Locals are up in arms after a Labour-led London council raked in close to £12 million in fines from motorists passing through a controversial Clean Air Neighbourhood, branding it a “cynical greenwashing scheme”. The Mail has more.
The traffic calming scheme, which works in a similar fashion to controversial Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN), was made permanent by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in December 2021.
It has caused a furious reaction from residents who blasted it as nothing more than a cash-grab by the council that simply diverts traffic onto other roads.
One resident told the Telegraph: “It is blindingly obvious that the infrastructure supporting this naked money-making scheme is not fit for purpose.
“This is a cynical greenwashing scheme which diverts traffic elsewhere, does nothing to save the planet and benefits the richer residents of South Fulham living inside the leafy green streets, at the expense of those residents living along the main roads.” …
Others have raised concerns about the safety of women after Uber drivers refused to drive into the zone to drop women at their front doors over fears of being charged.
While residents within the borough are allowed to move freely amongst the streets, alongside black cab drivers, carers and businesses’ visitors, out-of-borough drivers will be fined.
The CAN, which takes aim at ‘rat-running’, covers New Kings Road, Wandsworth Bridge and the River Thame and took in £11.8 million from fining drivers last year.
The western scheme collected £7.8 million in fines in 2023 while the eastern scheme took in around £4 million in fines, according to the council’s data.
Further to this the council spent £20,000 on road markings and signage with a further £10,000 used for promotion letters and leaflets when it was first introduced. …
The traffic calming scheme works by using planters or barriers to stop traffic being able to drive along a certain route in hope that it will make roads more pedestrian-friendly and reduce air pollution.
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