More than 1,700 people have signed a petition against proposed road closures in Brent aimed at creating a low-traffic neighbourhood.

The petition, created by ‘One Brent’ and launched on change.org, opposes closures in Chevening Road, Hanover Road, Kingswood Avenue, Mount Pleasant Road, Tiverton Road, and The Avenue in the Kensal, Brondesbury and Queen’s Park areas.

It is part of a Brent Council programme that seeks to reduce traffic and improve air quality in highly polluted parts of the borough.

However, campaigners argue that these measures would actually have a detrimental effect on the environment due to traffic build-up as drivers look for alternative routes to avoid the obstructions.

The petition states: “This will force all traffic onto Chamberlayne Road and Salusbury Road, significantly increasing congestion and pollution.

“Both these roads already suffer from delays, long tailbacks and significant pollution and both have large primary schools roadside.

“Vehicular movement around the entire area is going to become severely restricted, adding time to journeys and therefore increasing emissions.”

The council plans to implement these measures under an experimental traffic order, which does not require a formal consultation.

However, it noted that this would be a temporary move initially and resident feedback is welcome.

A spokeswoman for Brent Council said: “Everything we’re doing with these healthy neighbourhoods trials is part of an urgent but long term strategy to address Brent’s impact on the environment while also encouraging safer, healthier, more active ways of getting around the borough.

“It’s no secret that air quality is nowhere near as good as it should be, or that the amount of traffic throughout Brent is a major cause of unacceptably high levels of pollution, or that these factors are known to be immensely damaging to peoples’ health and wellbeing.

“So, if we’re serious about taking better care of ourselves and of our planet then we each have to accept that it’s going to involve changing how we live our lives.

“We do appreciate that these pilots are a big change and there will of course be lots of learning required before we get everything right.

“With that in mind we want to assure residents that we are listening, that we will continue to seek their views, and that we will keep everything under constant review, working on the things that work, moving on from those that don’t.”

Similar schemes across London have been reversed following public opposition, including in neighbouring Harrow, where a traffic and road safety panel recommended measures in Stanmore and Wealdstone be scrapped.