Reform UK fulfils pledge to scrap LTNs in its council spaces as none exist

Reform UK’s pledge to take away all low-traffic neighbourhoods from the council spaces it controls seems to be to be accomplished in document time after the 10 native government stated they don’t in fact have any in position.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s chair, stated ultimate week there can be a “large-scale reversal” of current LTNs within the 10 spaces throughout England the place the celebration received regulate of the councils in native elections on 1 May.

“We view these schemes with the same suspicion as mass immigration and net zero,” Yusuf instructed the Telegraph, including: “You can expect, if you live in a Reform council, for there to be a much higher bar for any proposals for LTNs and for the large-scale reversal of these existing LTNs.”

The Guardian contacted the councils now run by means of Reform – Derbyshire, Doncaster, Durham, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire and West Northamptonshire – and so they all stated that they had no such schemes.

LTNs are site visitors interventions that clear out smaller, residential roads the usage of both bodily boundaries like bollards and planters or numberplate-recognition cameras to forestall motor cars the usage of them as by way of routes.

While the broader thought of the usage of what are referred to as modal filters to make residential roads more secure for strolling and biking has been used intermittently for many years, the branding as LTNs most often refers to schemes presented from 2020, when the Conservative executive inspired councils to put in them.

Some of those LTNs had been installed temporarily, bringing court cases about site visitors displaced to boundary roads and a few congestion. However, research of LTNs, together with one commissioned by means of Rishi Sunak’s LTN-sceptical executive, have normally discovered they paintings smartly and are common.

Asked concerning the loss of LTNs within the spaces they run, a Reform spokesperson pointed to mapping information appearing the percentage of roads throughout the council spaces now not open to through-traffic. However, this may additionally rely longer-established non-LTN roads with out by way of site visitors, similar to cul-de-sacs and housing estates. It isn’t recognized whether or not Reform plans to open those up as by way of routes.

Reform has additionally pledged to sack council team of workers running on variety problems or efforts hooked up to internet 0, even though it’s unknown what number of team of workers this may in fact contain. Some councils, similar to Lincolnshire, have stated they have got no variety team of workers.

A Liberal Democrat supply stated: “Reform are utterly clueless about how to run a council. From councillors who won’t take up their seats to schemes that don’t exist, it’s clear that they don’t understand the needs of their communities.

“Now they have some power, they need to learn how to Google things first. Liberal Democrats will be holding Reform’s feet to the fire and standing up for our communities.”