Humans bollards have taken to protecting the Ladysmith Road bus gate in Exeter to prevent unauthorised vehicles from passing through. They say their action has been prompted by multiple incidents of schoolchildren and parents being knocked off their bikes and motorists ignoring the restrictions.
The LTN trial has been a controversial matter since it began in August 2023, with thousands having signed petitions to have it scrapped, citing frustrations over longer journey times, congestion on arterial roads and fears that the emergency services may be impacted. Others though have strongly supported the proposals and feel that the streets are now safer.
In a recent editorial leader column in our sister print title the Express and Echo, the editor writes that regardless of what anyone thinks about the trial, we can all help by following the rules of the scheme to help make it safe. Now following that, several people have written into the print title expressing their support for the LTN scheme.
Read the full letters below
- It was good to read your editorial (Agree or not, we can all help by not ignoring LTN signs, February 22) supporting the principle that people should obey the law concerning vehicle passage through bus gates in the Heavitree and Whipton LTN area.
In the past 25 years, the number of private cars on British roads has increased from 24 million to 32 million. Rising car ownership per household suggests increasing car-dependence. Cars are also bigger and heavier.
Road building at best plays catch-up and usually simply encourages more cars. Clearly this is not sustainable. It is equally clear that the solution can only be more walking and cycling, local shops that don’t require longer journeys, and much better public transport with a culture supporting its use.
We need to change our ways. Those anti-LTN folk confronting the “human bollards” and driving through regardless have to explain what their strategy for travel and transport in this country is for the next 10 years or so. I have yet to hear what an “anti-woke” transport policy looks like other than venting anger.
Evidently the bollards are up against some who feel furious over interruptions to their habits, irrespective of others. The level of anger seems disproportionate given that we live with rules much more questionable than reducing road casualties outside schools or cutting down on air pollution-related disease and death.
It is a sad fact that we live in a society in which a recent Prime Minister set a terrible example of disregard for law. But mature adults can’t claim that Mr Johnson’s law breaking and lying is an excuse for similar public disregard for rules and basic courtesy.
In a time of climate and ecological breakdown, rising obesity and falling life expectancy, political failure, declining democracy and rule of law, increasingly repressive police powers, culture wars and populist hatreds, it is hard to take a stand for just doing the right thing. The human bollards of Heavitree are such people and I am grateful to them for their courage and clear-mindedness.
A member of my family cycles to work through Heavitree, so maybe next time I’ll join them.
Dr Andrew Blewett
Matford Avenue, Exeter
- It is only in the last 10,000 years that the climate has been stable enough for growing crops. Before this, human beings were hunter gatherers and there weren’t many of them.
Since we started growing crops the population of the Earth has grown to billions of people, dependent on food crops like wheat, rice and corn. At the moment we are de-stabilising the climate.
You don’t need to be a scientist to see this happening. Droughts, wildfires, heatwaves and flooding have become commonplace and are clear evidence of this destabilisation.
Already yields of crops are being affected by climate change. In the UK many crops have been lost to flooding. In other parts of the world droughts, heatwaves and wildfires have destroyed crops.
We know these problems are caused by excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Despite knowing the problems, many of us seem to want to ignore the problem in the hope it will go away.
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter describes the low-traffic neighbourhoods as taking a sledge hammer to crack a nut (Controversial LTN trial in city will continue despite calls for it to end, February 1). I would argue the reverse. We are trying to stop the sledgehammer of the climate crisis with tiny nuts like the LTNs, but with enough little nuts we can stop the sledgehammer falling on our children and their descendants.
Government statistics show that 72% of journeys are under five miles. This is a distance easily covered on a bicycle, even easier on an electric bicycle. However, 67% of these journeys are made in cars.
Many people would like to cycle more, but are put off, unsurprisingly, by traffic on the roads. Low-traffic neighbourhoods encourage everyone to get out of their cars and walk, cycle or take a bus. All of these means of transport are better for our planet and for all of us.
David Hayes
Topsham
- Well done and thank you to the ‘human bollards’ (Protesters block vehicles ‘ignoring’ LTN rules, February 22) for standing up for safe streets!
It is childish of the authorities to play the blame game and not be proactive in working together to enforce the bus gates, and make our streets safer for children to walk or wheel to and from school.
I’m struggling to understand why the police don’t issue just a few penalty charge notices each week and nip it in the bud, so to speak. Although in this case the bud is now quite a large branch, judging by the number in your article.
The police don’t even have to patrol the gates in person as I understand residents can submit infringements to Operation Snap.
Hopefully someone will be the bigger person, accept that procedures weren’t implemented as soon as they could’ve been, learn from the mistakes and build a stronger alliance going forward.
We owe it to our children as it is their future that this affects the most.
A Heavitree resident
By email
