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NEWSLETTERS This page contains a list of all past FFDF Newsletters which you can download as a pdf document by clicking on the Issue Number (except very old ones). If you cannot find something, use the Site-Search function. To register to receive a free copy of our communications via email, go here: Register. IMPORTANT NOTE: Newsletters in pdf format are no longer published. All news is now put on our blog (click on to access). Issue No 91 (Apr 2023) Recent Blog Posts, Disabled Motoring, Twenty Yeas of Campaigns. ​ Issue No 90 (Feb 2023) St. Pauls Gyratory Redesign, Mayor's Budget, Evaluation of E-Scooter Trials, The Myth of the 15-Minute City, Wandsworth 20 MPH Limits, ULEZ Extension. Issue No 89 (Dec 2022) 15MPH Limits in London, A New Money Making Wheeze, Fines for Speeding Rising, Speed Camera Racket, Surge in Driving Fines, LTNs Don't Work and Oxford, H&F and Lambeth LTNs, Fraudulent Traffic Counts, Mayor Expands ULEZ, Mayor's Strategy Failing, Transport Disruptions, FFDF Web Site, Judicial Reviews, Holborn Gyratory, Bromley Policies, Profiting from Parking, CPZs, Letters to the Editor. ​ Older newsletters are listed below. Issue No 88 (Oct 2022) ULEZ Expansion - A Fraud, Latest Air Quality in Bromley, Bromley Council Opposes ULEZ Expansion, Spurious Evidence on the Benefits of LTNs, Sadiq Khan's Book, Tower Hamlets Legal Action on LTN, Cambridge and New York Congestion Charges, Telegraph article on Our Right to Drive Freely, The Death of the UK Motor Industry, TfL Board Meeting and TfL Finances, Another Bail-Out for TfL, Truss Victory, New Transport Ministers, Shapp's Bus Fare Cap, Oxfordshire to Ban Cars, ANPR Eroding Privacy, Regulating Cycling, Park Lane Cycle Lane, Electric Cars More Expensive, Number Plate Cloning, Greenwich Transport Policy, Speed Humps, Pay By Phone Parking, Volvo Laser Sensors. Issue No 87 (Aug 2022) ULEZ Expansion, ULEZ Expansion Cost, Mayor's False Claims, Euston Road Changes, School Streets in Bromley, Energy Security Bill, Train Strikes, Census Results, Road Safety Investigation. Issue No 86 (Jun 2022) The Police, Crime....and Courts Act, The Queens Speech, Pedicabs to be Regulated, Local Elections Postmortem, Minor Accident in Chislehurst, TfL Performance Report, Bus Routes Being Cut, ULEZ Expansion, Petition Against 20 Limits, Good News and Bad. Issue No 85 (Apr 2022) Using PCNs to Raise Council Funds, Expansion of the ULEZ, Clogging Up London's Road Network, New York and London Congestion Charging, How Many Objections in Lewisham to the LTN?, Petition re Road Safety in Chislehurst, Driver Education Courses, Road Pricing Is Coming, SUVs and Campaign Against, Manchester Campaign Against CAZ and Bromley Air Quality, London Bus Action Plan, Sadiq Khan Wanted Your Views?, How the World Really Works, Improving Our Campaigns Issue No 84 (Feb 2022) Making London Transport More Sustainable, Mayor Pleads - Now Threatens, Congestion Tax Changes, London Most Congested City, Travel in London Report, Sadiq Khan's Budget, Sadiq Khan's Plan, More Cycling?, Bromley Road Safety Record, New Deputy Transport Mayor, Legal Challenge Rejected, Slowing London Down, Lewisham LTN Decision, News Wrap Up, Traffic Calming Delays, Tottenham Court Road Consultation, Bishopsgate Road Closure, Letter to M.P., Range Anxiety Solved? Issue No 83 (Dec 2021) Transport Crisis in London, How to Reform London's Transport, ULEZ Expansion, ULEZ Had Minimal