LTN or London travelling nowhere

[Bper]

A London bus took two hours to travel three miles through congestion fuelled by a new low-traffic neighbourhood, 

Traffic has reportedly become so bad around the Streatham Wells Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) that buses have to be diverted at peak times, or navigate through the zone itself, to avoid gridlock. (TfL) data has revealed one bus took 121 minutes to travel 2.9 miles as the A23, which runs along one side of the LTN, became so overwhelmed.
The Times reports the bus was expected to take 29 minutes and it would have been twice as quick for passengers to walk.
Stephen Hall, who runs the Streatham Stuff website, has warned buses on the High Road are “still regularly getting stuck for an hour in the Congestion it was also reported that 40 buses were stacked up behind each other due to this LTN.

Well they prove they work then.🤬

[Cyker]

Yup, that's the new slogan: "TFL - Bringing London to a standstill!"

 

 

[Bper]

Residents say this is the worst traffic they have seen. Ambulances were stuck and couldn't get through. If this madness isn't stopped London will literally come to a complete gridlock.🤬

[Big_D]

25 minutes ago, Bper said:

If this madness isn't stopped London will literally come to a complete gridlock.

And the goal of no cars in London would have been achieved.

[Haliotis]

The so-called “highways experts” who design road layouts, create chicanes, road closures in residential areas, one-way streets, etc., and all in the interests of “road safety and the environment”.  What they DO achieve are delays as described above, and exceptional increases in air pollution.

Years ago, on my daily commute across Leicester, like many other motorists I used to cut through byroads in order to avoid congestion.  Then the know-all boffins declared these roads as rat-runs and created blockages that drove everyone onto the main carriageways.  After that, if there was a vehicle breakdown at a peak period, the traffic just piled up, and even the knowledgeable local drivers had nowhere to go.

[Mjolinor]

I am sick of replacing road springs. I do at least one every couple of months.

There is not a speed bump in Burnley that I can go over at more than 10 MPH, change down to get up them and freewheel down the other side. It just adds more hills to the Pennines.

[Benzowner]

LTN's are put in place to justify Mayor Kahn's low emissions zone. Make the traffic stand still and look how polluting it is. 😂

[Bper]

While there is no official record of the exact number, it is estimated that there are around 300 low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) currently implemented or planned across the UK. Here are some of the towns and cities that have implemented the largest number of LTNs are found in London, particularly in boroughs like Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Hounslow, Lambeth, Newham, and Waltham Forest.

 Oxford: In 2020, Oxford introduced several LTNs in areas including Cowley, Jericho, and Summertown.

Bristol implemented its first LTN in 2020 in the Easton area and has since expanded the scheme to other parts of the city.

Manchester is currently piloting LTNs in several areas, including Levenshulme and Withington.

Birmingham has also begun introducing LTNs in areas like Bordesley Green and Moseley.Sheffield is planning to introduce LTNs in several areas, including the city centre and Kelham Island.

These LTNs may well be coming to your town no doubt as soon as they can be implemented.🤬

[Haliotis]

Don’t the local authorities realise that, as they introduce more signs and road markings, they are increasing the necessary maintenance in cost and labour to keep the signs and markings legible and adequate for safety?

My C-HR responds to road markings when the lane guidance system is in operation, and I imagine “driverless” vehicle will use the same facilities.  In many areas, road markings are already becoming worn and unclear - if we are expected tyo abide by them, then they need to be kept maintained, so let them be the priority rather than imposing additional signs and markings which are not really helping road safety.

[Roy124]

@Haliotis quite.  We have one spot near us.  It is an area off an A1 flyover.   It has grown up into a huge service area but is not signed as a Service Area.   On the North side is BP and McDs.  On the South side, Esso, Burger King, Lorry Park and Gregg's and Travel Lodge.  Then to the East of the roundabout a huge lorry park with facilities.  School buses drop in twice a day with parents' cars added to the mix.

The road markings have gone.  The roundabout lane surfaces destroyed by the trucks. Bollards regularly flattened.

And to add to the mix, the entrance and exit lanes permit through traffic.  

[Bper]

27 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

@Haliotis quite.  We have one spot near us.  It is an area off an A1 flyover.   It has grown up into a huge service area but is not signed as a Service Area.   On the North side is BP and McDs.  On the South side, Esso, Burger King, Lorry Park and Gregg's and Travel Lodge.  Then to the East of the roundabout a huge lorry park with facilities.  School buses drop in twice a day with parents' cars added to the mix.

The road markings have gone.  The roundabout lane surfaces destroyed by the trucks. Bollards regularly flattened.

And to add to the mix, the entrance and exit lanes permit through traffic.  

