The mayor of Lewisham has admitted the Lee Green low traffic neighbourhood is causing problems which the council is “urgently” planning to address.  

See more: Lewisham to make changes to Lee Green LTN to reduce traffic

The LTN, a set of road barriers to reduce through-traffic, was brought in under Covid-19 emergency transport measures at the end of June and has received mixed feedback. 

The scheme aims to promote active travel such as cycling, walking, and public transport, which many residents support.  

However, traffic has been displaced onto roads outside of the LTN, leaving locals concerned about road safety and air pollution. 

In a statement last week Mayor Damien Egan said the “vast majority of residents” he speaks to “support the principle of LTNs, support measures to make it easier to walk and cycle in the borough and support our work to improve air quality”.  

But he said: “Our current scheme that was implemented in Lee Green is causing problems in neighbouring areas.  

“We are very aware of this and we are working urgently to plan changes which we hope will see things improve.” 

Mayor Egan said the council would speak to residents before making any changes, and reiterated that the scheme is a trial.  

“If we cannot make the scheme work we won’t continue it.  

“But we should take this opportunity to try and make it work because if we can get it right, the benefits will be felt by thousands of residents,” he said.  

The mayor said he was sorry that people are experiencing problems, that he “understands why some people feel frustrated” and that he “shares some of that frustration too”.  

“The urgency to access Government funding and implement measures continues to be very challenging for all London councils. The timeframe is just too short.  

“This has meant the council has been playing catch-up as issues have emerged and it’s taken longer than I would like to get them rectified.  

“Investment from this Government comes rarely and we’ve been eager not to lose the chance to get this funding for our borough,” he said.  

The changes the council is planning will be announced in the coming weeks.