Yahoo News It's been three years but something in Levenshulme is still dividing opinion
It's been three years since they were first installed - but the debate over Levenshulme's low traffic neighbourhood scheme has reignited.
In Levenshulme - and Burnage - some residents are rallying around a new petition calling for the removal of the latest traffic filtering planters installed as part of the LTN, and continuing to complain about the impact of other roadblocks set up earlier in the same scheme.
The move comes after an LTN scheme in nearby Withington was removed by the council after a fierce backlash. While support for Levenshulme's LTN scheme is more passionate than it was in Withington, the decision in that suburb has renewed debate about the impact of traffic calming measures on the community in Levenshulme, and given new hope to those locals who still oppose them.
The Levenshulme and Burnage traffic calming measures were introduced as part of a trial scheme at the start of 2021 and were made permanent in 2023 as Manchester City Council received £7m funding to finalise plans. To date, around 15 streets are affected - with cars blocked by planters and bollards.
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But, despite the scheme's popularity - where 70% of 917 people believed the Active Travel Neighbourhood was ‘good’ for the area in the council’s consultation response - others claim the roadblocks have increased traffic and parking on surrounding roads.
The scheme’s intended purpose is to reduce rat-running. But campaigners against the planters claim it has funnelled speeding, congestion and parking into smaller, less adaptive streets, particularly near Levenshulme High School and Alma Park Primary.
Referring to the newest traffic filters, local resident, Caroline, 57, said: “My mum lives on the road [Linden Park Road] and it's concerning and frustrating me there is so much erratic parking here and on Hilbre Road, hindering elderly and disabled residents and blocking people’s accessibility. I’ve even experienced abuse by people when asking them to move their cars from blocking the street and driveways.”
‘The roads were busy anyway but now it’s worse’
A number of residents on those streets where through access is now blocked to cars say it has achieved the benefits of safer cycling, walking and play on previously congested streets.
But the counter-argument from those against is that cars have been displaced elsewhere. They say traffic and pollution has got worse on perimeter roads like Albert Road, Broom Lane and Crossley Road.
“These roads are now considerably busier than previously," one resident told the M.E.N. "They were busy anyway but now the traffic has been made much worse.”
It is understood some of the increased disruption is attributable to the works at the junction of Grangethorpe Drive, Burnage Lane and Crossley Road, and that once these are completed, the council expects traffic flows to improve.
Nonetheless, some claim the traffic filters are increasing journey times on their own. One resident, who lives on Milwain Road, said the roadblock planters had caused 'chaos' by 'increasing' his journeys to visit local family members.
“My father-in-law lives on Burnage Lane, he is elderly and infirm, meaning we have to help out frequently by taking him shopping and to appointments. My journey to him has increased from 300 metres to 1.3 miles. My mum lives on Slade Lane and that journey has doubled.
“We have a scheme that’s supposed to make it easier to get about and reduce pollution but it’s only displaced traffic onto certain roads causing slow-moving congestion and ultimately leading to more pollution - it’s just chaos really.”
‘There are things the council does that aren't popular… but this is’
The scheme followed what the council claims was one of their most extensive Highways consultations ever. And campaigners say while 'not everybody is going to like it', Levenshulme's LTN is ultimately popular.
Tom, of the group Streets for People, local residents who campaigned to bring active travel to the area, said: “People complained about the safety of the area for years and there were dozens of responses in the consultations to that.
“Of course, when you do something with the streets. not everybody is going to like it but it’s been done for good reasons, which people have been campaigning and calling on for a long time. There are things the council does that aren't popular… but this is.”
"We’ve received a lot of reports from parents who are deciding to walk or cycle to school and people finding it easier to cross streets," Tom added. "It’s a small step but a step in the right direction.
“It also encourages people who can do these alternative and shorter journeys to consider ‘well if I have to take longer journeys to get somewhere is it quicker to walk?’ That won’t work unless people remove rat-running as people are too scared to cycle and walk and don’t let their children play out on the streets.”
“It’s been really positive but it’s a very new scheme and it needs to be given a chance. We need to reduce car usage as we can’t sustain this level and it looks like Manchester City Council has a good active travel strategy and this is part of it,” Jim, a local resident, said.
