00:00 There is controversy in Tower Hamlets over the Mayor's decision to scrap the majority
00:04 of its low-traffic neighbourhoods, despite their popularity with the public.
00:09 The Mayor, Lutfur Rahman, has confirmed that vehicle restrictions in Columbia Road, Arnold
00:15 Circus near Brick Lane and Old Bethnal Green are to go.
00:19 Yet a consultation found 57.3% of residents wanted to keep the schemes, while just 41.7%
00:28 wanted them removed.
00:29 A low-traffic neighbourhood is one where systems have been put in place to reduce motor traffic.
00:35 This could be done with temporary or permanent barriers, like bollards or planters.
00:40 However, residents can still access their roads by car.
00:44 London has had LTNs since the 1970s, but there have been a flurry of schemes introduced since
00:50 2020.
00:52 When the pandemic saw people adopting more sustainable modes of transport, studies have
00:57 shown that low-traffic neighbourhoods reduce air pollution, while the Metropolitan Police
01:02 have reported that LTNs reduce antisocial behaviour.
01:06 Mayor Rahman was elected in 2022 on a pro-motorist platform and has argued that this gives him
01:13 a "resounding democratic mandate" to proceed with the scrapping of these pedestrianised
01:18 neighbourhoods.
01:19 Speaking in a meeting on Wednesday, he said that, while LTNs improve air quality in their
01:25 immediate vicinity, they push traffic down surrounding arterial roads, typically lived
01:30 on by less affluent residents.
01:33 The council has instead pledged $6 million to improve air quality.
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