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Following the successful experimental Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in Maryland and Odessa, Newham Council has decided to make the schemes permanent.

Since launching the LTN scheme in August 2020 we have been collecting feedback from local people via our map-based survey on Commonplace. Between August 2020 and July 2021 over 1500 people shared their views on the scheme via Commonplace and provided over 2000 comments.

This feedback has been vital in helping us understand how the scheme is functioning on the ground and is now being analysed to help inform the next stages of the scheme.

If you’ve not yet shared your views on the scheme, here’s how you can continue to get involved:

Since the introduction of the LTN scheme in August, we have been carrying out regular site visits and reviewing feedback received from residents to address any issues and consider what improvements can be made.

This has included placing additional signage to help drivers navigate the area, installing more bollards to increase compliance at certain modal filter locations, and providing more information on the Commonplace website for particular areas of interest.

As part of our review of the scheme and in response to local feedback, we will be making some significant changes and will be installing additional modal filters in both Area 1 and Area 2 in the next few weeks.

As part of our weekly analysis of the feedback we receive through the Commonplace website, we look for common themes among the comments from local people. This is to ensure we’re able to address key concerns or areas of interest and provide reassurance that we are listening to feedback.

Over the past couple of weeks, as most of the work has been completed, we have seen an increase in comments regarding access for all, whether that be residents, delivery drivers, the emergency services or less mobile residents. This news update focuses on this topic to provide more detail on access and what we have looked at when developing the scheme. However, please remember you can continue to provide feedback on the Commonplace website if there are specific issues you would like to highlight.

The fundamental aims of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme are to reduce the impact of traffic on local residents, reduce road danger, and encourage and support more people to walk, cycle and use sustainable forms of transport. This can be achieved by using modal filters to reduce the number of motorised vehicles (such as cars, vans, motorbikes etc) that use residential areas as ‘cut throughs’ from the main roads, and to encourage local people to make local journeys by different means, if they can, than simply jumping in the car because it is the convenient thing to do.

By reducing traffic volumes and speeds, we make roads safer for the many people who use them, such as children walking, scooting or cycling to school, people who walk and cycle locally more generally, and for those who would like to take up cycling or walk to places but do not feel safe or comfortable to do so.

Encouraging more people to walk, cycle, and generally be more active, has a wide range of individual and collective benefits including improved public health, improved productivity and reduced pressure on public transport and health systems.

We do of course realise that some people can’t walk, cycle or use public transport and rely on private vehicles to get around. We also know that some journeys that continue to be made by car or private vehicle may be slightly longer as a result of the changes. This is also why we ensure that absolutely all properties remain fully accessible by motor vehicle, to ensure residents with limited mobility continue to have vehicle access should they need it.

It should however be noted that there are many disabled and less mobile residents who do not have access to a private vehicle, and around 50% of overall residents, in both Newham and Waltham Forest, do not have access to a car, and so changes like this will have a significant positive impact on how a large number of people move around their local area. In the longer term, as more people use alternative modes of transport for those shorter journeys, where they can, this frees up road space for those who really need it. However, if you do have specific access needs or concerns, please contact your council directly to discuss this in more detail.

For those who are more reliant on travelling by private motor vehicle, such as less mobile residents, we also know that parking availability can be as much of an issue, if not more so, than changes to access routes. If you have any specific parking related concerns, particularly if they pre-date the scheme, please contact your council directly. For example, you may be eligible for a disabled parking bay near your home which may help with local access.

We know Emergency Service access can be a concern and we need to make sure that they can continue to provide a vital service for the community. Both councils work closely with the Emergency Services on all schemes to ensure they are fully consulted, and a few adjustments have been made to this scheme in response to Emergency Service feedback. Most notably this is why some of the road closures do not include physical measures to prevent access, so that the emergency services continue to have a number of unobstructed routes within the area. Please be assured that we continue to liaise regularly with the Emergency Services to ensure the scheme is working for them and any significant issues are identified early.

It’s been a month since the launch of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme for Maryland, Forest Gate and South Leytonstone - during this time, we have been finalising the installation of the scheme.

Now that the majority of the modal filters are in place, people can see how the scheme works on the ground and tell us about their experience. It’s important to highlight that, in the short term, when a new scheme is launched, there can be some disruption as it takes a little while for people to get used to the changes, and to adjust their journeys and the way they travel.

As part of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) currently underway, Waltham Forest Council will begin the construction of ‘modal filters’ at five locations in South Leytonstone (Blenheim Road, Odessa Road, Ramsay Road, Thorpe Road and Hesketh Road) on Tuesday 1 September 2020.

The work will take approximately 1 to 2 weeks to complete and involves installing planters or signs at these locations to stop motorised vehicles from travelling through while still allowing access for walking and cycling.

The modal filter being installed on Odessa Road will be enforced by CCTV and there will be a gap between the planters to allow access for emergency vehicles only. All other motorised vehicles will not be allowed to travel through these modal filters and will be issued with a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) if they do.

To allow us to carry out the work safely and on time, we ask that people avoid parking in the works areas. There will be barriers, signs and traffic cones that show where parking is prohibited, and illegally parked vehicles will receive Penalty Charge Notices (PCN) and may be removed.

If you have any questions relating to these works please do not hesitate to email us at enjoy@walthamforest.gov.uk.

It’s been three weeks since the launch of the LTN scheme and we’ve already had a great response, with over 400 local people taking part to share their views on the scheme.

The LTN scheme will introduce new modal filters on certain roads, as part of the joint-borough commitment to prevent traffic from cutting through this area, which will create a better street environment for walking and cycling; and for social distancing. To reflect the new road layout, we will be placing wooden planters and new traffic signs, updating road markings, and installing enforcement cameras where required.

Area 2 is bounded by Cann Hall Road, Dames Road, Woodgrange Road, Forest Lane and Leyton Road. A total of twelve modal filters are proposed; seven of these are in Newham and five are in Waltham Forest. Works started on 24 August 2020 on the seven modal filters in Newham, which are located on Bow Street, Ash Road, Buckingham Road, Odessa Road (South), Wooder Gardens, Field Road and Clinton Road.

Newham Council’s appointed contractor (Ringway Jacobs) will be carrying out the works, which will take approximately five working days to complete, subject to weather conditions. During this time there may be some disruption, although we will try to minimise this as far as possible. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your patience while we carry out the works.

We would like to announce that on Monday 17 August we will start works in Area 1 of the Newham and Waltham Forest Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) . These works will introduce new modal filters in the area by placing large wooden planters on certain roads. This is part of the joint-borough commitment to prevent traffic from cutting through this area, and as a result aims to create better street environments for walking and cycling, and for social distancing.