The number of motorists applying for parking permits in the London Borough of Lambeth increased significantly after the introduction of five low traffic neighbourhoods meant to encourage people to end their reliance on cars.
The Daily Telegraph reports that a total of 46,125 motorists applied for parking permits in the borough in 2020, an 18.6% increase on the previous year, when 38,901 applications were submitted.
It says the spike coincided with the introduction of five low traffic neighbourhoods in the borough.
The report explains that the figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request, show that in Streatham Hill, where one LTN was introduced, the number of car parking permit applications nearly doubled from 1,281 in 2019 to 2,467 last year.
It comments that Lambeth’s apparent increase in car use is in stark contrast to London and the country as a whole, where car ownership has declined slightly.
At the height of the pandemic last year, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, offered councils hundreds of millions of pounds to introduce LTNs to create a so-called “green transport revolution”.
(Picture – Lambeth Council)