Impact, Air Pollution in London, Electric Buses in Bromley, Electric Vehicles and Pod Point IPO, Vision Zero Failing, Insulate Britain Protestors Jailed, The Changing Face of Car Ownership, Southwark Ignores Dulwich Objections, Car Usage in Lambeth, Closing Station Car Parks, Smart Motorways, TfL Consultations, LGO Spineless, Letter to Politicians. Issue No 82 (Oct 2021) Roads Blocked by Protestors, Latest Road Casualty Data, Air Quality in Lewisham, Diesel Emission Claims, IPCC Report, Making Electric Vehicles Practical, Electric Cars, Micro Cars and Cargo Bikes, Justice Denied. Issue No 81 (Aug 2021) Government Powers Ahead with Decarbonisation, Mayor Raking It In From ULEZ, ULEZ Costs Rise Again, Air Pollution Data in London, Subsidies to Electric Vehicles, The Cause of London's Problems, Andy Byford Speaks, Inflexible Trains and Trams, Transport Action Network Lose Legal Case, Changes to the Highway Code, Gear Change - Downwards, Congestion Charge Change, Do LTNs Cut Accidents?, Beech Street to Reopen, New TfL Hub, Lower Thames Crossing, Dulwich LTN, Croydon Decides on ANPR, Lewisham Cancels School Streets, Lewisham LTN Consultation, Walking the Streets, Lewisham Survey Results. Issue No 80 (Jun 2021) Election Results, The Mayor's Priorities, New York, Expanded ULEZ, Electric Cars, Avoiding Road Taxes, Great British Railways Plan, Transport Commissioner and Mayor's Special Pleading, Millions Collected in Fines, Biggin Hill Airport, Electric Boris Bikes, Crossing Lights at Red, E-Scooters Trial, The Danger of Cycling, Speed Awareness Courses, Surveys Against LTNs, In Praise of the Car, Harrow Scraps LTNs. Issue No 79 (Apr 2021) More Changes at Bank, Why LTNs are Failing, Delays to Emergency Services, School Streets, LTNs Force Vehicles into Poorer Roads, Judical Reviews, Camden Road Closures, Greenwich LTN, Opposition to Enfield Regime, Horn Park and Weigall Road LTN, FOI Request Ignored, Albemarle Road Bromley, Better Deal for Bus Users?, Profits from Parking, Blackwall Tunnel Fire, Police Bill, Towing Away of Vehicles, London Elections. Back to Resources Issue No 78 (Feb 2021) Streetspace Plan Overturned, Legal Action Against LTNs, LTNs Not Popular, LTNs Are Collapsing, Pollution in LTN Rose, Nigel Farage's Pledge, Emergency Service Access Problems, Ella Kissi-Debrah Inquest, Turning London Into a Ghetto, Tax Rises From the Mayor of London. Note: Newsletters published in 2010 to 2020 were published under a different name and are not stored on our web site but can be supplied upon request. The contents are given in this document: Archive-London-Newsletters BBRAG Newsletters (1999-2009). Note that before 2010 there was a newsletter issued by the Bromley Borough Roads Action Group (BBRAG) which covered many of the same issues. These go back as far as 1999. The BBRAG web site is now archived, but this document contains a list of the newsletter contents which are still available upon request: BBRAG-Newsletters.

REGISTER To register your interest in our activities please use the form below. You will then receive any newsletters or calls to action which we issue via email and information on our campaigns including relevant public consultations. You can omit your postal address if you prefer but it does help us to know where you live. Note that our Privacy Policy covers what we will do with personal information submitted on the form below. Our Privacy Policy is defined in our Legal Terms and Conditions .

