Poor consultation to blame for LTN upset says Latchford West candidate

THE Lib-Dem candidate for the Latchford West By-election, Sharon Harris, has blamed poor consultation for all the upset caused by the implementation of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme in Westy.

With the election set to take place a week today, on April 20, Sharon said, “I recognise that a number of residents have very genuine concerns with the LTN on Grange Avenue. The Lib Dems would have addressed this issue differently by having face-to-face consultations with residents. We would have listened to their concerns and addressed them at the beginning of any trial period before they became problems. We would also have anticipated some of the obvious problems such as displaced traffic and air quality outside the LTN being compromised.
“There should have been a constant open dialogue between the Council and residents to work out the solutions together.

“I am an air quality campaigner and Warrington is regularly in the top five towns in the north west for the worst air quality. I am campaigning for the right sort of monitors to be installed throughout the town. At present we only have two and I am working with others to have indoor and outdoor air quality monitors at all Warrington schools. On 31 March I organised a Symposium to discuss air quality in the town. Current monitors focus on Nitrogen Dioxide and not PM2.5 and PM10. These are the particulates which are the most detrimental to human health and can cause respiratory problems, dementia, autism and certain heart conditions.”

Sharon added: “Inexpensive public transport is needed to enable us to get about our town easily without having to use cars. At the same time, we all need to be able to breathe clean air. LTNs are only successful as part of a whole town initiative and isolated trials on their own will only ever highlight the problems of displaced traffic congestion and air quality. Residents are only part-way through the 18-month trial period. Although they were consulted, the consultation was not good enough and another trial period is about to start in April. Residents need and deserve better consultation which is ongoing throughout the trial.”