The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

The recommendations were amended and then agreed.

DECISION

1.    To note the results of the engagement to date and two public consultations held in Weavers and Old Bethnal Green Road.

2.    To approve Option One (of the three options summarised in section 2 of the report).

a.    Subject to the retention of the closure of Canrobert Street in Bethnal Green.

3.    To note that Apprendix F - EqIA to the report identifies a number of positive and negative impacts of the options upon individuals that share particular protected characteristics (summarised in paragraphs 4.1 – 4.5 of the report).

4.    To approve any changes to be implemented through experimental traffic orders so that amendments can be made to mitigate any adverse impacts that are identified through monitoring.

5.    To approve a 12-month review of traffic flows and air quality to assess the impact of the proposals for the purposes of identifying any negative impacts and developing mitigation measures.

6.    To approve the use of existing frameworks or term contracts to award an order up to the value determined for completion of the works.

Action by:

INTERIM CORPORATE DIRECTOR, COMMUNITIES (RAJ MISTRY)

(Interim Director, Public Realm (S. Baxter)

(Interim Service Head, Highways & Transportation (A. Ali)

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

The Mayor formally introduced items 6.4 and 6.5 which he indicated he would consider together. Councillor Kabir Hussain (Cabinet Member for Environment and the Climate Emergency) introduced the reports which sought approval for one of three main options for the retention or removal of a number of existing traffic schemes in the Old Bethnal Green, Columbia Road and Arnold Circus (Item 6.4) and Brick Lane (Item 6.5) areas. Raj Mistry, Corporate Director Communities, provided further detail.

At the invitation of the Mayor, the following persons addressed the meeting to ask questions regarding items 6.4 and 6.5.

·         Councillor Peter Golds expressed concern at the response to the consultation exercises on LTNs which he felt did not appear to represent the widest possible demography of the Borough.

·         Councillor Sirajul Islam asked if the Mayor was disappointed that there were instances throughout the reports where the effects of LTN schemes could not be accurately quantified and asked if it was right that without this information he and his cabinet could not make an informed choice.

·         Councillor Nathalie Bienfait asked whether, in view of the resident support for the schemes in and the evidence for the need to reduce the impact of cars on roads, what steps the Mayor would take to reduce the numbers and impact of cars on our roads. And, if he decided to choose Option 1 or Option 3 in the report, what steps he would take to mitigate the potential impact of removing the low traffic schemes on areas which had become used to a low traffic environment.

·         Sam Wood asked how the views of Bart's Health Trust or the Royal London Hospital and Mile End Hospital were being taken into consideration. The position of the Trust was documented in a letter to the Mayor in August 2022. Mr Wood advised the Trust had made no update or change to the response since then.

·         Elizabeth Perrett asked how the Mayor would ensure elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents would not continue to be adversely affected by ambulance delays as was her mother, who had lived on Old Bethnal Green Rd and was repeatedly subjected to major delays during many serious health issues.

·         Nikki Collins asked if there were any reasons why the Mayor would not now deliver on his number one promise.

In response to the public and Councillor contributions, the Mayor indicated that the comments and questions from residents clearly showed the passion regarding the LTN issue. He felt the contributions showed that some residents had been failed by the system and had suffered as a result of LTN measures and he was aware of many similar instances of residents being negatively affected. He welcomed the contributions which he felt would assist him in his determination on this issue.

Cabinet members welcomed the report and indicated support for removal of the traffic measures. They noted with dismay the adverse impacts the schemes had had on many residents and expressed confidence that an alternative solution could be delivered to improve green infrastructure which would not divide and adversely impact residents, as had the current Liveable Streets Schemes.

The Mayor welcomed the report which he felt was well written and provided clear recommendations. He made a statement that included the following points:

·         Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) had been one of London’s most divisive issues in recent years. The Council had found itself caught up in regional, national and even international politics which had made the business of running the Council more challenging. LTNs had divided political parties, but most detrimentally divided residents. Neighbouring London boroughs such as Brent and Ealing had removed LTNs because of their divisiveness. In Tower Hamlets the divisions had been considerable.

·         Tower Hamlets was an inner-city local authority with narrow streets and tall buildings. Residents had less space to move around than other London neighbours. A one-size-fits-all approach to improve air quality, with limited consultation introduced in the middle of the COVID lockdown was always likely to cause disunity amongst residents. The recent consultation showed that whilst LTNs improved air quality in the immediate vicinity, they push traffic down surrounding arterial roads typically occupied by less affluent residents. LBTH had the third lowest car ownership rate in London, but a significant portion of its local economy was dependent on car usage, particularly among lower paid workers such as taxi drivers, couriers and businesses such as market traders. The emergency services had divided views on LTNs. The London Ambulance Service, for example, opposed hard physical closures. Council services had struggled to reach all our residents in a timely way because of closures leading to waste cleanliness issues across the borough.

·         The recent consultation showed division amongst residents: whilst there was support for retaining the scheme, roughly 42% of residents wanted them removed. The consultation process was challenging, with around 3,000 respondents in total. Many of them did not live in Tower Hamlets. For residents-only results, the margin was in the low-hundreds. Opposition to LTNs was a key issue in the 2022 Council and Mayoral elections, in which the Mayor was elected with over 40,000 votes and the Aspire party won an overall majority of Council seats.

·         Having carefully considered the issues the mayor had considered that division was not the answer and that the Council could find better ways to reduce air pollution, whilst uniting residents and businesses rather than dividing them. The Council would start again by removing the bulk of existing LTNs in the borough and propose new solutions that spread the costs and benefits of traffic reduction schemes amongst residents.

·         The consultation on residents views had aimed to understand the finer details. The consultation had led to the retention of several schemes. The Mayor had previously announced that Wapping Bus Gate would be retained due to resident support. The Council would also retain the road closure on Canrobert St. Walking routes and spaces would be retained as they had proved beneficial to most residents. School streets, which facilitated the timed closure of roads to allow drop off and pick up children, would also be retained. The Council would invest £6m to improve air quality including improving road safety, building more infrastructure to promote walking and cycling and enhancing public spaces including planting more trees. It would work with residents on new schemes which were universally supported. People were more likely to embrace wider public health initiatives if they were part of the solution. The Mayor believed the Council could build the most successful approach to reducing toxic air pollution in the borough, one that did not push costs on to the most disadvantaged residents and listened to them instead.

Accordingly, the Mayor agreed to adopt option 1 from the reports, subject to retention of the closure on Canrobert Street.

The recommendations were amended and then agreed.

RESOLVED

1.    To note the results of the engagement to date and two public consultations held in Weavers and Old Bethnal Green Road.

2.    To approve Option One (of the three options summarised in section 2 of the report).

a.    Subject to the retention of the closure of Canrobert Street in Bethnal Green.

3.    To note that Apprendix F - EqIA to the report identifies a number of positive and negative impacts of the options upon individuals that share particular protected characteristics (summarised in paragraphs 4.1 – 4.5 of the report).

4.    To approve any changes to be implemented through experimental traffic orders so that amendments can be made to mitigate any adverse impacts that are identified through monitoring.

5.    To approve a 12-month review of traffic flows and air quality to assess the impact of the proposals for the purposes of identifying any negative impacts and developing mitigation measures.

6.    To approve the use of existing frameworks or term contracts to award an order up to the value determined for completion of the works.