Dr Rachel Aldred, Professor of Transport and Director of the University's Active Travel Academy, and Asa Thomas, PhD Student in the Active Travel Academy research group, have been quoted in an exclusive article for The Guardian about their new research into low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs).
The piece discusses the findings of Thomas’s and Dr Aldred’s research, titled Changes in Motor Traffic Inside London’s LTNs and on Boundary Roads, which concludes that LTNs significantly reduce the number of motor vehicles within their boundaries with little changes on average on roads at their edges, suggesting they cause overall reductions in motor traffic.
The research, which The Guardian describes as “the most comprehensive study yet of such schemes in the UK”, was based on traffic count data before and after the installation of 46 LTNs in London, and found 32.7% reduction in motor traffic, when measured as the median, and a 46.9% drop, when calculated as the mean.
Thomas, who is also the lead author of the study, stated that the findings pointed to a significant drop in motor traffic within LTNs, along with “little indication of systematic displacement of this traffic to boundary roads”.
Dr Aldred said: “The research indicates there has been overall ‘traffic evaporation’ as a result of these schemes…This suggests that not only do LTNs have substantial benefits inside their boundaries, but they can also contribute to wider traffic reduction goals.”
Read the full article on The Guardian’s website.
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