How is traffic measured?

• I WRITE regarding Islington Council’s consultation on the St Peter’s PFS, people-friendly streets, trial.

There are many issues with the council’s methods and findings which can only be viewed as propaganda.

The council has held three very poorly publicised “consultation” events.

At the first no councillors officially turned up although one councillor passed by and it was left to council officers to hold. The second Cllr Rowena Champion attended and was met with many agitated voices.

At the time of writing, the third session is yet to happen and these sessions have not been satisfactorily advertised.

A leaflet which was supposedly delivered to people informing about the consultation hasn’t been received by many residents.

In fact a whole batch of leaflets was found dumped on a road near Essex Road, and this has been raised with the councillor herself. This means a whole week of consultation has been lost.

There is a huge digital divide in Islington so how can residents who have no access to computers respond to the consultation?

I was advised that they can write in for a hard copy, but residents shouldn’t have to seek this information themselves, especially given that they may not even know it exists.

Additionally absolutely anyone, anywhere, can currently respond to this survey online. It should be open to local residents and those affected on the boundary roads only.

The leaflet, which I was handed at a session, contains a summary of key findings, which contained flawed data, that is, it quotes 1 per cent negligible change in traffic on boundary roads.

There is only one traffic counter on Essex Road at Islington Green, before St Peter’s Street and before traffic adjoins at all other roads up to the complete length of the junction with New North Road.

This traffic isn’t being counted; only traffic joining Essex Road up until Islington Green is counted and no further. This is the main route for most residents now and yet it is not monitored.

There is also only one traffic counter on City Road near Colebrooke Row and only one on New North Road near Linton Street, again any traffic joining these roads has not been measured.

How can these statistics be used as realistic, factual, or meaningful evidence that the scheme is a success?

It claims traffic in low traffic neighbourhoods, LTNs, has fallen by 56 per cent. Well it would fall if you’re displacing traffic! There are no diffusion tubes on Essex Road to monitor pollution and only one on New North Road.

It claims that cycling has increased by 72 per cent; this includes Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and courier companies. It doesn’t mean residents are cycling more.

How is traffic measured on boundary roads when it is at a standstill and is not passing over the counters? Does it falsely record no movement = no traffic?

In Islington we drive 20 per cent less than in London; the people cycling to work is double that of Greater London; and only 16 per cent of car and motorbike journeys are made in Islington. This includes taxis, mini-cabs and businesses.

Islington has the lowest number of cars registered per 100 households in Greater London and 49 per cent active and sustainable travel participants.

So why are residents being persecuted? We are not the issue!

The elderly, disabled, and vulnerable are not being considered. The equality impact assessments stated that there are issues for those with protected characteristics but provided no solutions for those issues. Why not?

The consultation is a farce:

— No evidence of leaflets delivered one week after consultation started.

— No notification unless you’re computer-savvy.

I spoke to one of the PFS team members at a consultation event who advised me they will be doing a door-knocking exercise to ask residents to complete a paper survey, at the end of October, after the consultation closes! Says it all really!

Come on, Islington Council, you can do better than this. You need to hold a public meeting about this divisive issue and let the residents decide! After all, you work for us!

PATRICIA NICLAS
Grantbridge Street, N1