Campaigners seeking to keep low traffic neighbourhoods in Tower Hamlets net permission for legal challenge

Campaigners who want to retain traffic calming measures in Tower Hamlets have been given dates in June for a judicial review, for which they have hit their £75,000 crowdfunding target.

Various low traffic neighbourhoods, named ‘liveable streets’ were created in the borough by previous Labour elected mayor John Biggs.

But he was replaced in May 2022 by Lutfur Rahman, of the local party Aspire, which had campaigned on a promise to remove these measures.

Rahman said at the time: “A key part of my manifesto was my commitment to ‘reversing the Liveable Street schemes’ in the borough. I have therefore instructed a review of the schemes with the aim of seeking to reopen our roads, ending the traffic management schemes that are not working effectively in our borough.”

He said he wants to scrap measures “that restrict traffic movement, have added to congestion on our main roads, that have limited emergency service access or compromised how vulnerable residents access their streets, whilst retaining public realm improvements such as widened footpaths that make it easier for residents to get around”.   

Campaigners said their judicial review would be heard on 12 and 13 June.

They argued that changes to residential street layouts in the Bethnal Green, Wapping and Brick Lane areas had reduced through traffic “and made them safer, healthier and friendlier places to be”.

The campaigners added: “In Tower Hamlets, we are facing the loss of much-loved and much safer, cleaner shared spaces before they’ve even had the chance to bed in, and this decision also risks setting a dangerous precedent across the UK, encouraging other local authorities to rollback of important progress towards encouraging healthy urban lifestyles.”

Tower Hamlets did not respond to a request for comment.

Mark Smulian