The figure is bus users. Not general population.
I see, thanks.
Yes, they’ve put sources for the numbers at the bottom, unfortunately you can’t click the links from the image!
The 50% figure means households have 2 working people with 1 car to share also I believe the multiple car households are skewing the 50% figure (and a lot of retired people have multiple cars)
NewsShopper reports on last night’s Overview and Scrutiny Business panel meeting at Lewisham council where some Councillors questioned the Covid-19 transport measures:
The video of the meeting can be found here: http://councilmeetings.lewisham.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=121&MId=6330
Councillor Luke Sorba asks ‘three’ questions raised by his Telegraph Hill constituents at 13 minutes into the video.
First he asked how long the temporary traffic orders would last, and when consultation on permanent changes would begin. Next he asked what consultation had taken place with the emergency services prior to the measures. Then he said:
"There’s a claim being made that some of our measures, rather than reducing traffic, are displacing it from one set of streets to another, and there’s a rather alarming suggestion being made that in one part of our borough [it’s] being displaced from the more affluent streets to the more deprived streets,”
And finally he asked what processes are in place to “measure the effect of these measures”.
NewsShopper writes up the responses to these three questions nicely in their article:
It is interesting to see Mr Sheehan deferring answers on details and specifically dates of the road closure schemes to the head of highways and transport, Louise McBride, but that she was unable to give any dates or definitive time frame for the assessment, consultation or even the duration of these schemes, instead talking generally about “taking a future review point” and the maximum duration of the temporary traffic orders.
Would be great to have some detail on that claim
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They will ask the affected council members if they think traffic has gone down and if it has it becomes permanent
Hopefully you are not serious. What about streets where there is no resident councillor?
They only had enough money to carry out a small survey and sadly that means only certain streets were surveyed (maybe in a little jaded - I’ve had 5 sets of roadworks on my street this month)
They report proposals were abandoned in Harrow. Councillor Paul Osborn, the leader of Harrow Conservatives, said the suggestions “had not been particularly well thought through” and pointed to an online consultation that attracted 1,192 comments from concerned residents.
“There’s no real demand from residents. Lots are, in fact, against the schemes. So they just end up being taken away anyway, and wasting a lot of money in the meantime,” he said.
Under photographs of Manor Lane, Lewisham and Oxford, the article includes: “They’re justifying this as a way of helping the city out of Covid,” the veteran hotelier and restaurateur Jeremy Mogford says. “The truth is that it’s going to make it far more difficult”. Besides the bus gates, planned new parking and loading restrictions and further pedestrianisation would create still more pressure on trade, he says.
“It’s as if the extreme end of Extinction Rebellion has got some hold over the policy-makers. They’ve become zealots – they just don’t want motorised vehicles”.
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You can always find stories that align with whatever viewpoint you want to make a point. Here’s a Bloomberg article.
“Change is scary for everyone, especially for people who have been told their whole life that owning a car equals success…. and then the rules are changed, and it’s disincentivized. It must be really confusing, and not feel great. But I’m hoping that the fear of change will dissipate.”
The Telegraph is paywalled, I did find a nice (recent) article from the Mail about someone reluctantly admitting the health benefits of cycling but I’ll save them the free traffic.
Whilst that article is clearly an opinion piece in favour of LTNs, it does at least mention the other side of the argument. Some more quotes from that article:
The article is largely in favour though. The end paragraph gives a hint at the author’s “let’s stick it to the motorist” viewpoint (which appears to be common amongst LTN advocates):
This piece from Spiked also mentions the Lee Green LTN. They are certainly speaking out in Islington!
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That looks like a fair and balanced web site 
Honestly the irony is fabulous in protesting road closures.
protesters brought a major London artery to a standstill for the second time in two weeks
As I’ve said before people seem to be missing the point. The aim is not to forbid people from using cars, merely to change behaviour an provide safe alternatives to driving less than a couple of miles. But this is one of those topics where people will never change their mind. So around in circles we go!
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I don’t think many people are disputing the aim - we would all like less traffic, cleaner air, quieter streets and more exercise.
The problem is whether the changes being made actually achieve those goals, and that’s where the debate starts - at least in my view.
From watching the Lewisham’s Overview and Scrutiny Business panel meeting, it was apparent that there is, and was, no real plan to consider these changes, or monitor the effect. When asked about the impact of these changes, Kevin Sheenan (executive director for housing, regeneration and public realm) only spoke generally, deferring the detail to Louise McBride (head of highways and transport). Again, she could provide no dates, prior results, metrics, or details on traffic prior to the changes or after them. She spoke generally about “taking a future review point” but gave no solid timeframe for that, and while air quality monitoring stations were discussed, it was said that there are currently only 3 in the whole of Lewisham, though they do intent to place more - again with only a general description of when and what they would be assessing.
Clearly these changes have a huge impact on resident’s lives, both those that may now enjoy a quieter street, and those who actually are seeing more ‘displaced’ traffic right now (as admitted by Mr Sheehan) or whose lives are being made more difficult, or even find their livelihood under threat.
To rush such measures on such a huge scale without any consultation, oversight, and plans for review seems reckless. Using covid as an excuse seems dishonest.
I think that is why many people are upset. Not because they don’t agree with the goals.
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There are plenty of road changes that the council could implement that would greatly benefit the residents of SE23, we have voiced our opinions on speeding cars, traffic crossings, air and noise pollution in our roads etc to them for them to hear our concerns.
These have been ignored.
Instead the council have opted to put in these opinion-divisive bollards everywhere without neighbourhood consultation. The money could be better spent implementing long-term traffic arrangements that really would improve the enjoyment of the resident’s roads, I personally just don’t think road closures is the answer but better traffic management could be (one-way streets to widen the roads for cycling, and reduce rat racing in both directions).
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A fire engine, stuck due to the residential road closures implemented haphazardly by a London council without consultation:
Can the LTN advocates see how serious this situation is, now? Lives are literally under direct threat.
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Presumably there’s a way in that isn’t blocked by a planter.
In many streets which are closed to through traffic, there is a gate to which the emergency services have a key.
Yeah this isn’t the first time a road has been closed off… From the Twitter thread it looks like a) the council consulted the emergency services on placement before they put them there as I presume is the case for all bollards and b) the car blocking the way could be on double yellows.
How would anyone know, if they’re guided by a map or by satnav? None of these planters are visible on either.