LOW TRAFFIC NEIGHBOURHOODS This page covers many of the articles we have published on our blog that explain the disadvantages of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) although they sometimes masquerade under different names. Their common objective is to cut traffic so as to reduce air pollution and provide other benefits but the claims made for them are a mirage. The evidence contradicts those claims. The articles are listed in date order (latest first) and may be added to as others are published (or use the blog search facility to find others). ​ Spurious Evidence on the Benefits of LTNs: https://freedomfordrivers.blog/2022/09/04/spurious-evidence-on-the-benefits-of-ltns/ Why LTNs are Failing: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/02/22/why-ltns-are-failing-and-deserve-to-do-so/ ​ High Court Hearing on Judicial Reviews: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/02/13/high-court-hearing-on-jrs-and-camden-road-closures/ ​ Greenwich LTN and Opposition to Enfield Regime: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/02/10/greenwich-ltn-and-opposition-to-enfield-regime/ ​ LTNs Collapsing: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/ltns-collapsing-under-public-and-legal-pressure-croydon-the-latest/ Legal Actions Against LTNs Escalating: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/01/27/legal-actions-against-ltns-escalating/ ​ LTNs Are Not Popular: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/01/23/ltns-are-not-popular/ ​ Croydon Council Supporting LTN Despite Overwhelming Public Opposition: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2021/01/10/croydon-ltn-supported-by-council-despite-overwhelming-opposition / ​ Pollution in LTN Rose, Nigel Farage’s Roads Election Pledge and Emergency Service Access Problems: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/12/07/pollution-in-ltn-rose-nigel-farages-roads-election-pledge-and-emergency-service-access-problems/ ​ London Opposition to LTNs, Lewisham Council Meeting, Commonplace and Ealing Opposed to LTNs: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/11/28/london-opposition-to-ltns-lewisham-council-meeting-commonplace-and-ealing-opposed-to-ltns/ ​ Croydon Streetspace Consultation: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/11/07/croydon-streetspace-consultation/ ​ Legal Action Over LTNs: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/11/02/sadiq-khan-bailed-out-again-and-legal-action-over-ltns/ ​ The Consequences of Shutting Out Traffic: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/10/30/the-consequences-of-shutting-out-traffic/ ​ Government Rejects Popular E-Petition Against Road Closures https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/10/28/government-rejects-popular-e-petition-against-road-closures/ ​ The LTN, Air Pollution and Climate Emergency in Lewisham: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/10/26/the-ltn-air-pollution-and-climate-emergency-in-lewisham/ ​ Demo Against LTN and LibDem Opinion Poll: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/10/04/demo-against-ltn-libdem-opinion-poll-and-tranche-2-funding/ ​ Does Closing Roads Reduce Air Pollution and Improve Health?: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/09/11/does-closing-roads-reduce-air-pollution-and-improve-health/ ​ Are There Any Benefits from Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/08/18/are-there-any-benefits-from-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-ltns/ ​ Air Quality and the ULEZ: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/07/06/air-quality-and-the-ulez-its-a-vindictive-but-unjustified-measure/ ​ More on Shapps Announcement: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/more-on-shapps-announcements-and-abd-press-release/ ​ Spending £0.5 Million with NO Justification: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/lewisham-spending-0-5-million-with-no-justification/ ​ Mini-Hollands and Why Road Closures May Be Illegal: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/02/24/mini-hollands-and-why-road-closures-may-be-illegal/ ​ The Impact of Delays to Emergency Vehicles: https://abdlondon.wordpress.com/2020/01/06/keep-la-moving-and-the-impact-of-delays-to-emergency-vehicles/ Back to London-Road-Closures

GREENWICH ROAD TOLLS CAMPAIGN This page covers the successful campaign against proposals for congestion charging in the London Borough of Greenwich, and what we said at the time. ​ In 2005/6, Transport for London (TfL) and Greenwich Council conducted a joint study of “road traffic demand management” in the Greenwich area. This included consideration of a congestion charge tax (ie. a road toll) on the area bounded by the A102 and A2 – which includes Greenwich park and Greenwich town centre. ​ As you can see on the map, the proposal also covered the Blackwall Tunnel and one option that was discussed, even if a wide area charge like the central London congestion tax was not implemented, was to impose a toll on the Blackwall Tunnel. The Blackwall Tunnel and the A2 are of course the main routes used by traffic from South-East London and Kent to reach central London. The joint study of the options had been supported by surveys of residents – by Accent Group and by Mori. The latter survey asked respondents to consider two possible zones – marked A and B on the map, the time of operation and the charges - £2, £4 or £6 were mentioned, but that it might be higher for larger vehicles. ​ Note that the proposed charging zone also included the A2209 (Deptford Church Street) to the west which is the normal way for traffic from the Surrey Quays, Rotherhithe and Southwark areas to avoid Greenwich town centre, and it might