Today, Birmingham City Council decided they will plough ahead, spending £2m making the Kings Heath & Moseley LTN (Places for People scheme) permanent. This is despite the fact that the full evaluation of the 5-year pilot has yet to even be carried out and will only take place after the LTN has been made permanent. This will be the first time the impact of the scheme is fully assessed despite undergoing a 5-year pilot, with the levels of pollution and displaced traffic on smaller residential roads set to finally be monitored.
The Labour Administration has conducted 7 rounds of consultation, with each showing a majority of residents and businesses are opposed to the LTN. Despite this, local councillors and the Labour Administration have ploughed on regardless of public opinion.
Cllr Tim Huxtable (Con, Hall Green South), Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:
We’re announcing today that if we win the 2026 local elections here in Birmingham, we will be scrapping Labour’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood in Kings Heath. Cities – especially those the size of Birmingham – need readily accessible transport networks that cater to all and allow for convenient travel. The current LTN scheme in Kings Heath makes it more difficult for a majority of the City’s residents to visit those local businesses on the high street, having a detrimental economic impact on Kings Heath.
Indeed, only the pedestrianisation of York Road enjoys wide public support, which could still be delivered without needing to shut all the other roads across the wider area, while residents and businesses regularly object to the rest of the scheme.
Additionally, displacing traffic from main thoroughfares onto formerly quiet residential roads has a significant detrimental effect on residents living on these roads, especially roads on the boundaries of the LTN. These roads, which struggle with the volume of traffic and slow travel time, then become pollution hot spots.
Cllr Adam Higgs (Con, Highters Heath) added:
It’s astounding to think that the Labour Administration are looking to spend millions of pounds on making the Kings Heath LTN permanent before ever completing a comprehensive assessment of the impact of the scheme. The LTN has been through a 5-year pilot and 7 rounds of consultation in which the public and businesses repeatedly objected to the scheme, citing a variety of reasons. It beggars belief that during a 5-year pilot, Labour have failed to carry out a proper evaluation so far. The Council should govern in line with residents' wishes, and we are committed to listening to the public – that’s why the LTN needs to go.