The junction at Blackstock Road and Seven Sisters Road

THE most dangerous junction in Islington will be the target for cycle campaigners tomorrow (Saturday) as they hand out leaflets to raise awareness of the “killer” intersection in Finsbury Park.

Cycle Islington have been calling on the Town Hall to put a cycle path in at the junction of Blackstock Road and Seven Sisters Road for more than a year. Judged as the fifth most dangerous junction in London by the London Cycling Campaign’s “Dangerous Junctions” report last November, it has claimed one life and been responsible for at least eight serious injuries.

“We’ve got people dying,” said Eilidh Murray, Cycle Islington’s co-ordinator and chair of the board of trustees at the London Cycling Campaign. “Everybody recognises that it’s a dangerous junction for both cyclists and pedestrians but nothing is being done about it.”

Cycle Islington say that the major obstacle to making the junction safer is that it is located where boundaries of three boroughs, Islington, Hackney and Haringey meet, with a Transport for London road.

Ms Murray said: “We know the situation is really challenging [but] I want them to have somebody from each of the organisations tasked with sorting out the junction. I want them to get in a room and not be allowed out until they come up with a sensible plan on how to deal with it.”

Transport for London recently installed the new cycleway C50 from Nag’s Head to Finsbury Park, but the lane stops just short of the Finsbury Park junction. Ms Murray branded this decisions as a “massive fail”, adding that it was an “absolute embarrassment” to have such a lethal junction on Islington’s doorstep, with little being done to make it safer.

Cycling campaigners

“We’re not going to encourage inclusive cycling if we provide absolutely horrible routes,” Ms Murray said.

The group of cyclists from Cycle Islington, Haringey and Hackney cycling campaigns will hand out leaflets and ask locals for their support from 8.30am.

“We want to spread the word and get people to sign up to be part of a bigger campaign,” Ms Murray said. “We’ve got to carry on campaigning for this. We don’t want to say ‘fix it’, and then just step back. We want to say ‘let’s work together to fix it’, not just kick it into the long grass.”

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington’s environment chief, said: “We’re determined to create a more equal Islington for all, where everyone can enjoy greener, healthier, and safer streets.

“Our seven low-traffic neighbourhoods have already made a major impact – we’ve seen how they’ve made it easier for local people to walk, cycle, scoot, and use buggies and wheelchairs, while also contributing to improvements in air quality. We acknowledge there is more to do, including in relation to junctions.

“We do recognise people’s concerns regarding the junction of Blackstock Road, Stroud Green Road, and Seven Sisters Road. We’re working closely with Hackney Council, Transport for London, and the local community to improve this area for all.”

A TfL spokesperson said: “We’re determined to tackle road danger in London and our Cycleway between Finsbury Park and Nag’s Head is enabling people across the local area to cycle safely between neighbourhoods and beyond towards central London.

“We continue to keep other roads and junctions in the borough under review as we move forwards with our programme to deliver safer walking and cycling for all Londoners.”