‘I’ve seen cars and vans come to a standstill’
Manchester has a long-term goal of reducing car use for a healthier population and cleaner planet. Against this backdrop, as well as some residents' concerns about anti-social driving, schemes have been rolled out not just in Withington, Burnage and Levenshulme, but also in Chorlton, where £13.4m has been spent on a segregated cycle lane.
But the real world impact of the schemes has led some to question their practicality - as in Chorlton, where traders have complained that it is damaging livelihoods - and also their safety, as in Withington, where an ambulance was blocked from getting to a sick baby by a traffic filter on the Hartley estate.
In Levenshulme, residents claimed emergency services, such as fire engines, were ‘forced to turn around’ and had to reroute around filters during the initial six-month trial.
In an Active Neighbourhood update in 2023, a report says the filters generally have one or more drop-down bollards for emergency services to quickly access an incident by passing through them or to facilitate services like waste collection.
But some aren't convinced. Like 22-year-old Levenshulme local, Khawaja.
“I’ve seen cars, vans and more come to a standstill at the planters and have to U-turn at the end of the bollards," he said. "There's a lot of confusion and people are annoyed. I’m worried that in an emergency an ambulance or fire engine wouldn’t be able to get to us. It could be the difference between life and death and it’s a big concern.”
Streets for People members say such issues are more likely to be caused by cars blocking filters - which could result in delays and prevent emergency services from reaching a serious incident quickly.
Tom said: "We are campaigning as a group to ensure there is proper enforcement to prevent these blockages. We want to build a community where the streets are primarily for the people here.”
‘It’s not about for or against the planters - it’s about improving lives’
Nonetheless, some Levenshulme locals argue that the scheme has left some long-standing locals out - with limited awareness amongst older residents and non-speaking English residents.
"This scheme should have brought people together with a fair and proper consultation but now we have people who feel left out in the community. A lot of people didn't receive leaflets and were unaware of the consultations, it feels mismanaged,” Jeremy Hoad said.
He added: "The scheme is not about being for or against the planters but about improving people’s lives. Everyone is for that and desperate for improvements but it doesn't mean people agree with what has been done.
"People expressed concerns and tried to suggest positive alternatives like crossings, a one-way system to filter the traffic effectively and reduce bullying of traffic but people feel ignored and confused in the wake of feeling trapped in their streets because of the situation.
"Nobody can legitimately say there was no division created by the council's actions through the way the scheme has been managed and introduced. You only have to look on the local Facebook groups to see arguments in the community."
The online petition calling for the LTN scrapped has attracted more than 300 signatures, and asks for the council to undo the most recent road closures on Milwain Road and Linden Park.
The petition says: The closure has displaced traffic onto the neighbouring streets of Albert Road, Burnage Lane, Grange Thorpe, Crossley Road and Avon Road.
“We say no to the low-traffic neighbourhoods and we say no to more closed streets.”
What Manchester City Council say:
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “The Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood scheme is aimed at promoting active modes of travel through the area, such as walking, wheeling and cycling, as well as improving road safety. The scheme arose off the back of resident-led initiative back in 2018 to see these kinds of interventions. The two modal filters recently installed in Linden Park and Milwain road are part of this approach.
“This part of the scheme in particular has been extensively consulted on since 2020 and has been designed to take into account the needs of everyone in the area, and how they can best benefit from its implementation. This ranges from respecting the needs of residents and local businesses, to parents making the school run in the morning, to ensuring emergency services have safe and quick access.
"Following each stage of consultation and engagement residents' views and concerns have been considered and this has led to adaptations such as the new addition of pedestrian crossing at traffic lights on two busy junctions.
“Some disruption is ongoing as works take place to implement changes at the junction of Grangethorpe Drive, Burnage Lane and Crossley Road, however once these are completed in the coming days traffic flows will return to normal.
“Broadly the scheme has been received well by residents who have been able to navigate their neighbourhood more safely, but it is also important to note that where concerns have been raised the Council has listened and adapted the scheme accordingly."
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