Local authorities to decide on future of LTNs and 20mph speed limits

The Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has announced that decisions regarding traffic calming measures, road safety schemes, and 20mph speed limits should be managed by local authorities and not central government.

Haigh stated that England’s ‘local communities’ should determine the measures that would work best in their region.

Speaking to the ‘Streets Ahead Podcast’, she stated that local authorities have already given their ‘full support’ to the announcement.

Traffic calming measures such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) aim to reduce traffic in residential areas, while improving access for pedestrians and cyclists.

Roads with 20mph speed limits were introduced to improve safety.

However, both have come under criticism over the past few years, but Haigh stated she wanted to move away from ‘culture wars’ and deliver the best road network possible.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh commented: "It's really, really difficult for local authorities when they've not got that air cover from government. And not only did they not have the air cover, they had the government actively working against them saying 'No, you're not allowed to roll out 20mph zones, no, you're not allowed to roll out LTNs'.

"Those kinds of decisions should absolutely be made at a local level by communities and not dictated to or stoked up by the centre.

"It all has to be done with communities, absolutely, and the worst thing you can do is put the wrong schemes in because then it erodes that support, and they can be unsafe in some circumstances."

"We're certainly not shying away from the target of getting 50% short journeys walking and cycling and that will have to be delivered by local authorities, so anybody who wants to do that work, they'll have the Department for Transport's full backing."

• UK road marking – what they mean and what the Highway Code says
• LTNs – what are they? And will they appear nationwide?
• Do 20mh speed limits work?

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Ultimately, local authorities are best placed to decide which roads are most suitable for 20mph limits, and where Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) make the most sense.

“However, we think there's a good argument for central government to provide councils with refreshed, crystal-clear guidance on the implementation of both, to avoid the sorts of problems that have cropped up in different parts of the country.

"For instance, LTNs should have strong community support and the impacts on users of motorised vehicles, especially those who need to drive for work, should be properly considered alongside all other road users.

“When it comes to 20mph limits, councils should ensure the roads chosen are really appropriate – for instance, those in heavily built-up areas or close to schools – and avoid chopping and changing guidance as we've seen happen in Wales."