London officials shelved study on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods after finding no reduction in car use

A study into London's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) was shelved by Sir Sadiq Khan’s team after the research found LTNs did not reduce car use, even as cycling rose. The project, commissioned by Transport for London and conducted by the University of Westminster, cost about £82,095 and was funded for a planned three-year period before funding was withdrawn in June of the previous year. Officials discussed how to frame the results to support the mayor’s public position on LTNs and considered ways to shield the findings from wider scrutiny.

The research surveyed more than 4,500 residents about their travel patterns in the preceding week and cross-referenced responses with the share of roads under LTNs. The results showed that while LTNs correlated with increased cycling, car usage remained largely unchanged and walking levels showed little impact. In internal discussions, officials suggested that the project did not offer new or valuable information and thus did not warrant publication, even as they acknowledged the potential to publish a contextual summary later if needed. One line from an email indicated a recognition that the materials were “FoI-able” and could be released via a Freedom of Information request, though it was noted this seemed unlikely given the narrow awareness of the study outside the transport department.

Officials publicly attributed the decision not to publish to the report being “full of jargon” and inaccessible to the general public, according to an official statement. However, correspondence with the University of Westminster suggested the conclusions were described as “underwhelming” by one researcher, who proposed offering TfL a “suitably contextualised and caveated summary” for public release if needed. The timing of the withdrawal raised questions about whether policy messaging had outrun empirical findings, particularly as TfL had previously framed LTNs as a tool to reduce traffic and emissions.

The Times reported additional concerns linked to LTNs in practice. In the Streatham Wells LTN area, residents and local businesses described congestion and delays after its introduction in October 2023. Data cited by the Department of Transport indicated that the A23, which runs along the western edge of the LTN, became so congested that buses took as long as 121 minutes to travel about 2.9 miles around the corridor. Some routes were diverted around the LTN during rush hour, while another route cut through it, underscoring the real-world frictions associated with the schemes. The Mail contacted the Mayor of London and TfL for comment on the report and the broader LTNs program.

Campaign groups reacted strongly to the disclosure. John Stewart, of the Social and Environmental Justice campaign, criticized the decision to suppress publication, arguing that it deprived decision-makers of information that could inform policy. He said the failure to publish was a serious omission because LTNs are often promoted as green and pollution-reducing tools, but the study’s findings would undermine that argument and mislead local leaders who rely on LTNs for air-quality and traffic-management goals.

Taken together, the episode adds to a broader London-wide debate over LTNs, highlighting a potential gap between environmental policy rhetoric and observed traffic outcomes. While the Westminster study suggested higher cycling rates under LTNs, the absence of a measurable reduction in car use challenges claims that LTNs alone meaningfully lower vehicular emissions. The handling of the report—its funding, presentation, and the decision not to publish—illustrates the tension between political messaging and empirical evidence in urban climate and transportation policy.