Peter Underwood responds to our questions about "LTNs"
In the run up to the Mayoral Election on Thursday 5th May, we've been speaking to the candidates specifically about their views on the "LTN" schemes in Crystal Palace and South Norwood. We put the same questions to all of them.
Below are the responses from Peter Underwood, Green Party.
1) As a candidate, what do you understand about the impact of the LTNs on residents and businesses, for example, have you spoken to people or experienced difficulties first hand?
I have spoken to lots of people who live in and near LTNs in Croydon and elsewhere. I am also a member of a number of groups on social media where people discuss LTNs – although for some reason I have been excluded from the Open Our Roads group.
I knew that as soon as the Conservative Government decided to push Councils into imposing LTNs it would cause trouble. People don’t like having changes forced upon them, even if the changes are done for a good reason. This has resulted in people forming pro and anti LTN groups, with many members of both groups stopping listening to the other side and just hurling insults instead. This is why I don’t like discussing LTNs. We need to get together to discuss the bigger issue of reducing road traffic in order to reduce pollution, make our streets safer, and just stop London descending into gridlock. LTNs could form part of solving the problem but they are not the only tool available and I don’t want every discussion about reducing traffic ending up in another argument about LTNs.
2) Are you in favour of the LTNs (CHNs) in your area, most specifically the proposed ANPR schemes? Mayoral candidates are asked to consider all schemes.
Well-designed LTNs have been shown to reduce traffic in and around them but they are only one way of achieving this. Personally, I would like an LTN in my area as the normally quiet side streets are being used more and more by rat-runners, but this issue has only recently become more of a problem and I haven’t yet had chance to discuss it much with my neighbours for us to come to any firm conclusions.
3) Do you agree that the LTNs should be removed until Croydon Council has established evidence of a location specific need for change through monitoring, in line with industry best practice?
No. We should not be spending even more money either removing or putting in LTNs until we have had proper consultations with people and discussed the best way to reduce traffic.
4) If a need for traffic calming measures is identified do you agree that a range of possible solutions, not limited to LTNs, that proportionately meet the need should be put forward for consideration by the community?
Yes, definitely. LTNs are only one tool for reducing traffic and people need to look at all of the options before coming to a decision.
5) Croydon Council disregarded the 62% of residents who rejected the ANPR proposal for the Auckland Rd LTN, the 70% who rejected the proposals for Holmesdale Road and the 72% who rejected the proposals for Albert Road. Do you think the results of consultations should be honoured as part of a democratic process and to take public opinion with you?
Consultations are not votes – most Croydon Council ‘consultations’ are not even proper consultations.
In any consultation conducted like Croydon Council’s consultations (where people are presented with a proposal to agree or disagree with) people who are against the proposal are far more likely to speak out than those in favour, regardless of the subject. So having more responses opposed is a normal result, not a fair and accurate measurement of the feeling of all residents.
A truly democratic approach would be to present people with all of the options and have discussions about the merits and failings of them all, so people can come to a consensus about the best way to proceed – this is the way I intend to hold consultations if I am elected as Mayor.
6) Built into the design of the Auckland Road LTN, traffic was forced to divert through the narrow and winding streets in Bromley north on the borders of the Croydon LTN (Belvedere Road, Cintra Park, Patterson Road and Milestone Road). 99.3% of the residents of those streets who took part in the consultation wanted the LTN removed. What is your view on this?
Consultations should involve the people who are going to be directly affected. So if a Croydon proposal affects people in Bromley then those Bromley residents have a right to be heard in the consultation. Equally, the residents of Bromley who want traffic reduced in their area should not be ignored by Bromley Council, which is what is happening now.
Given the situation in London, we really need more of a London-wide approach to reducing traffic as the activity (or lack of it) in one Borough is likely to affect its neighbours. Also, improving our public transport system across London has to be part of the long-term solution. As your Mayor I would be working with the London Assembly to put pressure on the Mayor of London to support effective large scale changes that would support any local initiatives.
7) In light of Croydon’s bankruptcy and the fact these punitive schemes are intended to be revenue generating in times of a severe cost of living squeeze, what other alternatives would you propose to assist economic recovery in Croydon?
Data from 2021 showed that the average London driver lost 148 hours that year stuck in traffic. This is estimated to have cost the London economy over £5billion. So reducing traffic is a massive step to improving our economy.
I also believe in introducing the 15-minute-city concept to Croydon. This is the idea of making sure that work, schools, services, shopping, etc. can as far as possible be accessed within a 15 minute trip from where you live. This idea not only reduces the need to travel, and the length of those journeys, but also puts customers back into our local high streets and local businesses.
As Mayor I have also said that I want to take Council services away from multi-national corporations and give them back to small Croydon businesses. This will provide jobs and training opportunities for Croydon residents and also help prevent situations like the flats at Regina Road where residents were ignored by the massive an anonymous company that was supposed to be undertaking repairs. People are likely to get a better service if work is being done by your friends and neighbours and for your friends and neighbours.