Councillors Chas Booth, Katrina Faccenda, and Adam Nols-McVey have requested that the Leith Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) be made permanent. The decision was made after a 6-month and 12-month report showed a reduction in vehicle traffic in the area.
Joseph Sullivan reported in the Edinburgh Evening News the councillors cited strong empirical data and personal feedback as major driving factors for their decision.
“Some say the LTN has made motor traffic worse in parts of the scheme, but the evidence before you, in the 12-month monitoring report and the 6-month report, is that levels of traffic are down across the whole community.
“Particularly powerful are the emails from parents highlighting the difference this has made for them and their children getting around safely.”
Furthermore, a survey conducted by the council over the past year showed that 74 per cent of locals either supported or strongly supported the LTN changes.
That said, a separate survey conducted by the community council painted a more divided picture, with only 40 per cent in favour and 34 per cent of respondents opposing the new initiative.
The report also criticised the findings of the 6 and 12-month traffic reports and suggested that more needed to be done to measure how the implementation of the LTZ would affect traffic levels just outside it.
To this point, the report further suggested further consultation of residents living on the boundary roads of the LTZ.
The ongoing traffic project called Leith Connections is part of the City Mobility Plan 2021-2030. One of its aims is to reduce congestion and promote more sustainable mobility options. It was only in March 2023 when Leith saw the completion of the tram line that connects the area to the city centre and Newhaven.
The request by the three councillors will be discussed by the Transport Regulators sub-committee on 18 February.
“Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) trial of a modal filter in the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames” by Jack Fifield is licensed under CC BY 2.0.