Eureka moment last night- I realised that I grew up in an LTN! I promote #LTN's for @SustransSouth, so what took me so long? Maybe cos it was a council estate & we were the poor kids- it never occurred to me that we were the lucky ones! Here’s why I’m rethinking my childhood home

Firstly, we had everything we needed nearby. The shops were round the corner, the pub was the social hub of the community & you could get to all the schools without crossing a road. I started walking to school alone at 7 – everyone did! I now appreciate what a privilege that was.

We could do so because all the traffic was directed around the estate & there was no rat run worth taking. We regularly did the 20-min walk into town through The Gillies conservation area, crossing only 2 roads! There's a lovely cycle path now too (Photo credit (Chris Wimbush)

But the best bit about living in an LTN was the freedom! By keeping the cars to the edges and providing car parks, the streets were all ours to enjoy. Just look at all this green space! We ran, climbed and rode 'til the street lights came on or our Mums yelled us in for tea.

Although I never realised it until now, I know first-hand the joy and freedom that #LTN's can bring. Life was hard sometimes but the strong community, the safety and the space to play was a privilege that many ‘better off’ people in car-dominated streets didn’t have!

The pubs have gone now and there's definitely more traffic, but it's still safe enough for my bro Simon to #cycle unsupervised. I never thought I'd say this, but every kid deserves to grow up in a place like I did! #Portsmouth has historic #LTN's too, here's to making many more!