THREAD ROADS ARE FOR CARS. When you talk to people about low traffic neighbourhoods, you hear this a lot. Is it true though? Well some roads are definitely for cars… (1/9)

These roads. Motorways. When roads are purely for the efficient movement of motor traffic, and nothing else, this is what they look like. Wide lanes, smooth curves, crash barriers, no distractions. (2/9)

But all other roads are for other things as well. Town planners talk about what roads are for in terms of movement function vs place function. Or to put it another way, roads you go THROUGH vs roads you go TO. (3/9)

High streets are examples of roads with both functions – high movement (people using them to get from A to B) AND high place (people visiting them for shops, cafes, etc.). Managing these different needs is a challenge for traffic planners and urban designers. (4/9)

(Of course, the conflict between moving and visiting can be reduced with different types of transport – bus lanes can carry ten times more people per hour than private cars) (5/9)

At the other end of the scale, residential side streets have neither high visitor numbers, nor the need to carry large amounts of through traffic (and low traffic neighbourhoods make sure that through traffic is kept out). (6/9)

So what are our streets for? #LTNs help them realise their full potential as places to BE. We don't only exist in our homes or at destinations – the moment we step out of our front doors, we experience streets with all our senses. (7/9)

They're places to stop and chat, run and rollerblade, smell a rose, watch a sunset, stroke a cat, fall in love, chalk a picture, peer in a window, take a shortcut or go the long way round. Places to feel at home beyond your four walls. (8/9)

The low-traffic neighbourhood trial is a chance to look at your street with fresh eyes, remember what you love about it, and imagine how you could love it even more. (9/9)