Reclaiming Residential Streets?

When I was a kid, I used to play on the Manchester streets around my house. Cars were comparatively rare and could be avoided (there was even a cycle route along the main road to Southport). Chris Boardman (Greater Manchester's Cycling and Walking Commissioner) has written an article in support of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/13/children-britain-residential-streets-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-roads). He points out that, UK roads, in residential areas, were not designed as runways for the now ubiquitous, motorcar 'rat runs'. Boardman claims that the UK had 20bn more miles of vehicle journeys in 2019 than in 2009, making residential roads unsafe for walking, cycling and playing. He suggests we would have been 'incandescent with rage' if someone had asked "Can we increase the traffic on your road by 30%?" This, of course, is what happened with no consultation. He suggests that LTN's are now popular, except with a small minority of 'petrol heads'. Boardman cites the example of Hackney in London that, in 2000, in spite of popular resistence, used bollards and planters to reduce traffic in some roads. By 2010, car use in the area had halved, there was 3 times as much bicycle use and health-damaging air pollution was greatly reduced. Even local shops that had worried about commercial damage were thriving. I have a son, who lives in Hackney. He is a keen car driver and an enthusiastic cyclist. His main negative comment concerning the LTN is, that the 'rat run' is sometimes simply diverted on to parallel roads in the locality. I suppose that planners need to consider whole areas rather then individual streets. Perhaps finding some alternatives for car owners to store their vehicles would also improve acceptance. Boardman suggests that the government's £175m Active Travel Fund will help the growth of LTNs. Perhaps kids, in an array of UK towns and cities, will safely play on residential streets again?