Ealing Council decided to introduce LTNs (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods) to many streets in Ealing from July. The stated aim was to avoid rat runs, to lower traffic and to encourage alternatives to motorised journeys during Covid. However, a great many residents and local businesses are now experiencing firsthand unprecedented traffic jams on the few main roads left open (due to the road barricades), an increase in pollution and a decrease in business. The Council is determined to continue moving ahead with further LTNs without consultation. Our campaigning group of volunteer residents has now mounted the start of a legal response to this undemocratic process and we really need your help to meet existing and upcoming legal fees.
We're asking local Government to re-think their approach on LTNs. There is little or no evidence that they are effective in an inner-city context; they displace large amounts of traffic and pollution onto (often less affluent) communities, their implementation has been undemocratic and lacking in any substantive community consultation, and they are causing issues for emergency services, including the London Ambulance Service who was NOT consulted, with unfortunate consequences. It's time for an urgent re-think. Unfortunately, LTNs have been rushed through the legislative process and have already come into place (or are about to), affecting thousands of families and businesses across the Borough. This needs to change, and we intend to make this happen.
OneEaling is an apolitical grassroots campaign, run by, with and for residents who proudly, passionately, unashamedly love their neighbourhood and we welcome positive change through consultation. We came together recently and share deep concerns over the way LTNs have been implemented in our Borough, specifically a democratic deficit and lack of meaningful consultation on the schemes, apparent conflicts of interest and impact on families living on main roads.
We've set up this fundraising page to cover the essentials of running the OneEaling campaign which has now moved into its legal phase. We are entirely volunteer-powered, and don't benefit from any financial support from external bodies. Setting up a Crowdfunder page is the most direct way to raising the funds needed to facilitate our work. Specifically, we've identified legal costs as our biggest expenditure and have already invested over £750 on five court filings to challenge these LTNs:
1. LTN 20 - Endsleigh Road/Green Man Lane
2. LTN 21 - Oaklands Road/Midhurst Road
3. LTN 25 - Acton Central
4. LTN 30 - Loveday Road
5. LTN 35 - Mattock Lane
The Council is now preparing its defence so we've vetted and appointed a solicitor to represent us in court. Meeting their legal fees is outside the means of our core volunteer group so we're asking you for support.
3,000 people marched to the Town Hall in September. If everyone pledged £10 each, that's it. Two pints at your local. Or three cups of coffee. This fight is within our collective means!
It's on! Our day in court is Tuesday 2nd February, 2021!
The more funds we have, the better equipped we'll be to take our fight to the High Court.
(Nearly) reaching our £30,000 target is awesome but we're now going to push to reach £35,000.
As you know, all donations are going directly to frontline costs of the campaign: specifically, reimbursing campaigners who paid for the court filings from their own pockets and now the legal fees of our retained firm, Magdalen Chambers, which are definitely needed since we have confirmation that we're going to Court.
Plus of course, Crowdfunder, who are competitive, do apply their own fees so we're trying to create a cushion.
We'll be sharing regular email progress updates via this crowdfunding database (if you sign up) and keeping active on social media so you can keep in the loop. We would love to see supporters getting engaged with our work, and always welcome more people coming forward to join our network.
1. Stay informed or get involved:
Ealing Residents Against LTN Facebook Group
2. Sign our petition:
Objection to Ealing's LTNs Petition
3. Register your objection on the Council's Commonplace survey:
Ealing Council survey
4. Check out our website:
www.oneealing.co.uk
A MASSIVE thank you for your support. Your donation will have a tangible impact on our work, and on the lives of those now living with more pollution, more car hazards, more noise and more disruption as a result of LTNs.
Lorna O'Driscoll, Laura Begg, Sue Huxtable, Paul Mankoo, Kathy Hawes, Vikram Gulati, Helene Holmes, Mo Nabbach, Joelle Watkins.
Ps, we still don't understand this sign...