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Oxford LTNs: County council 'committed to listening' despite video

BBC Car in Low Traffic NeighbourhoodBBC
The county council said Low Traffic Neighbourhoods can create quieter, safer communities

A council that released a video to promote controversial traffic calming schemes has been accused of bias that "would have made Pravda blush".

Three permanent Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are set to be approved by Oxfordshire County Council at a meeting on Thursday.

Most respondents to a council-run consultation said they were opposed to them going ahead.

The authority said it is "committed to listening to all views".

The council said the proposed LTNs would prevent through traffic, so residents "can enjoy a quieter neighbourhood".

All of the five people interviewed in the video, which was posted on the council's Twitter page on Monday and has been seen about 11,500 times, talk about the benefits of the schemes.

The authority received about 2,400 responses in a consultation about the LTNs for Church Cowley, Temple Cowley and Florence Park last year.

Of those, 63% said they objected and 11% said they had "concerns", while 26% said they supported the schemes.

A council spokesperson said "while the video represents the views of people who are supportive of LTNs, we are committed to listening to all views on the topic".

Protesters in Oxford
Protesters said LTNs divided communities, increased congestion and made travelling harder for disabled motorists

They said Tim Bearder, the cabinet member for highways management, will "consider a range of factors" when he makes his decision.

While the consultation "is one of these factors", he will also consider data, legal advice, equality and climate impact assessments, as well as views from Thursday's meeting.

The spokesperson said the video was filmed and edited by council staff using council-owned equipment.

Conservative county councillor Ian Corkin said the video showed a "lack of balance that would have made Pravda blush".

Hosnieh Djafari-Marbini, a Labour city councillor, said the video was "neither representative of the views nor of the make up of the local residents affected by the LTNs and as such makes a mockery of local democracy".

"This kind of one-sided promotion only divides further," she added.

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