Open letter to Cllr Clyde Loakes, Portfolio Holder for Environment, from one of our members.

The letter has been slightly abridged Dear Clyde,

As you tell residents to ‘follow the data’ when it comes to your LTN /road closure traffic schemes I have to ask why you do not do likewise? For example, I asked for the Coppermill LTN surveys results from Commonplace under a Freedom of Information request. I was given the following results:

The Local Ambulance Service on the 5th July 2020 objected to all physical road closures. The LAS also state London Fire Brigade also objected in a letter. As you can see the view is overwhelmingly against LTNs. I’m still waiting for you to supply the feedback from the disability organisation you’ve said you're consulting on the LTNs. If the reports are due to be published in 7 weeks time then you need to ask them now. Or are you going to do what you did with the emergency services last year and give them 3 working days notice before the consultation finishes, then announce that they were ’consulted’? Sustrans states on their page ‘A guide to the evidence around LTNS' that there’s already a report from Transport for all on the impacts of the 2020/21 LTNs with views from 85 disabled people , entitled PAVE THE WAY. It’ll save the bother and expense of ‘consulting’ a local group if you use it. The fact that you have already ignored local disabled residents' views doesnt bode well, so I can’t realistically believe you’ll do either. I have to really question why your wasting £76,479 on LTN assessments when no single group of resident or stakeholders want them and they're a danger to life? So are when are YOU going to follow the data and remove the LTNs?

I would also query why you put such faith in Westminster University’s ( rated 3 worst uni in Britain) , Professor Aldred's studies. Those academic studies that you blindly rely on as per this video.

Adlred video This is the person who was a trustee of the London Cycling Campaign 2012-18 and now sits on the Hackney LCC committee She publishes academic reports that are’ peer’ reviewed on a site called Findings. That is pretty much "pay to publish" as no data is properly checked or analysed. ( Charlie then goes on to criticise Rachel Aldred's research which Loakes relies on so heavily. See previous blog post on Impacts of 2020 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London on Road Traffic Injuries)

Charlie continues:-

Don’t you think it's odd that only a couple of ‘Academics’ in the whole of Great Britain produce any papers supporting LTNs and cycling schemes? And both of these people are die hard cycling campaigners? And the air pollution and congestion has gone up since Mini-Holland? You can’t deny this, they’re facts. Every time its mentioned, you display no interest in finding out the truth or answer any questions on the subject.