Low Traffic Neighbourhoods schemes considered for Norfolk

Norfolk County Council said Low Traffic Neighbourhoods were one of the schemes it was looking at to "reduce the impact of unnecessary traffic"

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) could be imposed, planners in Norfolk said.

The county council said it was "at a very early stage" of looking at the scheme, which restricts movement of vehicles in residential areas.

Measures used in other areas included pop-up cycle lanes, wider pavements and closing streets to cars and some other vehicles.

The council said it was one of the schemes it was looking at to "reduce the impact of unnecessary traffic".

LTNs are designed to reduce traffic and cut rat-running by blocking some streets with planters or bollards, or using surveillance cameras, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Warning signs are erected with new rules enforced using CCTV cameras and fines for drivers breaking them.

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LTNs have generated controversy in other parts of the country, and critics have said they force more traffic onto surrounding roads and cause delays to emergency services.

Supporters say they are good for the environment and create more pleasant communities, by driving down car ownership and getting people to switch to cycling and walking.

LTNs are distinct from 20-minute neighbourhoods, another planning concept, where people should be able to walk to and from basic amenities like shops and parks in less than 20 minutes.

They are also unrelated to clean air zones, which are intended to improve air quality by imposing charges on vehicles according to how much they pollute.

'No firm plans'

At a meeting of the council's cabinet, a member of the public asked if the authority was looking at LTNs and whether the public would be consulted.

Graham Plant, cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said the council would work with local communities to reduce the impact of unnecessary traffic in neighbourhoods and support active travel.

"This will involve the investigation of different measures based around the principle of healthy streets, that could include LTNs, school streets and lower speed limits," he said.

"This work is at a very early stage and there are no firm plans at the current time.

"The development of any scheme such as a Low Traffic Neighbourhood, in the future, anywhere in Norfolk, would need to be in consultation with local, elected representatives, the local community and other local stakeholders."