Haigh: Low-traffic neighbourhoods are decisions for communities not Whitehall

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Louise Haigh said she wants to move away from the “culture wars” of the previous Conservative government and provide the Department for Transport’s “full support” to authorities in England wanting to roll out such schemes. Ms Haigh, speaking to the Streets Ahead podcast, acknowledged the previous Tory government’s financial support for active travel before adding the new Labour administration wants to “invest on unprecedented levels”. “And not only did they not have the air cover, they had the government actively working against them saying ‘No, you’re not allowed to roll out 20mph zones, no, you’re not allowed to roll out LTNs’ – those kinds of decisions should absolutely be made at a local level by communities and not dictated to or stoked up by the centre, and this Government has ended all culture wars full stop, but there’s no way you’ll be hearing that from this department now.” Ms Haigh added: “Local authorities will have my full support to roll out schemes. “We’re certainly not shying away from the target of getting 50% short journeys walking and cycling and that will have to be delivered by local authorities, so anybody who wants to do that work, they’ll have the Department for Transport’s full backing.” Asked if this applied to cycle lanes and LTNs, Ms Haigh replied: “Yeah, absolutely, that is entirely up to local areas to decide and it was completely wrong for the previous government to say that they would dictate that from Whitehall.