Campaigners In Moseley in south Birmingham, and in Islington, north London, claim that new traffic schemes designed to create safer and more environmentally-friendly environments for walkers and cyclists have done the opposite, increasing traffic congestion and risking the safety of non-motorists.
“The traffic has exploded, so that what was a quiet street before this measure has now been wrecked by all the traffic now being pushed onto one road”, says Sheila Blain, a schoolteacher living on Woodfield Road in Moseley, one of Birmingham City Council’s experimental LTNs set up in August. Sandwiched between two main roads, she says the streets in her neighbourhood are often used as “rat-runs” for through traffic.
Taking advantage of the government’s £250m emergency funding pot announced in May, the Council drafted plans to end the problem. Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders bypass the usual consultation requirements and were used in this instance – as in other cities – to implement new traffic layouts over the summer.
