Walking and wheeling in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods: A mixed methods study of mobility aid users’ interactions with changing public spaces

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) seek to discourage car use by making vehicle journeys more circuitous, and to make active travel journeys safer and more pleasant, thus improving public health. LTNs have been adopted in urban areas across the UK, with implementation accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Debates around LTNs often engage with the experiences of disabled people, and potentially varied impacts on people’s journeys and everyday lives. This paper draws ON data collected as part of a large mixed-methods study of LTN schemes in London to shed light on how the disruption of car dominance changes disabled people’s experiences of everyday walking and wheeling. Recognising that the restriction of motor traffic takes place within streetscapes already imbued with values and inequalities, we explore how disabled people using mobility aids interact with such changing infrastructures. We use quantitative analysis of video data to examine whether three new LTNs are associated with a change in the proportion of pedestrians using mobility aids. Qualitatively, we examine how such street interactions change following LTN introduction. The video findings are complemented by analysis of focus groups and interviews with disabled residents, offering diverse perspectives on the lived experiences of changing public spaces in and around LTNs.