Thousands of people took to the streets of Oxford (England) to protest against the implementation of the so-called light traffic neighborhoods (LTN). This new urban model consists of imposing mobility restrictions on the residents of the locality who wish to enter certain areas of the city by car.
LTNs are an urban planning scheme that mimic the principles of the so-called '15-minute cities.' In theory, these schemes are intended to reduce traffic levels in localities and are sold on the idea of being convenient for residents, as all basic needs and services such as education, health, supermarkets, cultural venues and work - are located in an area less than a quarter of an hour's walk or bike ride away.
In addition to this, there is an apparent environmental justification. Since, while citizens have all their basic services (less than 15 minutes walking distance from their homes), carbon dioxide emissions are also reduced, since it is not necessary to use 'polluting' vehicles to get around.
Oxfordshire, a 15-minute town
The Light Traffic Neighborhoods (LTN) standard was approved by Oxfordshire County Council in November 2022 and the aim is for it to be implemented later this year.
In the case of this English locality, these neighborhoods include "traffic filters" to prohibit the free movement of citizens. In other words, blockades will be imposed on some streets to prevent non-residents from passing through them. According to the official text published in the Oxfordshire Country Council:
An LTN is an area where motorised traffic is prevented from taking shortcuts through a residential area. This creates quieter and safer streets where residents may feel more comfortable when making local journeys by cycling, wheeling or on foot.
The LTN will limit traffic on six streets in Oxfordshire. Only authorized automobiles may enter and travel during the designated hours (7 a.m. - 7 p.m.) in the restricted zones. Automatic license plate recognition (ANPR) cameras on city streets will read the license plates of non-compliant vehicles. A citizen who violates the rule will be fined $83.6 (70 pounds sterling).
An attack on freedom of movement
Many city residents do not agree with the implementation of this measure and decided to protest to show their discontent. The demonstration was organized through social networks under the hashtag 'Our community, our choice'.
One citizen who participated in the protest told the Oxford Student newspaper that they are "incredibly concerned" because the rule infringes on their "rights, freedom of movement and everything that comes from freedom of movement."
We’re here to come together to say no to 15-minute cities, we’re here because we’re incredibly worried about the attack on our rights, the freedom of movement, and everything that comes from freedom of movement. Most people you speak to here are going to be all for a return to local economies. But this isn’t going to achieve that, it’s going to restrict people’s rights.
Another protester added that people are being "locked up in areas of their own cities." He further noted that the "wonderful idea" with which they promote the 15-minute cities is a hoax and that the reality is that they are "being tracked within their own city."
We’re obviously in opposition to this rollout of 15-minute cities and the implications of what that means when you are effectively locking people into zones in their own hometowns. It’s made to sound like this wonderful idea because it would be fantastic if we have all these nice little community hubs with amenities within close reach, but the actual reality of what this means is that you are being tracked and traced within your own town. You’re looking at having to have permits to leave the zone that you find yourself in.
Also present at the protest was actor and political activist Laurence Fox, who showed his support for the protesters and commented to the BBC:
Every single day that we don’t fight for our fundamental human right to be left alone to pursue our business is a betrayal of our children’s future and a betrayal of freedom, the powers that be – the government – have got this desire to control our movement, our speech, everything. And I think it’s really dangerous.
I spoke with the @bbc today at the Oxford protest against 15 minute cities (let’s see how they edit the interview…). People are fed up with being told where they can and can’t go. None of this is about the climate or pollution. It’s about power and control. #Resist https://t.co/MrAy7b69XO
— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) February 18, 2023
Not all city officials agree with the measure. Oxfordshire council member Liam Walker said these plans were "hitting residents' pockets and affecting businesses. Oxford is slowly being shut down under this anti-motorist coalition."
What are 15-minute cities?
