNs, adding: ‘The losses have been so high that I have lost a site.’
He says 1.2 miles of roads in Oxford have been ‘blocked’, causing congestion, pollution and damage to the local economy.
‘It drives all the traffic on to the ring road. We can’t all ride bicycles. It has become more difficult to get here, people just don’t come.
‘You can’t get staff, they can’t get home or they have to have taxis. The cost of these things is just astronomical and people don’t want to work. Tradesmen can’t come because it takes too long to get here’, he said.
Actress Florence Pugh’s father Clinton blames LTNs for the closure of one of his Oxford cafes
Florence Pugh with her parents Clinton Pugh and Deborah Mackin at the premiere of A Good Person in New York in March
Mr Pugh says that LTNs and the pandemic have contributed to the closure of one of his businesses
Campaigners insist LTNs improve air quality, lower crime and reduce traffic in residential streets. Mr Pugh says that claims that pollution is lowered are false.
He said: ‘Why is it ok for residents to park their cars here but nobody else can get here. Why do it all at once. It’s just not thought through properly. It’s really stupid. They’re acting like dictators. This is the problem. They’re asking for our opinion – but they’re not listening’.
Energy minister Andrew Bowie said earlier today that LTNs could be scrapped if they are making it harder for people to work and travel at a time when the economy is struggling.
The schemes implemented by local councils are designed to boost cycling and walking by selectively closing off roads to motor traffic. But critics say they simply move traffic problems to other areas.
Mr Bowie told ITV’s Good Morning Britain that the Government remains committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in 2030.
But he added: ‘That is the aim of this government and we remain committed to that but we also recognise there are huge cost of living pressures on the people in Britain right now which is why we must do more to support those people and which is why we think that where they are not working or where there is not local support low-traffic neighbourhood projects should be looked at again.’
Future guidance on clean air zones is already under review following controversy over Mr Khan‘s plans for a massive expansion of the £12.50-a-day Ulez tax on older cars in London.
Ministers are also considering a big expansion of funding for filling in potholes, as they seek to make support for the motorist a key dividing line with Labour at next year’s election. Town centre parking will also be examined.
The Department for Transport will use their review to see whether a hindrance of ambulances, police and fire crews are a more widespread problem of LTNs
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is plotting clean air restrictions across his whole 500-square mile domain
A Tory source said: ‘We are looking at the idea of a new deal for the motorist.
‘Labour are vulnerable on this stuff because they do not understand how ordinary people live – when you look at how they act in power, whether it’s London or Wales or Oxford, they just want to penalise drivers at every turn. We have an opportunity here to stand up for those people.’
The Prime Minister yesterday told drivers he was ‘on their side in supporting them to use their cars to do all the things that matter to them’.
LTNs were designed to encourage more cycling and walking. But they are unpopular with many motorists who have found themselves barred from driving on familiar routes and forced onto traffic-clogged main roads.
A government source said: ‘We want to have a healthy balance when it comes to active travel schemes – being supportive of increasing the choice for walking and cycling, but doing it in a way that doesn’t penalise motorists.’
The review will examine whether schemes are supported and what impact they had on the local economy and emergency services.
A source said that if councils refused to remove ‘particularly egregious’ schemes, then the PM would consider changing the law so ministers can order their closure.
The move follows a backlash against Labour in the Uxbridge by-election where opposition to the expansion of Ulez by the London mayor was a major issue.
The review will also examine 20mph zones. The low speed limit zones are commonplace in towns and cities, but are being rolled out in rural areas, such as in Cornwall.
A parliamentary question this month revealed that research by the Department for Transport has found the zones cut average speeds by just one mile an hour. A Tory source said ‘the impact of these things is very questionable.’
Ministers believe that Labour would wage war on the motorist in government. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is plotting clean air restrictions across his whole 500-square mile domain.
In Labour-run Oxford, officials at Oxfordshire County Council are looking at barring motorists from driving from one part of the city to another unless they travel out to the ring road.
In Wales, the Labour administration has scrapped most major road building schemes and is due to introduce a 20mph default speed limit in residential areas.
During a visit to Wrexham on Friday the PM said the national imposition of a lower speed limit ‘doesn’t make sense’ and should be restricted to ‘appropriate’ areas ‘for example near schools’.
Mr Sunak told the Sunday Telegraph he was ‘alarmed’ by Labour’s ‘quite anti-motorist’ stance.
He said: ‘I just want to make sure people know that I’m on their side in supporting them to use their cars to do all the things that matter to them.’
Meanwhile Labour’s trade spokesman Nick Thomas-Symonds said that the party supports ‘well-planned’ LTNs and that he was ‘staggered’ by the PM’s decision to conduct a review.
The Local Government Association said a national review of LTNs was ‘unnecessary’ as councils are ‘best placed to make decisions’.