As an ecologist and a keen cyclist who has never owned a car, I should, in theory, be overjoyed by the introduction of low-traffic neighbourhoods to my city (What prompted my U-turn on LTNs? I realised I was on the same side as Laurence Fox, 17 April). In practice, my experiences with this innovation have been trying.
I live in Marston, a part of Oxford hit by all the inconveniences of LTNs and none of the benefits. Following the introduction of LTNs in Cowley, the main route across the city (from London Road to St Clement’s) became unbelievably congested. This has had an impact on public transport – coaches from London are being rerouted each afternoon (which previously only took place in case of an accident). If you’ve left your bike near one bus stop in the morning, chances are you’ll have to walk across town to pick it up on your way back. Two bus services from Marston to the city centre have been reduced to just one, at half the frequency – after all, what’s the point in having a more frequent service if the vehicles stand in traffic anyway? And since buses became unreliable, fewer people use them, leading to further cuts.
I love cycling, and I have a bike trailer for my kids, but there are times when a bus is the preferred option. Children can be too small or too big for the trailer; cycling on a rainy winter evening can be unpleasant and unsafe. Bikes break, injuries happen and walking takes too long. Not providing a better public transport system alongside the introduction of LTNs feels like punishing people who don’t want to use cars. Transport solutions need to be addressed holistically. While I’m happy for my friends in Cowley, who enjoy cleaner air and safer streets, here in Marston I feel increasingly frustrated and powerless.
Joanna Bagniewska
Oxford
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