Low traffic neighbourhoods
We have received funding from Transport for London (TfL) to help us make some of our neighbourhoods' streets much better designed for social distancing as well as greener and healthier. We will be introducing filters and restrict through-access to rat runners while maintaining access for residents and their visitors, making streets feel safer and less polluted.
This is part of our emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis, to assist social distancing and improve air quality, but will also encourage active and healthy lifestyles and increase road safety.
What we are introducing
Between August and October, we will put in traffic calming measures in five neighbourhoods. Changes will be made on a trial basis for between 6 and 18 months while we monitor how the new layout is working and getting feedback from residents. If the trial is successful, we will make a decision about making the measures permanent.
The first low-traffic neighbourhood will be in Barkingside South. Filters, in the form of wooden planters, will be placed in carefully selected points across the area to stop vehicles passing through.
Why we are introducing low traffic neighbourhoods
We want to make it easier to social distance as well as encourage active travel such as walking and cycling in our neighbourhoods. By introducing these measures, we aim to make your streets quieter, greener, healthier and more relaxing.
The traffic calming measures will:
- Stop rat-running
- Stop speeding traffic
- Reduce traffic danger
- Improve air quality
- Enable our children to walk, wheel or cycle to school
- Enable all local people to live healthier lives
There is overwhelming evidence that air pollution increases both the number of coronavirus infections and the severity of the outcome.
A key way to reduce air pollution and improve health in Redbridge is to enable residents to walk and cycle.
How you may be affected
All addresses within the area will remain accessible by car, although you may need to take a different route and your journey time may increase slightly. We recognise that this may be an inconvenience for some residents, but low traffic neighbourhoods are for everyone, including those who do not drive.
Everyone in the borough deserves to feel safe on our streets and protected from the deadly impacts of exposure to motor traffic. We understand that some people cannot walk or cycle, and that some residents will need to continue to use public transport or a car. By encouraging walking and cycling among those who can, we will help reduce congestion and the demand on services for those who can’t, increasing inclusive and fair access for all users.
Reduction of overall traffic
Low traffic neighbourhoods do not simply shift traffic from one place to another but lead to an overall reduction in the numbers of motor vehicles on roads. This has been observed in numerous low traffic neighbourhoods across London. In Walthamstow, for example, there were 10,000 fewer vehicles every day and an overall area reduction in traffic of 16% after filters were put in place in 2015.
This is why we are making changes across your whole neighbourhood. By putting in several carefully placed filters across the whole area, through traffic has no other option but to stay on the main roads.
