Your article about low-traffic neighbourhoods (Mythbusters: eight common objections to LTNs – and why they are wrong, 16 November) paints an idyllic and, in my experience, unrealistic picture. I live in a street that has been blocked by planters and a bollard. My neighbours and I feel like prisoners in a blockaded zone. It was not a rat run before, but now traffic has increased as it tries to find a way around the maze of closed roads. An elderly neighbour has missed two hospital appointments as the taxi service she uses couldn’t reach her or the hospital on time. A disabled neighbour has had three food deliveries delayed or cancelled as drivers have been unable to park nearby.
Boundary roads are now clogged with idling cars, generating more pollution. Increases in walking and cycling are of course to be encouraged, but LTNs are not the answer, especially during a pandemic, when commuters are avoiding public transport. Plans for a greener future need to considered thoroughly with the direct input of local residents, rather than councils dictating ill-considered plans.
Laurence Kaye
Ealing, London
