• I LIVE in Highbury and I am 86 years old and disabled.

I rely on my car to get me about. The LTN, low traffic neighbourhood, scheme in Highbury West has now made my life a misery.

I used to go down Highbury Hill and turn into Drayton Park to go through to Holloway. This is now stopped. There are no streets off Blackstock Road to get into Drayton Park.

The only way now is back up Blackstock Road to Highbury Corner and access to Holloway Road. This is a nightmare even in these bad times with Covid-19.

Traffic goes far back beyond Highbury Barn and further. When the effect of this virus eases, I hate to think it will be gridlocked. I need to go to Morrisons, Iceland, and banks, etc. I cannot visit my stepchildren on Barnsbury estate.

My partner passed away from cancer in April 2020. Her son suffers with chronic asthma. Her dying wish was that I would not forget to make sure he is OK. I am his stepfather. I cannot visit him in these Covid times, because they have trapped me.

They say “people-friendly streets”. My car is my only freedom. I pay road tax, very expensive insurance, and MOT fees to drive on these roads as I have done for over 65 years.

And electric scooters pay nothing and are very dangerous. I myself bought a disabled travel scooter two years ago. I’ve used it twice and nearly fell off because of the state of pavements, which need to be repaired first before closing off streets.

I might add that many of the people who called for support for Highbury LTN were not born in the neighbourhood but moved in with the rise of house prices, and love cycling to work in the city, but outside their houses are big 4×4 motors, and they probably have country houses for weekends and holidays.

So I think of the likes of old people and disabled people. We are human. I have lived in Islington most of my life. I need my roads open. And I need my say.

RON DAVIS,
N5