Mayor Lutfur Rahman is accused of ignoring Government guidelines and the views of the public by his decision to remove Low Traffic Neighbourhoods from Tower Hamlets in a landmark road-safety case which starts tomorrow.
Pro-LTN campaign group, Save Our Safer Streets (SOSS) is challenging the Mayor’s removal of LTNs in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch last September on the grounds that it went against government guidelines.
The judicial review will take place over two days from tomorrow at the Royal Courts of Justice. Alongside the Mayor, campaigners and residents in Tower Hamlets will appear to give statements.
Jane Harris, a spokesperson for SOSS, said in a statement: “No local authority has previously removed a permanent low traffic scheme that has local support. Local people have repeatedly said they want to keep the Bethnal Green schemes and removal would be an appalling waste of £2.5m of public money which would be better spent on the housing, social care and schools Tower Hamlets residents urgently need.
“If the judge decides that any of our seven grounds are proven, then the mayor’s decision is likely to be cancelled by the court. We hope this will lead Tower Hamlets Council to rethink their plans and focus on the real priorities of local communities.”
Save Our Safer Streets are a grassroots volunteer led organisation comprised of Bethnal Green residents and business owners who have been lobbying the council for safe and ‘pedestrian friendly streets’ since July 2022.
“Legal action was our last resort”, Harris told ELL. “We tried to meet local coucillors and we tried to meet the Mayor but for two years he refused to meet us.
“Over three thousand people signed our petition asking them [Tower Hamlets Council] to reconsider ripping out the LTNS. It is the second biggest petition ever in council history”.
After launching a crowdfunder supported by residents at the borough, city and national level, Harris claims that the organisation has now raised ‘around £78,000’ to cover legal costs.
Lawyers from Leigh Day, the legal firm representing SOSS, will argue on seven grounds, including that the Mayor ‘ignored government guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods, ran a flawed consultation and decision-making process, and failed to properly consider if removing the LTN’s safer street layouts would be a good use of £2.5 million’.
Ricardo Gama, senior associate solicitor at Leigh Day, said in a statement: “Lutfur Rahman committed in his election manifesto to following a legal consultation process before deciding whether to remove the safer street layouts in Tower Hamlets.
“The High Court will hear why the procedure which he and the council followed appears to have been anything but that. Our client argues that by failing to comply with the legal safeguards for local government decision-making, Mr. Rahman and the council have ridden roughshod over the plurality of voices who live and work in Tower Hamlets, in particular the majority of households in the borough who don’t own a car.”
Mayor Rahman, whose council now is set to be supervised by government officials, came under fire last September for his decision to spend £2.5 million to remove LTNs in Old Bethnal Green Road, Colombia Road and Arnold Circus.
The Mayor justified his decision in a statement, claiming that “[LTNs] push traffic down surrounding arterial roads, typically lived on by less affluent residents. They are also a barrier for families to get around in what is the most densely populated place in the country”.
The decision was met by protestors outside Whitechapel Town Hall calling for the LTNs to be retained. Cabinet papers showed that 58% of local residents were in support of keeping the traffic calming measures, while 41% wanted to see them removed
Transport for London has also joined the case as an ‘Interested Party’, arguing that Tower Hamlets’ decision didn’t follow the ‘necessary legal processes and is at odds with the council’s Local Implementation Plan which had previously been agreed with the Mayor of London.’ Last year, it was reported that TFL withheld £1m from Tower Hamlets council in opposition to plans to axe LTNs in the borough.
“TfL’s involvement shows our cause has implications far beyond Tower Hamlets.” said Harris. We know the mayor of London has spoken in the past against Tower Hamlet’s decision and we’ve recently presented a petition asking him to step in to make sure the city’s transport policy stays joined-up.
LTNs were first introduced by London Mayor Sadiq Khan in 2020 during the pandemic to reduce traffic and air pollution in residential areas by preventing non-local cars driving through designated streets.
However, LTN’s have been blamed for causing more traffic and blocking emergency service vehicles. In March of this year, LTNs were suspended in Lambeth because a bus reportedly took more than two hours to travel less than three miles on the A23.
But Harris told ELL that “the ideas that it increases emergency services times are not true. The hospital trusts are actually in favour of the scheme because it’s got more people walking and cycling.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of old people who have lived on Bethnal Green Road for 50 years and they’ve said this is the first time they’ve felt safe walking to the shops
“I think it’s important that residents are listened to. That’s what’s been the most disappointing thing, that we’ve felt totally ignored. It’s dreadful when you live somewhere, and you feel like your local council have no interest in hearing what people’s actual everyday experiences are.
“This is a proud moment for our campaign, for the thousands who have helped us raise the funds to come to court and those who’ve spoken out in favour of keeping safer streets.
“Ultimately, our vision is to save our safer streets for everyone in our community, by keeping and improving the safer walking routes, community spaces, good cycle paths and healthier air we have now”.
