Regeneration is ‘one way street’ fear Narrow Way traders

Narrow Way: a narrow-minded approach? Photograph: Hackney Citizen
Businesses in an historic shopping street hit hard by the 2011 riots fear plans to pedestrianise the area for a trial period will further harm trade.
The Narrow Way in Hackney Central will be purged of buses for six months and cycling will be allowed in both directions in the street, which is currently one-way.
Snarled up traffic has long been a feature of the street, which – as its name suggests – is notoriously cramped.
Charity Living Streets is backing the move and says it is looking forward to seeing the results of the trial.
But Pawan Chawla, a spokesman for group Hackney Traders, said diverting buses down Amhurst Road and Dalston Lane risked turning the Narrow Way into a “ghost street”.
Mr Chawla, who runs shop Designer Baby, has sent the council a petition which he says is signed by the majority of the Narrow Way’s independent traders.
The petition states: “Trade is already suffering due to the opening of Westfield, a cut in the bus routes, internet shopping, high rent and rates, poor parking, poor loading and unloading facilities.
“All of us fellow traders feel that your action may lead to the death of the Narrow Way. If you really want to help us out then bring the buses, routes 30 and 276, back.”
Ayub Shaikh, co-owner of family run clothing shop Lookers said: “When it’s pedestrianised the buses will be dropping people at the top of the street and no one will be coming down here.
“Hackney Council want to get rid of us so they can buy these places up.”
Mr Shaikh, who has helped run the business for 22 years, cited the creation of the controversial new up-market fashion hub in Morning Lane as a sign of the “yuppification” of the area.
He added: “The Narrow Way is not clogged up with buses. There have been so many diversions of buses they are killing us.
“The new buses are electrical so they don’t create pollution and the street is not congested.”
The pedestrianisation scheme has been funded with the help of £500,000 from the Mayor of London.
It is part of wider remodelling plans for plans for Hackney Central, the historic heart of the borough.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson, said: “Hackney town centre is vital to the local economy, which is why I’ve committed £2million to support ambitious regeneration plans and create local jobs.
“These funds are supporting independent retailers so they can offer a better experience for shoppers with improvements set to be finished by the end of year in time for the important Christmas rush.”
Cllr Guy Nicholson, Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration said: “The council is working with the business community in Hackney Central to realise the investment that is being made into our town centre by the Mayor of London, the Council and the businesses themselves.
“This investment and the collaboration that it has supported has come at a time of great change in our borough and it is helping us all to shape a future where local businesses can prosper by embracing and taking advantage of the changes happening around us.”
You can comment on the proposed changes to bus routes in Hackney town centre here.
What is the purpose of the proposal?
Why will moving x hundred buses a day from Narroway onto Dalston Lane reduce congestion rather than just moving it from one street to another?
Where has the demand for this come from? Who has asked for it and who came up with the idea?
This scheme will create a safer communal space which residents can enjoy. The current narrow way is frankly ridiculously dangerous. All it takes is for someone to accidentally slip and giving the tightness and frequency of buses they could end up underneath one.
I will be much more likely to visit the Narrow Way once this street is pedestrianised. Rather than fret about the loss of customers who won’t walk a little bit further these small businesses should be looking at ways they can attract the new customers using the Narrow Way.
I am an entrepreneur and if I were one of the shop owners I would be viewing this as a fantastic opportunity.
I did some work round the Hackney Central ward (which includes the Narrow Way) at the last by-election. The pedestrianisation of the Narrow Way had already been proposed by the Council then and they had held two public meetings. We did a survey of all the shops and their opinion was overwhelmingly against it – almost 100%.
It’s also worth considering that in their proposals to return the Stoke Newington Gyratory system to two-way, the Council puts a very strong emphasis on bus access to the shops (although of course these are two different situations and cant be simply compared).
I can see that the idea of pedestrianisation is attractive, but it is completely wrong for the Council impose a scheme like this where there is so much opposition from people who actually know the area and work in it every day.
What are the practical implications for loading and deliveries for example?
We spoke to bus users too and they weren’t keen.
It is time these decisions were made by the people who will be affected and not by people who think they know better even if they are a councillor or an entrepreneur.
Tony Harms (Hackney Lib Dems)
As a bus user, I am against this plan – it will add at least 10 minutes to bus journeys – if you want to you can comment here: https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/narrow-way
Tony Harms – do you have a link to the survey? As someone who shops on the Narroway, I’m curious about what opinions the traders had against pedestrianisation
Local resident, trying to find out who suggested this idea is probably pointless.Was consultation done?Trouble is that in the background is usually someone wearing an hard hat
Regarding a reduction in buses reducing footfall, maybe all that extra space could be used for street stalls, particularly in summer and the run-up to Christmas. Helll, maybe even a street market once-a-week all year round. That could help attract additional shoppers.
And for the record: There’s no such thing as a one-way street for bikes! :o)
I agree with Damien – Westfield does well (at local traders’ expense) precisely because once you’re there it’s a pleasant place to shop! Pedestrianised shopping streets always seem to do well too, for the same reason – you can wander from one side to the other, let kids off the leash a bit, can stop and talk to friends/neighbours without feeling like you’re clogging up the narrow pavement for others trying to get past. Local traders should take note!
Loading/unloading might be inconvenient for the traders themselves but it makes very little difference for shoppers unless you’re buying something bulky like furniture or the weekly shop.
I think this is an excellent development. When ever I’ve walked the narrow way I felt that the buses and the pollution they brought would hamper it ever being improved. I agree with one of the previous comments- this presents an excellent opportunity for traders.
As for access I can’t see anything has changed. Buses used to stop at the top and bottom of the narrow way and under the new scheme they still do!
Guys,
Do you have an idea to live with buses all day, on this tiny road ? You cant say “the death of the Narrow Way” with out bus stop.
They are actually making the road not friendly at all! Noise / pollution / trafic congestion and more. Nobody would like to go shopping with this matter.
And to finish, i hope one day, all the shop will close it down and improve something more interesting than gambling or telephone mobile, This road had such a potential and is the History of Hackney, we cant give a poor credit to this road to use as a bus garage. thanks
This experiment is doomed if it continues to be run at the same time as the development/ collapsing building disaster on Amhurst Rd forces the main bus stop way, way down the road. I stopped shopping on the Narrow Way after work because it was now a five or ten minute walk from and back to a bus stop home. I asked workers in Marks and Spencer and in the sweet shop whether it made a difference – they both said yes, and that business had picked up again when the collapse forced the buses back to the old, convenient stop.
Hi Mein Kaptain. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can help you much. I went into all of the shops with a very simple question, yes or no? (sort of like Brexit). I recollect many people thought their trade depended on Bus access and I recollect only one proprietor who was in favour. I spent 20 years as a small shopkeeper and it’s fair to say that we are innately conservative (small c) so I would not be surprised if their frears had proved groundless. What I would expect to happen though is that the character of the businesses on the road will or has changed to accommodate the changed environment.