In 2016, Colombian Carlos Moreno, a professor at the University of Paris, created the concept of the "15-minute city." This urban planning model is based on "hyperproximity" and looks to reduce commuting times for citizens and promote a pace of life in which people can travel within 15 minutes to parks, schools, health centers, leisure and work without the need to use a car. That is, walking or cycling, in turn reducing environmental pollution.
According to Moreno:
Bringing the inhabitant's demand closer to the offer provided, guaranteeing a functional mix through the development of social, economic and cultural interactions, while increasing public spaces for meeting and social interaction, making streets become decarbonized mobility spaces through walking or cycling mobility, reinventing new hyper-proximities, rediscovering biodiversity in its place of life by promoting commuter circuits.
Yes, with climate change, heat waves, water stress becoming more and more visible, air pollution having serious consequences for urban health, the importance of urban living space, usable time and the role of digital, these are new and essential struggles for the years to come.
Initially, this city prototype became known and later "popularized" by the mayor of Paris (France), Anne Hidalgo, who decided to implement it in the city, becoming one of the first major cities to do so. This was followed by other metropolises such as Buenos Aires (Argentina), Ottawa (Canada), Milan (Italy), Melbourne (Australia) among others, some of them extending the concept to 20 minutes.
Moreno stated that "the mayors" of the cities were quickly mobilizing "to implement urban development policies that promote proximity." And he warned that the measures in his plan, which were "aimed at a more livable, inclusive, equitable and resilient city" involved "a paradigm shift in the way the city is managed."
Criticism:"urban incarceration" and the end of "personal freedoms"
Many criticisms have arisen around these 15-minute cities, including among them the "potential to fracture cities": to increase economic inequalities between areas where the richest and poorest people reside.
Another of the harshest criticisms of the project is that the government can "decide by decree where driving is allowed" or where citizens are allowed to move around. Canadian clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson posted a tweet where he noted:
The idea that neighborhoods should be walkable is charming. The idea that idiotic tyrannical bureaucrats can decide by fiat where you're 'allowed' to drive is perhaps the worst imaginable perversion of that idea.
The idea that neighborhoods should be walkable is lovely. The idea that idiot tyrannical bureaucrats can decide by fiat where you're "allowed" to drive is perhaps the worst imaginable perversion of that idea--and, make no mistake, it's part of a well-documented plan. https://t.co/QRrjVF615q
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) December 31, 2022
The violation of citizens' personal freedom and the attack on their rights is another factor by which the project is being judged. In early February, British Member of Parliament, Nick Fletcher, called the plan an "international socialist concept" and stated that "it will cost us our personal freedom."
Will the Leader of the House please set aside time in this House for a debate on the international socialist concept of so-called 15-minute cities and 20-minute neighbourhoods? Ultra low emission zones in their present form do untold economic damage to any city. The second step, after such zones, will take away personal freedoms as well. Sheffield is already on this journey, and I do not want Doncaster, which also has a Labour-run socialist council, to do the same. Low emission zones cost the taxpayer money—simple as. However, 15-minute cities will cost us our personal freedom, and that cannot be right.
"Urban incarceration." This is what journalist James Melville called them, sharing a video filmed on the streets of China. He noted that "every neighborhood area" in that locality "is separated by a barbed wire fence." And "anyone who wants to leave their area, needs a QR code/COVID passport and a facial recognition scan."
"A dystopian hell on earth," the journalist concluded.
China 🇨🇳
15 minute cities.
Urban incarceration.Each neighborhood zone is separated by a barbed wire fence. Anyone who wants to leave their zone requires a QR code/Covid passport and a face recognition scan.
A dystopian hell on earth. pic.twitter.com/yJQmH7FkK4
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) February 17, 2023
Despite all the criticism, Moreno justifies his approach that "the city of 15 minutes is anticipating the future," and advocates that they seek to provide "better livability, more economic and social balance, mixed social categories, cities for better living." however, many people, such as the residents of Oxfordshire along with many other critics from diverse backgrounds, disagree with his ideas and his new model of society where "proximity" is an essential basis for the development of human beings.
