Fuming residents consider options over London Fields cycleway

The council is allowing residents to share their views on the proposed traffic-filtering cycling scheme. Photograph: Hackney Citizen

Controversial proposals for a new cycleway scheme in London Fields have left many local residents fuming, but Hackney Council has now put some new options on the table.

They include: the closure of Middleton Road only; an area-wide scheme; bus-only filtering and width restrictions to block large vehicles like lorries.

Details of the council’s new consultation were revealed on Monday evening to an audience of hundreds of concerned residents who packed out the Town Hall for the public meeting.

However Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger has accused the council of wasting precious resources on the cycling scheme: “The problem goes back to the fact that the council are always messing round with roads. But if it ain’t broke, why fix it?

“At a time when there is so little money, what money there is should be better spent. People just don’t want this.”

But the council says Transport for London would cover the costs of the infrastructure, as a part of the Mayor of London’s plans for a cycling ‘Quietway’.

Last week the council finally acquiesced to demands from indignant residents to postpone the trial of the traffic-filtering scheme, which had been due to start in January, until after a formal consultation.

“The council recognises that there are many people who oppose the scheme but there are also others who support it, and we got to hear both sides first-hand at the public meeting on Monday,” said Kim Wright, the Corporate Director of Health and Community Services.

“Residents have been calling for traffic-calming in Middleton Road for years.”

Ben Alden-Falconer, who runs the Fume-Free Streets pro-road closures campaign, said the new consultation plans will delay any outcomes.

“It will certainly allow residents to give their views and will take a lot longer to implement anything – if anything is implemented at all. The officers were talking about next summer realistically.”

Cycleway saga

The announcement is the latest in an ongoing saga about the proposed traffic-filtering scheme around London Fields that would block 13 junctions to through-traffic to create a quiet cycle route.

While some residents welcomed the cycling-friendly scheme, others argued the measures would simply concentrate more traffic and fumes elsewhere.

Ms Wright said the plans form part of the council’s transport strategy: “The Council’s key, long-term transport vision is to encourage the use of cleaner and greener transport options, particularly cycling and walking, and reduce non-essential private car journeys in order to create more liveable neighbourhoods.”

The consultation is scheduled to start next month and will span 12,000 homes and businesses in the affected area.

The consultation will also be available on the Council’s website.