Britain's Growing LTN Resistance

Britain is seeing an unprecedented rise in civil disobedience aimed at damaging Low Traffic Neighbourhood infrastructure imposed by local councils.

A Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) is when a planter, bollard or other form of modal filter is used to block off roads, resulting in lower vehicle traffic or the complete pedestrianisation of an area.

Since Rebel News UK reported on the mass leafletting in Oxford the British mainstream media have also been reporting on the growing resistance to the use of LTNs. In this report by Charlotte Briere-Edney for ITV, footage was shown of people damaging traffic planters and bollards which are obstructing Oxfords roads.

To address the growing wave of anger in Oxford and around the country the Oxfordshire County Council released a video on their YouTube channel which some have likened to a hostage video. In the bizarre 3 minute video, Councillor Liz Leffman the leader of the Oxfordshire County Council and Councillor Duncan Enright the Cabinet Member for Travel and Development Strategy, attempt to “set the record straight”.

The video has done little to calm opposition to the controversial trial of traffic filters in Oxford which many are calling undemocratic and unnecessary.
Critics of Oxfordshire County Council have begun to organise themselves online and there is a large scale protest planned for February 18th in Oxford.

One Oxford business owner who found himself negatively impacted by the use of LTNs has formed a popular group on Facebook called the ‘Anti LTN Hub UK’. 

Mr Pete White who runs the anti LTN Facebook group told Rebel News UK.

“I have been negatively affected by Oxford Councils use of LTNs. I run a small but busy business in the city and the blocking off of roads causes a lot of difficulties. The most frustrating part is all this being done undemocratically. Nobody voted for LTNs or for these traffic filters.
I set up Anti LTN Hub UK to bridge the gap between people who are being imprisoned by LTNs and ANPR camera policing zones. The Hub is a central point for all other nationwide groups to come together as one. Groups from all over the UK have joined and around the country local anti LTN groups are springing up everywhere.”

So far, the ‘Anti LTN Hub UK’ has more than a thousand members and is growing quickly as more and more local councils begin to bring in traffic reducing policies and installing LTNs. With local authorities reluctant to back track on the use of LTNs and other traffic reducing policies it’s expect that civil disobedience will increase as the British public resist what many are calling ‘undemocratic’ policies being forced upon them.