It’s being claimed that trades such as builders, plumbers and electricians are having to raise their prices to cover the extra travelling costs caused by low traffic neighbourhoods in London.
The Daily Telegraph says it’s spoken to people who have had to increase their charges by up to 25% because it’s taking them much longer to get to appointments and they are missing out on valuable business, and that if LTNs are expanded they may be forced out of business altogether.
LTNs were introduced last year to cut pollution and make walking and cycling safer, with roads closed off. Councils say that congestion levels have not been significantly affected but the Telegraph spoke to traders who said the time it takes to travel between jobs has cut the number they can do from five down to three. Another told the paper he’s worried he’ll be “hit with fines” if he goes down the wrong road, while there are also issues with vans not being able to park outside houses because of closed roads, hence more time taken to carry equipment to do the work.
(Picture – Yay Images)
