Islington MP Emily Thornberry and council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz marched in solidarity with women at risk of violence

• WHEN will the council address our concerns over women’s safety in low traffic neighbourhoods, LTNs, (Marchers: No one is safe until we all are, February 18)?

MP Emily Thornberry, council leader Kaya Comer-Schwartz, and female Labour councillors marched.

“Loud chants of ‘no one is safe until we all are’ and fists pumping in the air as a megaphone was passed around, more than 50 women marched from Islington Town Hall to Holloway Road on Wednesday as a symbol of solidarity with women at risk of violence, as Islington launched a 21-day drive to push down crime and make people feel safer – as part of the findings of a consultation on safety, which ended in December.”

During the executive meeting of Islington Council on February 10 Cllr Sue Lukes stated: “Ensure we lead with and for communities. As such, our strategies remain focused on the lived experiences, fears, and anxieties of our residents”.

Yet the concerns over women’s safety in LTNs are ignored: ‘Terrified’ London mum fears for children’s safety as streets are ‘deserted’.

Women are afraid to go out after dark when they must walk through these people-friendly streets that the council have created.

Restricting traffic through neighbourhoods adds to the feeling of being alone and at risk of crime walking on eerily quiet roads, devoid of life, on dark winter nights.

There’s the Safe Haven scheme – when you feel unsafe look out for a sticker of supporting businesses.

But LTNs are mostly in residential areas so no safe haven to be found once I leave a main road and have a five- to 10-minute walk to reach my front door without seeing a soul. There are many cameras active in this LTN but none are for public safety, only for collecting fines.

As a mother, concern for my teenage children also adds to my worry about safety, living in a LTN.

My 16-year-old daughter was followed and harassed by a male while walking home one evening; my 14-year-old son has been targeted by youth gangs on a few occasions and assaulted while cycling in the middle of the day.

LTNs create safe havens for opportunists who want to commit crime with barely anyone to witness. Concerns about women’s safety (or anyone’s) in LTNs, have been ignored and dismissed by the council.

These fears were diluted during the consultation process lobbied by cycling campaigners, mostly middle aged men, hailing people-friendly streets as wonderful places to live (except most do not live here).

I’d have happily walked to campaign for women’s safety alongside Emily, Kaya, and Sue, if they would walk alongside me on my unsafe journey home.

REBEKAH KELLY, N1