IslingtonLowTrafficNeighbourhood

With Rachel rachaelswynnerton@gmail.com from 2021:

LTN Ward Mapping Meeting – Finsbury

Summary:

1. Collating key points/issues and key concerns

2. Key areas

3. Key potential solutions

Rachael’s Group:

Problematic cut through – Windsor Road – Sussex – to avoid Holloway/Seven sisters cross road junction

Junction of Stroud Green/Seven Sisters/Blackstock

Mayton Street – residents with mobility issues want it to have a one way system. Feeling cars are something we need to accept in a busy city, we can’t expect to push them to other people’s streets. Concerns about safe access on pavements – it should be clear for pedestrians. Roads are for cars, pavements for people, gardens are or plants! This raises issues of the perception of street space and who has right of way, priority.

Helena’s Group:

Concern about air pollution created by cars Concern about cycling safely around the borough - with and without kids. Issue with incomplete infrastructure (cycle lanes suddenly stopping, no safe place to cross, changes in the street from broad to narrow etc) and overall unbalance with cars owning the street - e.g. its an attitude thing.

So much calmer in streets like Axminster rd which has become a dead end, and safe to go bike practising with kids. However this has created some cut throughs happening along Salterton / Windsor rd down to Seven Sisters (if access to Seven sisters is blocked issue will go away).

Issue to get across Seven sisters and holloway rd getting into residential roads e.g Windsor, again signalling that pedestrians and cyclist do not have priority.

Arthur Rd / Hornsey Rd issue - Arthur Rd used as cut through from Nag's Head traffic back out on the Hornsey rd (presently working like a loop Hornsey-Mayton-Hertslet-Arthur-Hornsey) Cut through Durham-Lennox-past Pools Park school into Fonthill - how could Fonthill become nicer and calmer? Would it impact Stroud Green Rd? Need to explain and focus more on traffic evaporation as people don't get it! I think various examples should be provided and highlighted as part of the presentation. If harder to drive - less people will get in their cars = less traffic. It's proven!

Francesca and Frances:

5 Participants, most living within the Seven Sisters gyratory.

Jess and Tom (on Mayton Street) Eric and Srinivas (on Pakeman St) Henry and Ying (on Mayton Street) Francesca (lives on the other side of Holloway Rd but children at Grafton school on Eburne road)

Main issue on Mayton Street is the big volume of traffic not the speed

Speeding on Tollington Road needs to be addressed. There are huge problems with speeding in the 3 streets between the gyratory The lockdown has shown how much more pleasant Seven Sisters road and the whole surrounding area can be with less air pollution, less traffic and less noise. (Clean air and quiet roads during early lockdown Described as “Heaven”) Noise Frequent sirens on surrounding roads including Seven Sisters road/ Holloway rd/Tollington Rd are an issue too.

Traffic Volume of traffic is down to people driving too much despite it not being necessary in London. If fewer people used cars for short journeys the road would be safer or children to cycle

Education is also needed for more responsible road use to make the roads safer. Cyclists also need to use the road more responsibly.

Francesca - Can I add in a few points that I didn’t get to say as Ying was going on about people having no choice but to drive large cars etc ?

If the streets were safer for ALL people including the elderly and young children to cycle on the this would lead to more responsible cycling across the board - currently it is only the brave that can cycle in this area because the volume and speed of traffic is so dangerous.

Children at Grafton do not feel safe to cycle/scoot or even walk to school as the surrounding roads are so terrible - traffic, pollution, noise, lack of greenery.

There is an immediate need to stop through traffic on Hercules St, this should be access only and certainly closed at drop off and pick up.