It might sound like magic — but it's actually true — and it's what experts (🤓) refer to as "traffic evaporation". Here's a THREAD covering everything you need to know about the phenomenon. pic.twitter.com/gynFBAYxFT
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
It can take months for traffic patterns to settle after an LTN is introduced — but when it does the traffic evaporation leads to about 15% of the traffic in the area just disappearing into thin air
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
How do we know? Some very clever folks named Sally Cairns, Carmen Hass-Klau, and Phil Goodwin ran some experiments in 1998 and 2002. Here's what they found out…
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
By looking at 70 case studies across 11 countries and talking to 200 transport professionals (🤓) the found traffic doesn't behave the way we thought it did.
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
Unlike water making its way downhill via the path of least resistance, traffic is actually just real-life people, sitting in their cars and making decisions based on a whole host of factors.
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
When repeatedly faced with a barrier on their journey drivers changed their mode of travel, chose alternative destinations, or the frequency of their journey, consolidated trips, took up car sharing or didn’t make the journey at all!
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
In half of the cases they looked at, there was an 11% reduction in traffic across the entire area — and that includes the main roads.
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
In just one year after Walthamstow introduced their world famous LTN, residents were walking on average 32 minutes more per week. That's good news for businesses, healthcare workers and Nike trainer outlets everywhere.
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
Want us to show our working? You big, loveable, nerd (🤓). Here's where you can get more info: https://t.co/1cWCCUGD1V
— Lambeth Living Streets (@LambethLivingSt) June 16, 2020