also cover the A2 over Blackheath so most of the diversionary routes would also be covered. In fact to avoid paying the charge, traffic would have had to go through the centre of Lewisham which is already severely congested, or take some minor back roads. Clearly this congestion tax would not be readily avoidable by most traffic. In addition a lot of traffic would likely divert to other river crossings that are already heavily congested. ​ It is worth pointing out that the use of “surveys” to lead public opinion in the preferred direction was a common element of TfL practices. By using a biased survey they can pretend that people support a scheme without doing open and full consultation. And of course there was no attempt to consult the road users, such as people who use the Blackwall Tunnel. ​ Bob Neill, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst spoke in the House of Commons on this issue in questions to then Minister Stephen Ladyman. When talking about the proposed Greenwich scheme he said “That would have ramifications well beyond Greenwich and the immediate area and would have an enormous impact on the national traffic network, including the A2 and A20, which are key feeder roads into London”. He requested the greatest possible public consultation be undertaken and that such a scheme not be imposed against the will of the public. ​ Transport Innovation Fund The funding for the initial studies came from central Government’s Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) for congestion schemes. The TIF funds were being used to bribe local authorities to set up congestion charging and road pricing schemes because the Government realised how politically sensitive such schemes are and did not want to be seen as promoting them directly. Of course if you get a local scheme in somewhere like Greenwich, which encourages traffic to avoid the area, then you generate major congestion problems in adjoining areas which in due course can then justify their own scheme. ​ In the TfL Bid document it points out: “…any attempt to impose significant peak hour traffic reduction on Greenwich Town Centre would give rise to objections similar to those associated with the earlier lorry ban. Measures that serve only to reduce traffic in one locality by transferring it to other equally sensitive locations, clearly, offer no net community benefits, while proposals that benefit one interest group by inconveniencing others will always present difficult choices. The Council would not wish to be a party to measures that are liable to inflict detriment on other communities or local authorities.” ​ This revealing document even manages to suggest that because of the problems of traffic diversion if a congestion charge was introduced at peak periods, it might be best to introduce an “off-peak only” charge – this would definitely be a world first – a congestion charge when there was no congestion! ​ But Greenwich estimated the cost of a scheme at over £100 million, an enormous amount of money with no clear benefits. ​ The Problems of Greenwich Greenwich town centre has been a notorious traffic bottleneck for many years. The nature of the geography also causes any generated air pollution over a wide area to collect in the river valley. Two alternative solutions have been suggested in the past to remove traffic from the town centre and enhance this World Heritage site – the first was to improve the A2 route over Blackheath, possibly by using a tunnel to avoid damage to the park – the second was by constructing a new road along the river frontage – both projects were effectively blocked by environmental objectors. ​ Air Pollution Issues In 2002, an Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) was adopted by Greenwich because of the known air pollution problems on some of the major roads. But although clearly many of the major routes in Greenwich generate much air pollution from traffic (for example the Blackwall Tunnel handles over 100,000 vehicles per day with heavy congestion during rush hours), it is not at all clear what the overall impact of traffic is on air pollution levels in Greenwich. Indeed the report fudges many of the key issues. For example it says “local road transport constitutes approximately 28 to 80% of NOx emissions in the borough…” and “approximately 50% of the remaining background sources arise from road transport sources outside the borough”. For PM10 (particulates) it says “between 5% and 40% of concentrations result from primary road transport emissions in the borough, depending on location, with approximately 60 to 95% arising from background sources”. ​ In reality nobody knows how much general air pollution in Greenwich comes from local traffic, from industrial or other sources, or how much from outside the borough. ​ The proposed plans also didn’t seem to have taken any account of the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) which now covers the whole of the greater London area and will reduce emissions from HGVs and buses quite substantially in the next few years. In addition the general improvement in the technology of vehicles is reducing emissions by large amounts. ​ Note that private cars seem to produce less than 20% of total emissions of pollutants such as PM10s as HGVs, LGVs, buses and taxis are the main sources. It is also worth pointing out that the central London Congestion Charge has not resulted in improved air quality within the congestion charge zone. We suggested that it was unnecessary to introduce congestion charges in Greenwich to tackle air pollution issues and doing so would not be effective in tackling air pollution. We said more steps should be taken to reduce congestion which