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A confidential University of Westminster report revealing that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods have failed to reduce congestion has been buried by TfL, raising doubts about London\u2019s green initiatives amid widespread commuter frustration and rising legal disputes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Sir Sadiq Khan\u2019s Transport for London (TfL) has reportedly buried a damning University of Westminster report exposing the true impact of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), contradicting the Mayor\u2019s repeated claims that these schemes would cut congestion and deliver environmental benefits. Despite commissioning the research, TfL deliberately suppressed the findings, which revealed that while LTNs may have increased cycling, they had virtually no effect on reducing car journeys or promoting walking. Internal communication shows TfL officials discussing how to reframe the results in a more palatable way, clearly more concerned with damage control than transparency. The funding was subsequently withdrawn, and the full report was kept under wraps\u2014its jargon-laden language and lack of “new insights” cited as reasons for its suppression. Yet, the truth persists: these schemes fail to deliver the promised congestion reduction, instead burdening hardworking commuters with longer delays and increased frustration.<\/p>\n
This clandestine move raises serious questions about accountability and whether Khan\u2019s green agenda is genuinely about benefiting Londoners or about pushing a flawed narrative. The research involved canvassing over 4,500 residents, revealing that although LTNs did boost cycling, car use remained stubbornly persistent\u2014undermining the Mayor\u2019s claim that these initiatives foster less car-dependent communities. Campaigners, including John Stewart of Social and Environmental Justice, have lambasted TfL for concealing the data, warning that the failure to publish the report sustains a misleading narrative that could influence policy decisions with little regard for the actual impact on the public.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chaos caused by LTNs continues to divide opinion and frustrate residents. The recent case of Streatham Wells, introduced in October 2023, exemplifies the chaos\u2014buses sluggishly crawling through gridlocked streets, with delays stretching up to two hours on less than three miles. Khan\u2019s admission that the scheme is \u201cnot working\u201d underscores what many Londoners already know: these schemes are causing unnecessary disruption and chaos. TfL data confirms extreme congestion on roads bordering the LTN, with peak-hour diversions turning into nightmares for commuters trying to get to work.<\/p>\n
Despite mounting evidence\u2014evidence Khan and TfL would prefer not to acknowledge\u2014the Mayor persists with plans to fund dozens more LTNs, cloaking them as environmentally necessary. It\u2019s a reckless move that ignores the real-world consequences faced by ordinary Londoners, especially when previous rushed implementations and insufficient public consultation have led to widespread discontent. Legal battles are now raging, with courts allowing boroughs to unilaterally remove LTNs without Mayor approval, exposing the depths of division and controversy swirling around these high-profile schemes.<\/p>\n
This ongoing saga highlights a broader failure of urban planning\u2014one where genuine community needs are sacrificed on the altar of dubious environmental promises. Conservative critics have long argued that Khan\u2019s policies are driven more by political ideology than practical solutions, with figures like Shaun Bailey vowing to dismantle these schemes altogether. For a Mayor touting supposed commitments to cleaner air and sustainable transport, Khan\u2019s handling of LTNs reveals little more than bureaucratic hubris and an unwillingness to listen to the very communities these policies are meant to serve. As Londoners continue to suffer the fallout from these failed schemes, the scandal of TfL\u2019s suppressed report just adds to the sense that Khan\u2019s green ambitions are more about political posturing than delivering tangible benefits for everyday commuters.<\/p>\n