Dear Cllr Block and Cllr Driscoll,
Thank you for your leaflet and email announcing a zoom meeting for next Wednesday. I will not be participating but please note my family and I opposition to any LTNs and any other form of active travel that actually entails no vehicles active travelling on some roads.
My husband is a psychologist and in his studies he has closely followed work done by James W. Pennebaker, an American social psychologist. One of Pennebaker major works is Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). The use of LIWC is widespread. It is commonly used to examine how difference groups of people communicate or write and is used to detect deception. Most people will not notice but in your leaflet “We’re changing your local LTN” many deceptive words and sentences have been used.
- “This decision made the LTN21 trial unworkable” = The “trial” was a six months trial, LTN should have been removed in any case, a few months ago. The trial was never approved and there was no consultation.
- “Long term plans to encourage active travel” = 1) Long term plans are not made public. What will they want to achieve, say, by 2025? 2) Encourage (push, instigate, stir) are ways to “convert” people to the will of the leadership. 3) Active travel – nice words but they don’t really mean what you intend them for = making journeys by walking or cycling.
- “Consult on smaller sections – that you have told us are successful” = In other words “selection of members of the public that will meet the Councils’ agenda”.
- “Residents will be consulted before implementation” = as per point 3 above, the objective is only to consult those residents that are in favour of the implementation.
- “local people will have the final say on the outcome” = great statement based on democratic baselines but as per points 3 & 4 above, reflects a typical political statements giving the impression of impartiality when, in fact, their hidden plans are something else.
Supporting minorities, those that are keen on LTNs in this instance, is a noble gesture. Unfortunately, on this occasion, the demand and suggestion that the minority’s craze should prevail, will negatively affect the majority that do not want the LTNs and actually it will also affect the minority in a negative way, although they are blind to the realization.
In Ealing and across London, the majority of residents do not want LTNs. Proof of this are the large demonstrations, the many letters of complaint and the removal of LTNs in some wise Boroughs that respect the residents’ wishes.
The question that everyone should ask is why LTNs are such a “Government” priority while crime is on the increase and not addressed? With knife crimes and thefts growing in numbers, I would have thought that these would have been our local priority. The timing for the imposition of LTNs seem illogic too; the pandemic has brought people to work from home so there will naturally be a reduced need to travel unless of course this is the perfect time to introduce a money making scheme as the natural reduction in traffic will be used as a fake proof that the LTNs work.
LTNs are a menace, full stop. Only disdainful and uninformed individuals would believe that LTNs will address the issue of climate change. Probably, the same individuals that take flights for holidays abroad and are welcoming the introduction of another runway at Heathrow airport and the flattening of a whole village. The same individuals that buy the latest electronic equipment, that eat lamb from NZ or that are welcoming the new trade deals with Australia. Shouldn’t we ask why the UK imports 1,200 tonnes of chicken from Thailand every year? Or why Brazilian mango is exported to Vietnam to be canned over there and sold to Europe? These are the pollution sources that we could do without or reduce but they make money so they are not considered. Instead new block of flats are built with no parking (with no consideration either for where and how many electric car chargers can be allocated?) and ULEZ is forcing the underprivileged to buy a car that they can’t afford so that people like the nurse, working shifts, can go to work.
The LTNs are also money makers, nothing else. If we really wanted to reduce pollution we would discuss the elephant in the room: the one single cause of pollution is man, as a species. With the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Conference (Agenda 21) and the UN Summit, New York in 2015 (Agenda 30), the main matter discussed was to tackle world population and poverty, but while it was discussed nothing has been done to make people understand the need to procreate less. So while we are free to do what we like it would be nice if people were coherent in their actions eg. if one procreates with no consideration for the earth and the carbon footprint and pollution that their decisions cause, they should not be then expecting others to compensate for their actions. They are hypocrites.
What we read on many local posts and blogs is utter selfishness. No parking in my street. No parking in front on my house. No cars on my road. We should all walk or cycle. Forgetting about the elderly and disabled that cannot walk or cycle, forgetting about emergency services stuck in traffic jams (traffic jams created by LTNs and cycle lanes that not many use), forgetting that, by creating ghetto like areas, it will also be difficult and demanding for delivery companies to do their work efficiently, forgetting awful events like the Grenfell Tower made worse by the one only single access road to the building.
LTN (Lunacy Towards Nothing) are smoke in the eyes for the disdainful individuals I have mentioned above when the real issues are somewhere else.
Any road closure has consequences and even the current Swynecombe Avenue closure in one direction only has meant that the homes on Boston Manor Road are experiencing higher traffic and pollution and so does the whole area as pollution travels.
Air pollution from Heathrow has been detected in central London ‘We now know that airport emissions, even if located at the outskirts of the city, can travel far enough and reach populations in urban areas,’ says researchers. [Shaun Lintern, Health Correspondent, Friday 03 January 2020]. The article says from Heathrow airport and not from planes. Meaning that pollution from the main roads in Ealing can reach all streets, houses and gardens in the area.
Unless residents wishing for their roads to be closed to outside traffic do not own and use any vehicle and do receive any goods unless carried on foot or by bicycles, their expectations of a personalized vehicle free road is preposterous, selfish and not to be encouraged.
As Councillors you are meant to represent to the Council the views of your constituents, not the other way round. Also it would be nice if you could register our views without the need for us to repeat ourselves over and over. It goes without saying that the majority of residents oppose LTNs and yet you insist in finding ways to pressurize the opposite.
Most people have busy lives and don’t really have time to constantly reminding the Ealing Labour Councillors what their opinions are. The Conservative Councillors are able to retain information once given so it is possible for you to do it too.
Regards.
Lorena Martin & Family
Found this on line today (07/07/21) and thought worth sharing it.
Reply from Frame Projects. My main concern is how they have selected the 36 people that will attend and engage in the workshop. Once again, a very interesting choice of words – overwhelming, selected, time and effort, other opportunities for involvement, best wishes! ?? Best wishes about what!? Kind Regards would have been more appropriate. I wonder if, under the Freedom of Information Act, we can ask who they have selected and why? On which basis will these 36 people look after the best interest for the residents?