itself is the major cause of such pollution. ​ Cessation of the Blackwall Tunnel Tidal Flow One action that was taken by TfL was the cessation of the Blackwall Tunnel tidal flow system. This undoubtedly increased congestion, and hence resulted in higher air pollution. They justified this on the grounds of safety but the tidal flow system has been in use for 30 years without major incident, the accident statistics show that the tunnel actually has fewer reported accidents than most major roads in London, and independent consultants had actually recommended that alternative measures to improve safety be taken. TfL went ahead and stopped the tidal flow system without any public consultation, not even with the local boroughs, and without any prior notice. Of course many commentators have said that as allegedly happened with the London congestion charge, if you first make congestion worse then there is more justification for introducing congestion charges. ​ How We Opposed the Proposals We mounted a major public campaign to have road tolls in Greenwich thrown out. The public do not like road tolls of any form, and these proposals were in essence just an attempt by anti-car fanatics to raise the cost of motoring and restrict your freedom of movement. An on-line petition was set up to assist. We circulated over 100,000 leaflets to residents of the borough of Greenwich and received hundreds of responses. ​ As we received an enormous response to our leaflet on the proposed congestion charge in Greenwich, but Transport for London still had not published their detailed proposals, we held a public meeting on Saturday the 22nd September 2007 at Mycenae House in Blackheath. ​ On the 4th November 2007, we issued a press release which showed that based on the surveys undertaken by Transport for London, there was overwhelming opposition to any congestion charge scheme in Greenwich. Only 16% supported such an idea, with 77% opposed according to the latest survey. ​ Soon after (in 2008) Mayor Livingstone was of course ejected by the electorate in favour of Boris Johnson who had publicly opposed any extension of congestion charging to Greenwich or other outer London boroughs. He also made a manifesto commitment to reinstate the Blackwall Tunnel Tidal Flow. Indeed it was said by some commentators that Mr Johnson won the election because of the votes of Londoners in South East London stimulated by a local motorists pressure group, but you can take that with a pinch of salt. ​ Unfortunately, he subsequently reneged on his commitment to reinstate the Blackwall Tunnel Tidal Flow system. ​ Back to Campaigns

USEFUL LINKS This page contains links to other web sites that may be of interest. Please let us know if you have suggestions for other links. ​ Sometimes links stop working because sites are closed down or their address is changed. Please let us know if there are any problems with any links. Greater London Authority. GLA and Mayor of London policies and news: www.london.gov.uk ​ Transport for London. Part of the GLA that deals with transport matters. Lots of useful information including details of the Congestion Charging Scheme: www.tfl.gov.uk ​ London Journey Planner. Part of the Transport for London site. It enables you to plan your journey by train, bus, tube, etc: www.journeyplanner.org ​ London Traffic News. Traffic news in London provided by Transport for London: www.tfl.gov.uk/trafficnews ​ London Underground. Information on tube services: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/tube/ ​ London Congestion/ULEZ Charging. Information on the London congestion charge and the ULEZ and a way to pay them: www.cclondon.com ​ Department for Transport. Lots of government info on transport, road safety, etc: www.gov.uk/dft ​ DfT Transport Statistics. Useful national transport data: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-transport/about/statistics ​ Highways England. Travel updates. Information on the national road network: https://highwaysengland.co.uk/travel-updates/ ​ Transport Research Laboratory. Publish independent reports on transport matters: www.trl.co.uk ​ The Public Purpose. A site containing much useful information on public transport in the USA, but also contains useful data on London and UK transport: www.publicpurpose.com ​ UK National Air Quality. Information site on air pollution: www.airquality.co.uk ​ London Air Quality Network. Information site on air pollution in London: https://www.londonair.org.uk ​ Campaign for Freedom of Information. Useful info on getting information from government bodies: www.cfoi.org.uk ​ StreetMap. Enter a street name or post code and it gives you a local map: www.streetmap.co.uk/ ​ Train Timetables. UK rail network schedules: www.nationalrail.co.uk ​ Trainline: Train and bus schedules and fares: https://www.thetrainline.com/ ​ YourParkingSpace. Enables you to find the nearest/cheapest parking in London: https://www.yourparkingspace.co.uk ​ AppealNow. Provides assistance for appealing parking ticket and London Congestion charge penalty notices: www.appealnow.com ​ Crash Map. Provides maps of all road traffic accidents: www.crashmap.co.uk Back to Resources ​ ​

