Over hundreds of rural roads, a variation of Low Traffic Neighborhoods (LTNs), which are usually seen in urban settings, has silently proliferated.
LTNs are linked to lower speeds of 20 mph as well as impediments like flower boxes and police cameras, and they give preference to bikes and pedestrians over automobiles.
However, even though they are usually located in cities, a rural counterpart has since surfaced and is gradually spreading throughout the countryside.
At least six counties, including North Yorkshire, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, and Oxfordshire, have reportedly implemented “quiet lanes” regulations on a number of their roadways.
The Quiet Lanes and Home Zones (England) Regulations 2006, which were introduced by New Labour, allow authorities to set speed limits on any road that is designated under the Act.
Oxfordshire County Council is the most recent local government to adopt the initiative. In an effort to promote more walking and bicycling, the council has suggested blocking some rural roads to through traffic.
Although the county currently has a large number of silent lanes, the council’s new plan will go beyond signage-based lanes, which the local government refers to as “a step further than the existing Department for Transport policy.”
According to the plans, highways that typically operate at the 60 mph national speed limit may be lowered to 20 mph, silent lane signage will be erected, and physical barriers like gates and bollards will be put in place.
Additionally, Edmund King, president of the AA, believes that the council’s plans to cut off roads under the 2006 legislation go beyond the original goal of the scheme, despite the local authority’s claim that the project will give “safe access to enjoy the countryside.”
Tim Bearder, the Liberal Democrat leader of Oxfordshire County Council, told the BBC that many people “want to go out and enjoy the rural landscape but they’re just put off by dangerous roads” when questioned about the plan.
Bollards on a street in Cowley, close to Oxford, where a Low Traffic Neighborhood was established in 2023
“We can reallocate that road space for the benefit of cyclists, pedestrians, people who want to ride horses, and it means people have this safe access to enjoy the countryside,” says Lib-Dem councillor Tim Bearder, who is leading Oxfordshire County Council’s proposal to apply similar regulations to rural roads.
However, the installation of quiet lanes has sparked concerns from the residents. Steve, a farmer, is particularly concerned about machinery that needs access to specific lanes.
He remarked, “I just think it’s insane—you can’t just close roads to vehicles when you have HGVs delivering to and collecting from farms.”
However, the council clarified that HGVs will not be “cut off” from their destination and noted that they might need to use “an alternative and more appropriate route.”
In response to a Campaign to Protect Rural England lobbying effort, the Countryside Agency launched two prototype Quiet Lanes programs in Norfolk and Kent in 1998.
Mr. King clarified that their goal was to prioritize people who were walking, cycling, or riding as well as local access above through or fast traffic.
He said that they function “well” and that, in his experience, most drivers respect these lanes and give way to cyclists, walkers, and horse riders.
“Motor vehicles may be restricted in some exceptional cases without compromising access to farms, fields, or homes, but these are likely to be few and far between,” he stated.
“I think the current quiet lanes work well as someone who regularly drives, walks, and rides.”
“Quiet lanes are about making sure local roads work for the communities that live there, not as cut-throughs for traffic they were never designed to carry,” stated Rebekah Fletcher, the county’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management. “This new approach will help us prioritize walking, wheeling, cycling, and horse riding, and give us a clear and consistent way to provide quiet lanes where there is strong local support.”
A representative for the Local Government Association stated: “Councils recognize the impact that traffic has on their various communities and work hard to tackle it, working with communities to deliver the best results.”
In order to enhance the quality of life in their neighborhood and promote more reasonably priced modes of transportation, residents also expect local government to provide safer streets and better air in the areas where they live and work. How they aim to accomplish this will be outlined in their local transportation plans.
