So who do you want to be the next Mayor of London?

[Theinjuredcleaner]

It's Count Binface/Lord Buckethead for me. I don't think he could do a worse job than his predecessors.

Well not when it means another road is now busier. Two roads that are moderately busy seem better to me than one which is virtually empty and one which is bumper to bumper.

There's a road a few hundred yards from my house. It led out straight onto the A road. Would take you seconds to access it. They blocked it. Now you need to take a ten minute detour to access the same bit. I have no idea how that is better for the environment. I saw some van drivers get stopped by the police for attempting to move the plant boxes out of the way.

The available evidence from studies into this matter suggest that roads neighbouring an LTN see only a small increase in traffic, much less than the reduction of traffic on those streets within the LTN. Whether that small increase (if there is one, there isn't in every case) on neighbouring roads is a price worth paying for many people to live on roads with significantly less pollution one could discuss. It would appear that most people think it is.

At an average speed of 20mph, that must mean the 10minute detour is over 3 miles long.
Are you willing to share a map of the area so we can understand how such a thing is possible.

Seems like most people in Streatham didn't. In fact, even SK said it wasn't working

Because one scheme didn't work, does that mean that we should get rid of the 299 others that do?

In fact round my way, many people on neighbouring roads actually have placards in their front gardens and driveways which say 'no to ltns'. But yep, you keep denying they exist ...must be a figment of my imagination every time I go past.

Yes I do think we should get rid of all of them.

I can't see what he's done that's so terrible. Public transport is pretty good and he's kept fares quite reasonable in the circumstances. Given the government's refusal to fund policing and the justice and prison systems properly, I think he's done the best job he could on that side. I'm entirely happy to have the air I breathe improved via ULEZ.

I hear Fox didn't make it onto the list because he didn't fill in the form properly. 😂

Oh, I’m sure he can blame it on someone else 😂

It's a measure of Susan Hall's desperation that she's doubled down on outright lies about Khan. When Powell-supporting Hall is the best that the Conservatives can produce by way of a candidate, they really don't deserve to win.

The latest ULEZ expansion, that we are talking about, was NOT "forced by the Tories" - this is something that is often repeated, but is wrong.

Fullfact.org have looked at it,and you can read their whole report here:

fullfact.org/online/ulez-expansion-letter/

Their summary is "While a funding agreement between the government and Transport for London in 2020 did state that proposals to expand ULEZ should be brought forward, the Department for Transport says this referred to existing plans to extend the boundary as far as the North and South Circular Roads, not the expansion across all of Greater London".

But studies -not surveys- demonstrate traffic impacts, so that's irrelevant.

If people felt it had impacted their own lives negatively, they would respond negatively to a survey.

I think the people who don't like LTNs, for whatever reason, can't accept that other people do like them.

Studies can also be biased. So do you just measure traffic on roads surrounding the ltn or do you include the ltn in your traffic count? That will make a difference. Do you measure at different times of the day ..ie rush hour v middle of the night.

Yes, agreed. And not even very politically savvy. She so easily could have made that incident all about, "Londoners are wonderful! This kind young man represents everything I love about this city!" Instead she goes and tortuously turns it into a smear on her opponent, with a childish lie that will fool no one. I had serious gripes with Johnson, but at least he seemed to actually like the city. Plus he had a sense of humour.

See also: Hall saying how much she hates the Notting Hill Carnival

It's not a conspiracy, @Comedycook

I accept you don't like it, but I think your own bias is leading you to treat this as a conspiracy, rather than a policy with data available.

Even the ones that have seen a reduction in traffic?

And all because less than 1% of them didn't work well.

I am afraid I am missing the logic.

Again. It depends who is carrying out these studies and surveys and what's their skin in the game. So let's say you carry out a survey on number of cars. Let's say your control data is done on a day when there's major roadworks...that will impact your data. Ergo once the roadworks are clear and the data for the ltn is significantly less, it's suddenly not accurate. Again I'm not suggesting any survey has done this. I'm showing you how certain factors can influence things either way. I have to say the only survey or study I would trust totally would be one which is entirely independent and unbiased. It's the only way.

Studies such as this one by some university academics would I think meet your standards.

I presume you have read it and born the conclusions in mind?

https://findingspress.org/article/75470-the-impact-of-2020-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-on-levels-of-car-van-driving-among-residents-findings-from-lambeth-london-uk

You can show me any number of surveys. My area is worse in terms of traffic and journey times since the ltn. I've lived here all my life and been driving in the area for twenty years. No survey will change my experience. It's worse. You can endlessly tell me the traffic in my area is better but my experience is my experience.

Regardless...I'm a huge fan of freedom. Yes we need traffic rules and certain restrictions but I fundamentally disagree with the concept of roads being closed off...the actual affect on traffic is irrelevant to this belief.

I thought you lived in Streatham and were pleased that its LTN had been removed, or do you live in Lambeth?

If not then I haven't said that traffic in your area is better, I have shown evidence of some areas where LTNs have reduced traffic. That may or may not be the case for all LTNs, unfortunately I haven't been able to find any evidence that shows LTNs that have increased traffic, have you?

On the radio this morning there was an MP who was objecting to the proposed smoking ban as an attack on freedoms. So quite sensibly the presenter asked if they also favoured the decrimalisation of heroin as that is also an attack on freedoms. Oddly the MP in question didn't want to decrimalise heroin.

Have you considered the freedom for people to live on a street free from pollution, or is it only your freedom to pollute that is important?

I appreciate it’s off-topic, but I don’t think that line of questioning works really. Even libertarians (and I’m a very mild one) accept that some restrictions are necessary. It’s just a matter of where and how.

I have no problem with smoking restrictions and I wouldn’t legalise heroin, just as I would maintain restrictions on lawful medicinal opiates like OxyContin (see the US for the harm that caused).

But I would legalise cannabis, i.e not just decriminalise it. Because I do think that’s a restriction on a freedom without sufficient justification.

I’m also rather doubtful about blocking access to public highways to motorists. The public roads are common property. Why the right to roam attracts support and access to common land is fiercely defended, but denying road use is not a problem, apparently, is difficult to reconcile.

If there is a right to be free from pollution (as opposed to actionable nuisance) it could only be a right competing with the right to drive on the highway.

So it was forced as a condition of funding, then.