PETITION TO REMOVE SPEED HUMPS Petition Against Speed Humps in Chislehurst Written April 2008 ​ Back in 1998, the Bromley Borough Roads Action Group (BBRAG) was formed to oppose the proposed installation of speed humps in Manor Park Road and Watts Lane, Chislehurst (in the London Borough of Bromley). This scheme consisted of 5 round-top humps and 7 speed cushions in what was a relatively quiet road for most of the day. Although there is a large school nearby, school run traffic actually slows vehicles so no schoolchildren had been injured on the road in recent years. ​ Most residents thought it was a total waste of money (cost of £40,000) and did not want the humps, but the scheme was unfortunately at the time supported by councillors and council staff and gained marginal support from residents by the use of a biased consultation leaflet. This was of course long before the disadvantages of humps had become widely known and such evidence promoted internationally by the BBRAG Chairman. ​ In 2006 an analysis of the impact of the humps on accidents in the roads was done. In essence it showed that there was no statistical evidence of any improvement in the accident rate. See Speed-Hump-Effects for details. ​ So recently we launched a petition among local residents to have them removed. This was done by house-to-house canvassing of immediately adjacent streets and a leaflet drop to a wider area (that used in the original consultation). ​ The results were 258 signatures obtained in support (that compares with only 85 people who responded to the original council consultation). That implies that 76% of people who were personally approached (63 out of 83) signed the petition, clear evidence of the strength of support for removing the humps. ​ The petition has now been submitted to Environment Portfolio Holder Councillor Colin Smith. We await a response, but note that we asked for alternative traffic calming measures to be installed to replace the humps. ​ Roger Lawson ​ Postscript: The result of the petition was that Mr Smith promised that when the road was due for resurfacing, a public consultation would be undertaken to determine whether there was support to remove the humps. That was all he was willing to commit to. But we will ensure that this promise is adhered to. ​ ​ Back to Speed Humps Main Page ​ ​

The FFDF Promotes the Interests of Drivers THE FREEDOM FOR DRIVERS FOUNDATION The Freedom for Drivers Foundation (FFDF) is a body that aims to educate the public about the benefits of road vehicles. With cars, vans and taxis accounting for 80% of the mileage of all trips in the UK, and over 65% of goods being carried by road, the road network and the people who use it are of vital importance to the nation's economy. ​ Drivers should expect the road network to be improved and maintained to a standard that is fit for purpose, and that includes in London. They should be able to use the roads in a safe and responsible manner without being subject to unreasonable restrictions or charges and petty bureaucracy. In particular the FFDF campaigns for: Greater investment in the road network to cut congestion. Better parking provision. No road tolls or congestion taxes. More intelligent and evidence based road safety policies. Reduced taxes on owning and running cars. It is unfortunate that transport policies in the last few years have been dominated by anti-car factions who either hate cars or are cycling fanatics. As a result, we have very unbalanced transport policies in the country and particularly in London which impose enormous costs on residents and visitors. Public transport is massively subsidised while private transport is penalised and discouraged. The latest example of this is the introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods where roads are closed to vehicles, which is creating massive increases in congestion. ​ This web site is a source of information on traffic and transport issues and covers our news reports and campaigns. ​ Go to About for more information on the FFDF in London and our national activities. Go to Register if you want to sign up for our free newsletters . Make sure you object to Low Traffic Neighbourhoods which have caused more traffic congestion and more air pollution. Latest News This is the latest news. Go to the Blog for more news, or follow us on Twitter , or use the site search facility - see top of page - to explore the site. Opposition to Mayor's Transport Strategy (MTS). The FFDF is opposing many aspects of Sadiq Khan's London Transport Strategy and the "London Plan". Go here for more information and how you can object: Against-MTS Campaign against road closures caused by Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and the Streetspace policy that are creating more congestion: London-road-closures Three of the most important issues for London drivers are the Congestion Charge (a.k.a. Tax), 20 MPH Speed Limits and Parking. We have specific pages to cover those topics - summarised below. The London Congestion Charge is one of the most controversial measures imposed by car hating Mayor Ken Livingstone. It has been supported by subsequent Mayors and other politicians even though it had no significant impact on traffic congestion in central London (claims by TfL that it did are simply wrong). It is also a simplistic system while being very expensive to run. Go here for more information: Congestion . 20 mph speed limits have been adopted over wide areas. Often these are “signed only” limits which have not been shown to have any road safety benefits. We are not opposed to 20 mph speed limits in appropriate areas (where traffic speeds are near that limit) but we oppose their adoption where there are no rational reasons to slow traffic and increase journey times. See the Road Safety page for more information There are also a number of articles on our Blog on this topic. Restrictions on parking and excessive charges for doing so are a common complaint in London and other cities. Local boroughs make millions of pounds from motorists and use the money to subsidise other budgets, sometimes illegally. Go to Parking for articles on that topic including Permit Parking schemes and Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs).

