Environmental activism has long had a class problem. With the middle class’s long-held love of eco-marches and the emergent Extinction Rebellion movement, green campaigns have crept closer and closer to the epicentre of the culture wars.
One front line for this has been the leafy streets of Islington and Hackney, where the unsexy subject of restricting vehicle use has become the biggest and most incendiary debate in council meetings. Disputes over Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) have become louder and more furious as Sadiq Khan and local councils have implemented them across London, aiming to de-pollute the city – making it greener and safer.
Behind the fiery national debate, concerns about the schemes are genuine. Many disabled residents rely on cars or taxis, while women using services such as Uber at night may be forced to walk further to their homes. And in times of serious financial strain, grappling with extortionate fines for simply driving your car down a forbidden street does seem cruel. For many residents, the long-term well-being of London is currently far down their list of priorities.
“The environmental impact of LTNs is real, but so are people’s concerns – and surely this should be part of the discourse”
When you put aside the placards and chanting, this culture war will help nobody. Unfortunately, the middle-class eco-warriors and the residents for whom climate change is an alien and distant concern will all be hit with the harsh realities of climate change in the future.
In a political environment where nuance and consensus building are not particularly in vogue, absolutist positions seem to do nothing other than pour fuel onto the already raging fires of the culture wars. The environmental impact of LTNs is real, but so are people’s concerns – and surely this should be part of the discourse, even if it’s not the most inspiring subject of activism.
To argue that LTNs are undemocratic and only benefit the privileged middle classes ignores glaringly huge issues. Anti-LTN activists are performing a sharp handbrake turn away from the facts of the environmental reality.
Car tyres produce 2,000 times more pollution than exhaust fumes, and both have been linked to premature death, increasing hospital admissions, and worsening heart and lung disease. There are 2.6 million cars registered in London, and with the threat of particle pollution looming, who could argue for less regulation?
But the Boris Johnson era has left us with a gaping hole where truth and compromise once used to sit proudly. The post-Brexit world has turned political discourse upside down and allowed a “culture war monster” to lurk in the wreckage. How can we expect debates about LTNs to be of any higher calibre than that displayed on the green benches of parliament?
A Barnsbury LTN meeting hosted by Islington Council back in November descended into chaos after barely 20 minutes, with the fire alarm set off and police called to the scene. When behaviour shown by politicians is verbally reminiscent of Hugh Grant and Colin Firth’s infantile tussle in Bridget Jones, there is very little hope for the rest of us.
This issue goes to the heart of politics in Islington. Caroline Russell, the Green Party representative for Highbury, has been particularly vocal about the effect of carbon emissions on health. Rather than the dismissal of her argument by anti-LTN activists concerned about the impact of the measures on vulnerable groups, perhaps it might be useful to consider the disproportionate damage done by pollution to those with pre-existing health problems.
The streets of London’s boroughs are too congested, and we should be reducing our vehicle usage. That is not a hair-brained “leftist” argument, it’s a completely reasonable suggestion.
In a cost-of-living crisis, where one in five people in the UK live in poverty, the culture wars are inconsequential. Nobody knows what the “wokerati” are, and nobody really eats tofu. But climate change will hit the poorest in society first, so let’s lay down our weapons and end the culture war over LTNs.
And if we don’t, in 10 years’ time, we’ll all be needing our rubber dingy to get to the LTN protest at Islington Town Hall.
