The middle-class army waging war on LTNs: How locals are handing out leaflets to drivers warning they face £130 fines for entering no-go zones set up by the council to ‘make money’

An army of middle-class volunteers are waging war on their Labour-run council in a bid stop them making thousands of pounds from hefty Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) fines.

The group, who hand out leaflets to drivers warning of £130 penalties for entering newly closed roads in Lambeth, south London, have accused authorities of claiming they are making the streets safer but are actually just trying to ‘make money’. 

One of the middle-class warriors taking the fight to Lambeth Council is 71-year-old Jim Bennett who claims that he once stopped 150 vehicles from entering LTNs in a single day – an equivalent of £19,500 if paid in full.

The retired accountant told The Telegraph: ‘We are educating motorists about road signs which most people do not realise mean no entry for motor vehicles.

‘The council tries to brand LTNs as a way of making streets safer. But, really they are about making money for the council. And, that’s where we come in.’ 

It comes amid a so-called ‘war on motorists’ which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to end. 

This picture from November 1 shows volunteers protesting against Lambeth Council’s Streatham Wells LTN – and warning motorists against driving down the road

Campaigners say that the sign with a car and motorcycle – which is used to mark LTNs but has been around for decades – is confusing, with many believing it means that only cars and motorbikes can drive through

A camera that was turned upside down last month on Valley Road, part of a group of streets that make up Lambeth Council’s Streatham Wells Low Traffic Neighbourhood trial

The campaigners, who insist they are volunteers and not vigilantes, police three bus filters monitored by CCTV cameras within the Streatham Wells LTN trial which was introduced in October 2022.

Mr Bennett claims that nine out of ten drivers are not aware that the ‘confusing’ signs which show a motorcycle and a car in a red circle mean all vehicles – except taxis and buses – are banned from passing through.

READ MORE: Now £20k-a-year Oxford public school slams low traffic neighbourhoods which ‘spark resignations and job offer refusals from teachers due to longer commutes’ 

It comes after cycling campaigners #BikeisBest found a third of motorists believed the signs that are used to mark LTNs – which have actually been around since 1964 – mean only cars and motorcycles can drive through.

At the time, Adam Tranter, founder of #BikeIsBest, said: ‘Low Traffic Neighbourhoods have been positioned as new and controversial but really the idea has been in use for decades. It’s quite worrying that so many road users think the No Motor Vehicle sign, in place since 1964, means the exact opposite.’

Mr Bennett says the council refuse to use a no entry sign so they are intervening to educate drivers and ‘prevent Lambeth making millions out of these LTNs’.

The volunteers, who are made up of retired residents, housewives and professionals who give up their days off, claim that traffic is being funnelled onto main roads, which will increase congestion and pollution, including where schools are.

Distancing themselves from being vigilantes, Mr Bennett noted that they were not using angle grinders to cut down CCTV cameras or removing planters – which has been seen in other London boroughs.

In August, it was revealed that London councils spent £500,000 last year to fix LTN cameras which were wrecked by angry drivers.  

Another local resident an volunteer with a connective tissue disorder said that the needs of disabled people were being ignored by the council. 

Rishi Sunak (pictured) has vowed to end the ‘war on motorists’ amid a rise in LTNs and 20mph zones

A sign is vandalised on a low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) barrier on August 1 in London

A bollard to stop cars passing through a Low Traffic Neigbourhood is removed in Heavitree, Devon, earlier this year

June Lord said she has difficulties with walking and cycling, while she claims bus times have increased since the introduction of LTNs.

Earlier this year, Rishi Sunak  declared he is on the side of drivers as he announced a review of the roll out of low-traffic neighbourhoods across the country.

He confirmed he had ordered the Department for Transport to review LTN policies, which have proven unpopular among drivers and controversial in some communities. 

More than seven million penalty charge notices were issued by TfL and London’s 32 councils in 2022/23, with three million of those given to drivers caught disobeying road signs on CCTV such as driving through LTNs.

Lambeth was one of the top five London councils after issuing 354,832 fines. 

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: ‘The Streatham Wells Low Traffic Neighbourhood trial was introduced to make the area safer, more sustainable and give everyone in Lambeth more equal access to their local streets.

‘We welcome local residents engaging with the trial LTN and helping ensure people do the right thing.

‘The reason we use signage rather than bollards is so emergency services and other exempted traffic have quick access to all streets.

‘We are aware that when new low traffic neighbourhoods are first introduced there is the potential for disruption as road users adjust to the new conditions. Typically journey times improve once the measures have bedded in.

‘We know from LTNs delivered across the country that in time local residents take advantage of safer streets for walking and cycling and make fewer trips by car.’

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