At the town hall, Chris Godfrey delivers the traders’ petition calling for the LTN scheme to be abandoned

• YOU report (Traders: Low traffic scheme does not deliver, June 11), butcher Chris Godfrey says that “Getting deliveries here is very, very difficult”.

But those vehicles delivering to businesses on Highbury Barn and Blackstock Road should be using those same main roads and not taking shorter routes through residential areas like Fieldway Crescent, Highbury Hill, Aubert Park or Gillespie Road that now fall inside the LTNs.

Mr Godfrey says that for his own deliveries, cargo bikes aren’t the answer because “no one is going out in the rain”. But Uber Eats delivers local meals almost entirely on pedal and electric bikes.

And there are new dark stores like Gorillas who only deliver on bikes. All these businesses deliver even when it rains! The key thing about cycling in the rain is having the right waterproof clothes and shoes.

My Godfrey says “Sometimes our van can do around 40 drops. You’re not going to be able to do 40 drops on a cargo bike”. But that seems to indicate resistance to change. Surely a cargo bike can make 20 drops on one round and reload for a second round.

My Godfrey says the butchers “may have to stop providing stock to restaurants on routes that involve travelling in and around Highbury Corner”.

Yes, there are still delays going through Highbury Corner in the morning of eight to 10 minutes but that should not mean it is “becoming near impossible to deliver”. And the situation should improve as people switch mode of travel or route.

But if the 300 Islington businesses want less congestion in the future, they should join the calls for smart road user charging; many people will drive if the bus is more expensive.

Regardless of LTNs we have to transition to a zero carbon economy. We have to get out of our vehicles and that includes businesses as well. Businesses have got to think about how they can reorganise to reduce the number of journeys and miles travelled.

But we consumers have also got to realise that one-click ordering is a modern curse and that that one click results in yet another van rolling down our streets to satisfy our whimsical needs.

JOHN ACKERS
Highbury Grove, N5