RICHMOND PERMIT PARKING This page covers the campaign against the Emission Based Permit Parking scheme introduced by the London Borough of Richmond in 2007 (see bottom of page for the ultimate success of this campaign). ​ This article was published in Jan 2007: The London Borough of Richmond have recently announced major increases in parking charges (they expect to collect at least £1million more). One additional element in their proposals is to charge permit parking scheme users based on the CO2 emissions of their vehicles. This could result in some residents paying as much as £300 per year, instead of £100. A press release said the following: ​ “Richmond’s New Parking Charges Miss the Point, says drivers’ group. Richmond council has hit the headlines today by announcing they will charge residents more to park outside their homes if they own ‘gas guzzling’ cars. The new tax is an attempt to reduce CO2 emissions. ​ In any case, targeting a small minority of car users will not make any significant impact on CO2 emissions. One of the most interesting recent statements from Transport for London in their submissions on the Thames Gateway Bridge inquiry was the following statement: “Private cars constitute only 10% of total UK CO2 emissions, and the position appears to be both under control and improving, largely due to technology”. If you assume only 10% of cars are “gas guzzlers” and their owners all moved to smaller cars (with about half the CO2 emissions), then the net impact will be 0.5% of CO2 emitted in Richmond. But of course most of them will not, and many cars are parked off the street so the net impact will clearly be imperceptible. ​ These charges are obviously not about improving emissions, but simply about raising more money for hard pressed council budgets from local residents.” ​ The council’s consultation document provided little information on the likely impact of these proposals which in reality were likely to reduce CO2 emissions by less than 0.25%. ​ Campaign We mounted a campaign to defeat these proposals and circulated over 7,000 leaflets to residents in permit parking zones within the borough of Richmond. There were several hundred responses. Liberal Democrat councillors who thought up this idea got a lot more objections than they expected. ​ Press coverage was also strongly in opposition and it is astonishing to see the numbers and type of people who supported our stance – even people who don’t own cars! There was a general consensus that the proposals were “gesture politics” of the worst kind and “green policies” were being used to extract more money from impoverished motorists. ​ This article was published in March 2007 about the subsequent public meeting at the council: Our supporters in London have been campaigning against the proposed implementation of changes to permit parking charges in the London Borough of Richmond. The new charges will be based on the CO2 emissions of the vehicle – low emission vehicles will pay less and those in the highest band will pay three times as much. There is also a much higher charge for a second vehicle. Needless to say that there was widespread consternation among residents who live in permit parking zones when these proposals were first announced. Even non car owners and people with a strong commitment to environmental issues thought the proposals were a nonsense. Supporters distributed some 7000 leaflets encouraging residents to object to the proposals, which got a good response. Roger Lawson and other members of the public spoke against the proposals at a council meeting. One particularly interesting speaker was Michael Williams, a market research expert, who confirmed that in his view the council's survey form was a good example of bad survey design as it was clearly designed to bias the answer. ​ Richmond Election Result (Article published in June 2010). One of the most gratifying results in the London Council elections, at least to your editor, was the loss of the London Borough of Richmond to the Conservatives by the Liberal Democrats. ​ The Liberal Democrats in Richmond adopted many “anti-car” policies, and when they proposed a “CO2-based” permit parking charge we joined in the democratic opposition to it. There was widespread public revolt which culminated in a public meeting organised by the council where almost all the audience was against it. ​ The local Conservative manifesto included an “End to the war on high streets, adopt fair parking policies and scrap failed CPZ tax surcharge on parking permits” and they have subsequently announced they will be scrapping this scheme. ​ Even more satisfying was the eviction of former LibDem Council Leader Serge Lourie who lost his seat by just 6 votes. He did not seem to believe in democracy (at least in terms of the public getting what they wanted) from his handling of the affair. Conservatives also won two local parliamentary seats from the Liberal Democrats. Of course there may have been other factors at work in these successes but it shows how local democracy does work when issues which personally affect them are presented to the voters in the right way. ​ Back to Campaigns

