Residents claim council is ‘money-making’ from LTNs after raking in £50m in fines

Lambeth council has issued almost 400,000 penalty charge notices since introducing its Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in 2020.

And disgruntled residents have claimed the authority is “pushing through” new schemes without effective impact assessments or consultations as a way to simply fill gaps in its budget.

The claims follow a recent Freedom of Information Request which revealed Lambeth council handed out 392,341 penalty charge notices (PCNs) to drivers and motorcyclists who entered the LTN closed roads since they were introduced in 2020.

The figures, obtained by the Telegraph, show that if all fines were paid – at the £130 rate – the council would receive more than £50million across the four years since the zones were brought in.

The authority insists the LTNs make areas both safer and to improve residents’ quality of life.

Lambeth is now introducing a new set of traffic-related schemes in West Dulwich, including a Controlled Parking Zone, a ‘healthy route’ for people to walk and cycle and traffic management measures.

The traffic measures – which will block off six roads – were proposed by the council after residents raised concerns regarding their streets being used as cut-throughs from the South Circular road.

But Crispin Evans, 70, of Lancaster Avenue, said people in the area will be “substantially disadvantaged” if the measures are given the green light, as traffic will only be diverted into different roads, not stopped.

Mr Evans said: “Very few people in the area want the LTN. With traffic diverted down our roads there will be delays for carers and emergency vehicles.

“I can’t see any benefits from this other than money for the council.”

A spokesman for Lambeth council said revenue from fines was ringfenced and will be spent on transport projects. But Mr Evans said he had seen “no evidence” of this investment into the borough.

He said: “I haven’t seen a single Lambeth council worker fixing potholes in the area all this time.”

The council started three trial schemes on February 16 and has asked residents to give feedback during its initial period.

Almira Mohamed, 53, of Rosendale Road, said: “The cycle route goes through my road and now they want to make it into a boundary road to divert traffic down it. It doesn’t make any sense. They’re trying to rush too much through at once.”

The council said the proposals would reduce road danger and improve air quality in West Dulwich.

Ms Mohamed said: “Rosendale Road has high pollution levels and now they will get even higher – Lambeth are using general sustainability commitments as an excuse to make money.”

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “The LTNs in our borough have been introduced to make the areas safer, more sustainable and to improve the quality of life for everyone.

“The restrictions are clearly marked and fines are only issued when road rules are broken. We are pleased to see that the number of fines issued have been falling steadily since 2021, a trend we welcome and one that we expect will continue.

“We want people to change their behaviour and embrace the opportunities here to be more active and help cut pollution.”

Pictured top: Almira Mohamed lives in Rosendale Road, which will be effected by all three new schemes (Picture: Almira Mohamed)