Meet Edward, a dedicated cyclist whose journey through Lambeth's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has transformed not just his commute, but his entire perspective on urban living. Here we explore Edward's experiences and the wider impact of these innovative initiatives.
Edward embraces the joys of cycling through Lambeth's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Credit: J Bewley
A Dad鈥檚 cycling journey in low traffic neighbourhoods
Despite being a keen cyclist himself, the congested, polluted roads around Edward鈥檚 South London home had put him off cycling with his children.
However, a positive experience riding with his son through two local low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) designed by 色情Porn has changed that. Edward explains:
鈥淲e try to drive our car as little as possible, and I cycle everywhere on my own.
鈥淢y 10-year-old son plays lots of sport. He wasn鈥檛 terribly confident cycling on busy roads, and his sports clubs are too far away to walk, so we tended to jump in the car for those trips.
鈥淲hen our car broke down and we were without it for a week, we decided to try cycling together to his basketball clubs.
鈥淕etting to Forest Hill on a bike is a horrible ride.
鈥淭here鈥檚 lots of pollution, a steep hill and no protected cycle lane, even with a child there were trucks making close passes at speed.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 feel safe, so for this journey we went straight back to the car.
鈥淏ut we had a much better experience cycling to Clapham, mainly because of the low traffic neighbourhoods on the way.
Edward's story highlights the power of infrastructure in promoting active travel. Credit: J Bewley
Much safer, more pleasant and less polluted
鈥淚t鈥檚 a similar distance but you go through Brockwell Park and the Railton and Ferndale LTNs and there are other protected cycle lanes.
鈥淚t鈥檚 much safer, more pleasant and less polluted.
鈥淢y son feels so much happier cycling this route and I do too. I鈥檓 not so paranoid about vehicles close passing him at 30mph.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still cycling this journey even though the car is fixed.
鈥淲e enjoy it and we鈥檙e not the only ones, you notice there are so many other cyclists around.
鈥淭he LTNs mean there are very few cars, so all the cyclists choose to go through here.
鈥淚t鈥檚 fun at rush hour when you鈥檙e in a little pack of cyclists, you feel like you鈥檙e in a peloton.鈥
鈥淐ycling also allows for a bit more spontaneity than driving.
鈥淲hen we鈥檙e on our bikes we鈥檝e stopped in Brockwell Park to play basketball and go to the caf茅.
鈥淲e never did that when we were in the car.鈥
Using public spaces as they should be used
Edward has also seen the benefits of the LTNs for people walking and wheeling, and the role they play in creating sociable outside spaces:
鈥淵ou definitely see more people walking around, skateboarding and using mobility scooters.
鈥淧eople are walking along in a more relaxed way as they know they鈥檙e not going to get hit.
鈥淵ou see people sitting on the benches and hanging out.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e using that public space as it should be used, in a way that didn鈥檛 happen before.
鈥淎nd here in Lambeth you see everyone, from all different backgrounds, using the space.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for neighbourhoods to be given nice things and nicer places that are there for everyone to use.鈥
鈥淐ycling is genuinely a joy鈥
Lambeth's Low Traffic Neighbourhoods offer safe, sociable spaces for residents. Credit: J Bewley
Edward only started cycling himself a few years ago:
鈥淚鈥檝e always had a bike but until recently I never used it.
鈥淚 thought it was too dangerous in London or I鈥檇 get too sweaty, basically I had lots of excuses not to get on the bike.
鈥淭hen, just before COVID, I made a New Year鈥檚 resolution to commute to work on my bike.
鈥淧artly the decision was about improving my fitness but also the train was expensive and overcrowded.
鈥淭here were delays and I鈥檇 get stressed because it鈥檚 totally out of your control.
鈥淚 found it liberating being on my bike. I loved it.
鈥淚t didn鈥檛 matter how much traffic there was, there鈥檚 always a way to weave through.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e passing hundreds of cars thinking 鈥榳hat are you doing?鈥.
鈥淲e鈥檙e brainwashed into thinking that driving is how we get freedom but you end up sitting trapped on a clogged-up road.
鈥淔reedom is cycling past knowing you can go wherever you want, whenever you want, without harming anyone.
鈥淐ycling is genuinely a joy.
鈥淥n a bike you also get to see more of the city, it makes me feel more like a Londoner than just a Lambeth person.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to disappear underground to get somewhere so you notice things around you that you鈥檇 never see if you weren鈥檛 cycling.鈥
Driving behaviour change with better infrastructure
Edward鈥檚 an advocate for improving infrastructure to encourage more and different people to walk, wheel and cycle:
鈥淚t鈥檚 understandable that cycling on roads with too much traffic and no cycle lanes is a total turn off for many.
鈥淐hanging infrastructure, and making it safer to ride, will change the type of people who cycle.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 certainly the case for my son.
鈥淗e鈥檚 got much more confident on his bike, really quickly, because of the LTNs.
鈥淚f we鈥檇 tried cycling in those neighbourhoods without the traffic management, I don鈥檛 think he鈥檇 have stuck with it.
鈥淗e鈥檚 much more likely to carry on cycling, and to cycle more, because he鈥檚 had a good experience using the LTNs.鈥
About the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods’ transformation in the London Borough of Lambeth
色情Porn was commissioned by the London Borough of Lambeth to transform five temporary low traffic neighbourhoods into permanent, beautiful public spaces. The neighbourhoods are Oval Triangle, Tulse Hill, Streatham Hill, Ferndale and Railton.
LTNs aim to reduce the number of journeys made by car and promote walking, wheeling and cycling. The proposed designs also focused on adding social value, changing streets into public spaces where people can stay, talk and build a community.
色情Porn鈥 approach was to open up the streets to many different types of people, for a variety of uses, prioritising the needs of children, older people and disabled people. To do this we consulted with local community groups, including those often under-represented.
