Transport for London (TfL) suppressed taxpayer-funded research that showed low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) do not reduce car use, it has been reported.
TfL, which is under Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's control, chose not to publish a University of Westminster study after it found the controversial traffic relocation schemes helped to increase cycling but failed to encourage people to drive less or walk more, according to the Times.
Sir Sadiq has repeatedly pushed the scheme's green credentials, claiming that LTNs help to reduce traffic.
But the Travel and Places study, obtained by The Times, suggested people were still as likely to get in their cars.
Emails between Transport for London and the university show that officials were concerned about the report’s results coming out, the newspaper reported.
The correspondence discussed how they might present the findings in the most positive light before a decision was made not to publish, the Times said.
An official is said to have reminded others in one email that “all of this stuff is FoI-able” (available under freedom of information laws) before reassuring them that no one outside TfL yet knew about the study.
Funding to finish the three year, £82,095 project was withdrawn in June last year after the study had been under way for two years.
TfL said the data had failed to offer sufficient new insights - despite the groundbreaking finding that LTNs do not reduce car use.
Critics suspect the report was buried because officials did not want the findings to surface.
John Stewart, of the campaign group Social and Environmental Justice, told the times: “The failure to publish is a serious omission because it could have helped inform decision-makers. Councils and local councillors often support LTNs because they believe or are told that they are green and help reduce air pollution but this study hugely undermines that argument.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting high-quality research that helps us understand how our policies and programmes are working for Londoners. This particular study was initially funded to explore the impacts of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), but following a review of the second year’s findings, we concluded that the data did not offer sufficient new insights to justify further investment in continuing the survey.
"We remain confident that LTNs can reduce traffic levels in the area, making streets safer and enabling more walking and cycling. We will continue to monitor and evaluate the impacts of LTNs and other active travel schemes to ensure they are delivering benefits for all Londoners.”