There are three roads to ruin; women, gambling and  planners. The most pleasant is with women, the quickest is with gambling, but the surest is with planners .😂

[Cyker]

11 hours ago, Haliotis said:

Don’t the local authorities realise that, as they introduce more signs and road markings, they are increasing the necessary maintenance in cost and labour to keep the signs and markings legible and adequate for safety?

Ah, they have thought of that - Their solution: Don't bother maintaining them until a) Enough people complain or b) Someone is injured and/or killed as a direct provable result

It saves them loads of money a year!  

[Big_D]

And generates more money in the form of fines when these signs are disobeyed by innocent motorists,

[Gren]

On 3/4/2024 at 8:56 AM, Haliotis said:

Don’t the local authorities realise that, as they introduce more signs and road markings, they are increasing the necessary maintenance in cost and labour to keep the signs and markings legible and adequate for safety?

In Dundee the road markings are wearing off even before the LEZ scheme goes live...

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/4912552/dundee-lez-markings-wear-away/

[Bper]

2 hours ago, Gren said:

In Dundee the road markings are wearing off even before the LEZ scheme goes live...

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/4912552/dundee-lez-markings-wear-away/

Hi Ken, Hopefully the ULEZ markings will disappear completely along with the policy..☹️

[Haliotis]

23 hours ago, Big_D said:

And generates more money in the form of fines when these signs are disobeyed by innocent motorists,

And probably get back-handlers from local funeral parlours? 😗

[Bper]

low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) trial in Streatham has been suspended with immediate effect following disruption to bus services and ahead of construction work.

It comes after London mayor Sadiq Khan said the Streatham Wells LTN was ‘causing huge problems’.

However, Lambeth Council said the LTN, which involved camera-enforced traffic filters to stop through traffic using certain roads, had ‘met its objectives’You couldn't make this up.

[Roy124]

I had a day trip to London on Thursday,  by train etc.  I was very surprised,  no protests, possibly fewer people and it took less than 30 minutes from arrival at KX, tube to Green Park, bus to Hyde Park, and a couple of 100 yards to my meeting. 

On return not so good thank you Khun*.  They stopped bus maps a few years ago AFAIK.  TFL advised a 91 from Strand to Euston and, I think 38, to KX.  Imagine my annoyance when the 91 continued to KX.  Mind you, walking, I got to KX about the same time.

Next month, same journey but by car 😞

[Cyker]

I wouldn't recommend it, especially if you have to go inside the A406! The outer boroughs aren't so bad but the inner ones have made driving a significantly more miserable experience in a few short years. Parking especially is a royal pain in the smeg.

Right now is an especially bad time - It's nearing April, so all the councils are burning money on random road works everywhere with no thought to location and how they affect traffic, and those combined with LTNs, roads narrowed by cycle lanes, and the rest of it is sending congestion through the roof in random places and it changes day to day; You could get through a short book waiting if you're unlucky and get stuck in one of those congestion hotspots!

If you're just touristing then public transport is the way to go - London for all its faults does have a very good public transport system that even KHAAAAN hasn't managed to smeg up yet, and it's relatively cheap (I didn't realise how much until I saw the bus fares some outside London have to pay!  ), and they go anywhere you're likely to want to tourist  

 

[Roy124]

 

Next month, same journey but by car 😞

Parking no problem,  Mayfair Car Park.  Bus and tube are a no-no, MiL is 99.  Once we park up,  short walk Tee and Pee then taxi.

Plan to leave after 1800.

[Cyker]

Oooh you must have deep pockets for the parking charges in that part of London!!  

It's around £10 an hour in some parts, although they often cap it around £50 so if you're staying all day it's not as bad a rip-off   Not sure what's more of a rip-off between them and airport short-stay charges...!

[Roy124]

£45 and MiL is paying for the convenience, then taxi both ways IRO £28-£35.

Last year, on a weekend,  it was £15 all day.

[Bper]

4 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

£45 and MiL is paying for the convenience, then taxi both ways IRO £28-£35.

Last year, on a weekend,  it was £15 all day.

Roy, I was happy paying to get out of London after 22 years yet alone paying to go back. 

[Mojo1010]

One council handed out 170000 PCN since the scheme. Multiply by £80 in London = £13.6M. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68588254

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68511760

[Bper]

Apparently from responses, received last year, that covered 105 local authorities and showed that 189 LTNs were installed since March 2020 and 52 (28 per cent) have since been removed.25 Jun 2023.

Regardless they will no doubt be restructured in a different way and reintroduced. Failing this Pay-Per-Mile will take over, but still be sold to the public under the green agenda and clean air policies.😠