Show your support for a Low Traffic Islington

• RESIDENTS all over Islington came together last year to support the council’s positive action to create Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, aka people-friendly streets, and to campaign for safer, quieter streets and cleaner air.

They have certainly gained momentum since then. There are currently nine sub-groups with factual websites, and thousands of members and Twitter followers.

The sub-groups actively collaborate with numerous other community groups and hold events to raise awareness and celebrate the liberation of our streets from through-traffic, road danger and air pollution.

The aim is to spread information and data to residents so that when the consultations are launched later this year, people can make informed choices about proposing amendments to their local LTN or voting to keep them.

Members and supporters have grown so much that they have come together under one name – Low Traffic Islington.

Show your support for a Low Traffic Islington by displaying a green heart poster in your window. Get a copy from lowtrafficislington.org.

Let your councillors know you are one of the thousands of Islington residents who want safer, quieter and healthier streets for all. Join your local low traffic group or start your own.

What are LTNs?

Areas that you can drive in and out of, but can’t drive through. All homes remain accessible by vehicle, including for existing bus routes and the emergency services, but the layout stops people using minor roads as short-cuts and makes it safer and easier to walk, wheel and cycle.

Who benefits? People!

Pedestrians: Low traffic = safer walking, quieter and healthier journeys. Walking = physical and mental wellbeing benefits.

A mix of residents: Low traffic = quieter, calmer and safer communities, with space for socialising and being outdoors. Most social housing estates are LTNs because they are designed with residents in mind rather than to provide through roads.

Parents and children: Low traffic = reduced fear of road traffic injury. Safer roads will enable more children to walk or cycle to school and breathe cleaner air.

Elderly and people with a disability: Low traffic = more efficient public transport and more accessible streets for mobility scooters, e-bikes, hand cycles.

Emergency services: Low traffic = less congestion and faster emergency response times.

National Health Service: Low traffic = healthier people. Air pollution and inactivity are major contributors to poor health. Covid-19 symptoms are made worse by dirty air from vehicle emissions.

Drivers: Discouraging very short car journeys = low traffic and less congestion for those who genuinely need a car to get around. And only 26 per cent of Islington residents own or have access to a car.

Shop owners: Low traffic = walkable streets that are more appealing for pedestrians and cyclists boosts footfall and trading in nearby shops by up to 40 per cent.

Cyclists: Low traffic = safer routes for cyclists, great for new and returning cyclists.

The environment: Low traffic = cleaner air. Road transport accounts for almost 50 per cent of Islington’s NOx emissions.

The main roads: Low traffic = more people choosing to walk and cycle. Over time there are fewer car journeys, less congestion and idling; more efficient public transport and cleaner air.

RACHAEL SWYNNERTON
Hemingford Road, N1