The council recently published its Monitoring Strategy which sets out how it will monitor the low traffic neighbourhoods introduced as part of the council’s emergency transport response to the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.
Today, the council is able to share early results of the independent traffic assessment undertaken as part of the project’s first review stage whilst data validation continues. Traffic counts were taken across a seven-day period in October this year and compared with a baseline calculated using data from previous years, as well as considering background traffic data for the wider London network.
The figures are startling, showing that as well as an overall reduction in traffic of 27% across the whole area:
- Car traffic levels are down on the majority of roads that bound the LTN including Effra Road (-18%), Dulwich Road (-9%), and Milkwood Road (-14%). Car traffic levels rose 6% on Coldharbour Lane.
- Traffic levels are significantly down on the vast majority of the roads inside the LTN (e.g. car traffic down by 62% and goods vehicles down by 51%)
- Car traffic levels are down on Shakespeare Road (-56%) and HGV levels on the northerly end of Shakespeare Road are slightly down too by 5%
- Cycling levels are up 36% overall including 74% on Shakespeare Road and 50% on Railton Road
The traffic assessments have shown that some improvements to the scheme are needed to ensure that it is a fully functioning low traffic neighbourhood. The changes included in the list below will be implemented in January 2021:
- Adding no entry restrictions into Trelawn Road from Effra Road
- Adding no entry restrictions on Rattray Road and Dalberg Road at their junctions with Jelf Road, meaning motor vehicles cannot travel southbound.
- Improvements to the signal phasing of the Coldharbour Lane /Atlantic Road junction to improve traffic flows along Coldharbour Lane.
The council will soon be bringing in an experimental traffic order to replace the temporary traffic order under which the LTN is currently in place.
The council will conduct a second review later on in the year which will again include an independent traffic assessment as well as including analysis on the impact of air quality.
Prior to any decision on whether the low traffic neighbourhood will be made permanent or not, the council will conduct a public consultation to gather feedback, which will be considered alongside the available data collected.
Notes:
The full stage one review will be published in the New Year and will be made available here https://rtstreets.commonplace.is/.