LEWISHAM AGAINST ROAD CLOSURES This page covers the campaign run by local residents and supported by the FFDF against the closure of many roads in Lewisham as part of the “Healthy Neighbourhoods” policy. In summary, these proposals are causing enormous inconvenience to local residents, visitors and delivery drivers apart from causing congestion on other roads. The latest changes to the LTN scheme will be unlikely to help everyone or solve the problems which have generated the complaints. The first area Lewisham Council planned to cover was Lewisham and Lee Green where road closures were installed on a "trial" basis but other areas they propose to cover are East Sydenham, Telegraph Hill and Bellingham. See Background for more background information. Such schemes are of course a part of the Mayor of London's Transport Strategy to get us all walking, cycling and using public transport and prejudicing those who wish to use motor vehicles of any kinds. These proposals are being funded by central Government and the Mayor of London via Transport for London (TfL) - the cost has not been disclosed. As the finance for such schemes was cut back, the Covid-19 epidemic was then used instead to justify road closures and to obtain funding for them. ​ More Details The closure of Cambridge Drive, Leyland Road, Upwood Road (see photo above), Manor Lane and Manor Park are causing great inconvenience. Some closures are also affecting residents who live in the Borough of Greenwich and other adjacent boroughs who have not been consulted. ​ These closures are causing traffic to be diverted onto already congested roads such as the A20, A205 (South Circular) and A2212 (Burnt Ash Road) and mean even longer queues of traffic on the latter at the traffic lights. ​ Residents who are likely to be affected by these proposals should certainly contact their local councillors. We have received numerous comments on the road closures and a file of those received up to 02/04/2021 is present in this document: Comments-Received-2 . ​ We have made objections to these plans but local residents need to do so also! ​ Note that there is a report on the “Public Drop-in Event” for this scheme on the 6th February 2020 on our London Blog here: Event-Report . There is also a report on the Lee Green Assembly meeting on the 11th February 2020 here: Meeting-Report . Councillors were clearly still not listening to the objections and have continued to ignore them since! The Meeting-Report contains their contact details. ​ This note was published on our blog in early June 2020 to give an update on the proposals for Lewisham: Lewisham-Update. ​ Road closures in other parts of Lewisham have also been put in for Scawen Road, George Lane, Kitto Road, Glenbow Road, South Row (later cancelled), Bishopsthorpe Road and Silverdale. These closures have been authorised using Temporary Traffic Orders. We have sent the Council letters formally objecting to the Traffic Orders. You can use this example as a template: FFDF-Objection-Letter . Local residents are advised to submit similar objections. ​ One of the justifications for the Healthy Neighbourhoods and subsequent proposals in Lewisham were that they will promote "modal shift", i.e. encourage more walking and cycling, and reduce air pollution by reducing traffic. But there is no hard evidence from other similar schemes that have been implemented that modal shift actually takes place in reality. In addition the claims for air pollution reduction are very unlikely to be true - in fact, it could get worse as a result in Lewisham if roads are closed. We have published this note on our blog which covers the air quality issue in depth: Air-Pollution ​ We have been distributing leaflets against the road closures in Lewisham and can supply free copies if you would like some to distribute to local residents. Use the Contact page to request. ​ Our comments on the latest proposed changes to the LTN schemes in Lewisham are present here: Lewisham-Backtracking and how they are closing roads using the excuse of School Streets when there are no schools on the roads: School-Streets ​ PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU OBJECT TO THESE ROAD CLOSURES AND TELL YOUR COUNCILLORS WHAT YOU THINK NOW! PLUS SIGN THIS PETITION: PETITION ​ PUBLIC CONSULTATION: Lewisham Council issued a public consultation on the Lewisham and Lee Green LTN in June 2021. Go here for more information: CONSULTATION . A report on the results of the consultation and what they plan to do has now been published. See this blog post for comments: CONSULTATION-REPORT. In summary, it’s a misleading report and ignores the majority view of respondents. ​ This blog post gives a template letter that you can use to object to the Permanent Traffic Orders and comments on the difficulty of obtaining information from the council: Template-Letter ​ Postscript: All of the objections submitted to the Council were ignored. Complete the form below to register your interest in this campaign and to be kept informed on future news and how to object (entering your postal address is optional but it helps us to know which road you live in). ​ Back to Campaigns ​ ​ ​