Where a London bus takes two hours to travel three miles

Cars were seen queueing to exit a new South London LTN causing congestion so bad buses take two hours to travel three miles (Picture: Twitter)

New data has shown where in London it takes the longest to get between bus stops and where it is quicker to walk than to get on a double-decker.

Buses are taking two hours to travel less than three miles due to congestion caused by a new low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) in south London, it has been revealed.

The Streatham Wells LTN has caused traffic jams since it was first introduced in October 2023 as part of an 18-month trial.

Lambeth Council blamed ’emergency roadworks’ when the Times first reported on the congestion in December, saying it expected conditions to improve as road users got used to the new scheme.

But after four months in operation, the gridlock is so bad it took the bus 121 minutes to travel 2.9 miles down the A23 on the western side of the LTN last week. according to Transport for London (TfL) data.

It would have been twice as quick to walk the route meant to only take 29 minutes by bus.

Low-traffic neighbourhoods are meant to reduce traffic, street crime and pollution, making it easier for pedestrians and cyclists to use quiet streets, but they’ve faced criticism for causing congestion (Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images)

A new LTN in South London has caused such bad gridlock cars are queuing to leave, buses are being diverted and it takes buses two hours to travel three miles (Picture: Twitter)

Long queues of cars appeared within the LTN as residents tried to exit the area and turn onto the main road.

Buses have also been rerouted to avoid the congestion.

Three-quarters of one route was diverted around the LTN during rush hour while another went straight through it.

Hundreds of LTNs have been introduced across the UK since 2020.

They’re intended to reduce air pollution and traffic as well as making roads easier to walk and cycle in areas frequently used as shortcuts by cars, vans and other vehicles.

A spokesperson for Lambeth Council said: ‘The Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and other measures such as those in West Dulwich, been introduced to our busy London borough to make the areas safer, more sustainable and to improve the quality for life everyone living in our local neighbourhoods.’

But the schemes have caused growing controversy among drivers, leading Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to order a review into LTNs last summer.

The Department for Transport is yet to publish any findings or guidance on the zones.

This latest drama surrounding Streatham Wells LTN challenges the notion traffic ‘evaporates’ when the zones are introduced.

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Lambeth council continues to blame ‘ongoing roadworks’, in addition to ‘recent rail strikes’, for the traffic problems in the area.

The LTN generated £320,000 in fines for the council in its first three months of operation.

Despite traffic problems surrounding the zone, the council insists on seeing the 18-month trial through to the end and is planning another LTN a few hundred metres away.

A Lambeth council spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of concerns regarding bus times in Streatham relating to the trial of Streatham Wells LTN, ongoing roadworks by utilities and recent rail strikes.

‘We are working closely with TfL to monitor the situation and will make changes as needed.

‘In previous Lambeth LTN schemes, traffic fell across the neighbourhood and boundary roads by the end of the trial.’

However, TfL’s bus operations team concluded that it was actually the LTN that was causing the problem.

The LTN’s Operations Network Management Control Centre recently raised an ‘incident’ as they said the LTN was causing ‘serious’ delays in the area.

Lambeth council expected traffic to increase along the LTN’s boundary roads, with a risk assessment conducted before it was introduced noting the scheme was ‘very likely’ to have a ‘significant impact’ on the traffic levels of nearby roads.

Tom Cunnington, Transport for London’s head of buses, said: ‘We are sorry passengers continue to experience delays to services in Streatham — this is not in line with the level of service we aim to provide.’

Stephen Hall, who runs the Streatham Stuff website, said: ‘It’s four months into the scheme and buses on the High Road are still regularly getting stuck for an hour in the congestion. 

‘Lambeth Council seems to have hugely underestimated the amount of damage and disruption the LTN would cause.’ 

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