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At last Thursday's full meeting Enfield councillors rejected a call by the Conservative and Community First groups to remove the low-traffic neighbourhood schemes and allow through traffic to use all streets in the Bowes and Fox Lane quieter neighbourhoods.

The debate has been written up in some detail by local democracy reporter Simon Allin and his report is available on both the Enfield Independent and Enfield Dispatch websites. Additionally, a recording of the debate (though not the rest of the evening's business) has appeared on YouTube - see below - and the two main speeches have been published - you can read them by clicking on the blue and red headers below.

Speech by Cllr Maria Alexandrou

Speech by Cllr Maria Alexandrou (Conservative, Winchmore Hill)

The Opposition puts forward this paper tonight because of the huge impact the low traffic neighbourhoods have had on our borough.

This Labour council is lurching unsteadily from one disaster to the next.

From unwanted fortnightly waste collections turning Enfield into a huge flytip, to the inept implementation of LTN schemes with no proper consultation, with no proper engagement and without support from residents.

Residents are loudly against LTNs but their views are ignored.

People living on roads bordering the LTNs were denied the opportunity to comment despite suffering the obvious blights imposed by the scheme.

The flawed consultation included the council’s failure to provide readily available paper copies of the consultation. The digital consultation excludes the weakest and the most vulnerable. The old, the disabled and those with reduced income have no digital access and are being denied a voice.

Congestion has overwhelmed Enfield with traffic displacement forced onto the main arteries of the Enfield’s road network such as Bourne Hill leading up to Southgate circus, Aldermans hill, Green Lanes and Cannon hill.

Despite the gridlock, the council has been careful not to measure traffic fumes on these roads with pollution monitoring. They know what it would show. Roads are now too dangerous to cross and people are less inclined to walk.

The increased pollution and increased travel times and consequently delays to bus journeys and emergency services is maximising the very matters the LTNs were supposed to prevent.

Enfield dispatch (27.12.2020) quoted the London Ambulance

“ changes to road layouts, traffic management schemes and road closures all have the potential to impede our response to the most critically ill people and could delay life­saving treatments.”

Pharmacies already struggle to deliver medicines to the vulnerable and this has a cost to the viability of the business and to residents reliant on prompt delivery of medicine. Local carers no longer have the option of a vehicle providing a lifeline.

The cabinet member should have ensured but failed to organise any risk assessment for local businesses. A local resident surveyed over 50 businesses that have lost trade. These schemes will destroy businesses as trade and customers avoid the area. Local Estate agents confirm a property slump is being created. Purchasers are withdrawing house purchase sales due to gridlocked traffic. (Peter Michaels estates).

The reality is the council uses LTNs as a golden goose. Up to the 13th January, over £1.25m was extorted from residents in paid camera fines within the LTN area. That’s 34,080 tickets issued.

This is the abandonment of ordinary working families, businesses, key workers, the elderly, and those with mobility and health issues. Women naturally feel unsafe walking along closed roads with no passing traffic which in turn denies them equality.

Across London, angry and disappointed residents’ groups are challenging councils in courts over the perceived and actual unlawfulness of councils like this one imposing their own socialist agenda under the guise of environmental care.

There’s no evidence that LTNs reduce traffic. However, there is enormous evidence that LTNs push traffic onto the surrounding roads like they have done in

Walthamstow where traffic volumes on surrounding roads have experienced an increase of 15% since the LTN was introduced. This increase was one of the highest of all London boroughs and higher than the London average of 11% (government statistical data).And car ownership in the Walthamstow village is only 47%.

The Social Injustice created is clear with traffic and traffic fumes being pushed onto poorer areas in the borough.

These schemes are also having a terrible impact on people’s mental health. People have contacted me in tears as they find it hard to get to work on time - residents talk about crawling in traffic trying to get to work” which wasn’t the issue before the LTNs were introduced.

How can this Labour council claim to care about climate change when its’ own vehicles on instruction are parked with the engine idling, hour after hour everyday pumping toxic fumes into the atmosphere? (Yet the council is a member of the London wide anti idling campaign!)

The effect of the council’s logic and application is to create more pollution in their crusade to reduce pollution?

At the same time, these LTN schemes are punishing owners of electric vehicles! It’s a sad and lamentable fact that Enfield is telling the world it supports green initiatives by introducing a pathetic 250 electric charging points, unlike Conservative run Wandsworth who have introduced 590 with another 300 on their way.

If this council is serious about promoting more healthy and active ways to travel, where are your bike hire schemes? Where are your extra pedestrian crossings? Concentrate on fixing all the uneven paving stones and then more people will be encouraged to walk. There’s a distinct lack of alternative travel options. At a time when people are hesitant to use public transport due to the pandemic, the car is a safe option.

Some forms of Public transport are simply inaccessible to disabled people and longer car journeys can trigger impairments that cause more pain and discomfort.

Where are the equality impact assessments? We have over 10.5k blue badge holders in Enfield and according to ageuk the percentage of people over 65 in Enfield (39k) is twice as high as many neighbouring boroughs.

These people were never contacted regarding the LTNs even though they have been severely impacted and they feel a great injustice served upon them.

This blatant discrimination has been cruelly thrust their way by the Labour council that has not considered the devastating impact on their evearyday lives.

This was clearly highlighted by Justice Lang in the high court hearing considering similar issues;

Lang criticised road closures brought in during a pandemic without consultation & also criticised the decision-making process as seriously flawed. Justice Lang also mentioned the severe consequences for those who cannot walk, cycle or use public transport & that the needs of people with protected characteristics, including the elderly or disabled were not considered “

In the Enfield Independent 2.12.19, Cllr Barnes said the trial scheme would only be made permanent and I quote“if it improves the situation for local people and works for local business”.

Sadly, I feel this Labour council has found a nice little earner to buy itself out of its financial mess.

Since these LTN schemes have proved beyond any doubt to be a complete failure on a spectacular level, the council should admit its failures and abandon the schemes.

What we have is a council that denies democracy and transparency & we will fight to remove these LTNs.

Links

Agenda and papers for the Council meeting on 28 January 2021 (Minutes of the meeting will appear on this page in due course.)

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