Hackney residents urge council to ‘open our roads and scrap ‘excessive’ LTNs

Residents gathered outside the town hall. Photograph: Neil Martinson

Campaigners brought a council meeting to a halt as they took to the streets objecting to the ‘excessive’ roll-out of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs).

Dozens of people gathered outside Hackney Town Hall on Monday (26 January) urging the council to ‘open our roads’.

The demonstration took place during a council cabinet debate on the issue, which came after a petition calling for a ‘pause and reassessment’ of the LTN scheme garnered more than 1,800 signatures.

ShaToya Rose, who set up the change.org petition and a second on the council website and spoke at the council meeting, claimed she had received “over 500 impact statements from residents and businesses”. She also said these residents had lost faith in the Labour-run council and claimed the LTNs posed a “public health issue”.

Rose told the Citizen: “I asked people to attend the cabinet meeting on 26 January to show the scale of frustration across Hackney, and to make it clear that residents are tired of decisions being made about our roads without listening to the people who live here”.

Resident Wendy Thomas, who helped to rally residents, said the demonstration came together in just two days. She added: “Hackney Council keep coming up with these statistics saying most residents want these [road] closures.

“I don’t see that in the people that I talk to [or] where I live. It’s really inhibited us. 

“I know that [the council] say they want us to have cleaner air, but they’ve got tunnel vision”.

The roll-out of LTNs in the borough began in 2020. Hackney now has 19, covering 70 per cent of eligible roads and around 50 per cent of its total area – the highest percentage of any London borough.

Proponents say LTNs – sections of road which are blocked off to cars but open to cyclists, emergency vehicles and waste vehicles – encourage people to choose more eco-friendly methods of transport and to use local amenities and shops instead of travelling further afield. 

But not everyone is in favour. The Citizen previously reported residents on Chatsworth Road had petitioned the council to remove an LTN and bus gate from the area, as they claimed it was increasing congestion rather than improving it and reducing footfall for local businesses. 

In Haggerston, locals claimed proposals to close Scriven Street to motorised traffic at the junction with Queensbridge Road were ‘ill-considered’.

Residents have also pointed out that not everyone is able to cycle or walk. Thomas added: “Not everybody wants to ride a bike, not everybody can ride a bike, and a bike is not suitable for everyone.

“I look at the traffic sometimes, and I feel so sorry for people that are driving. What [the council] don’t realise is that some people have to drive”.

Rose added in the council meeting: “Since the road closures and LTNS were introduced residents report longer journeys, reduced access, displaced traffic and daily disruption to work and family life.

“These are not abstract concerns. They are real life impacts being experienced every day. Residents describe missing hospital appointments, arriving late for dialysis and chemotherapy, and having to leave hours early or just avoid gridlock.”

Cllr Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, said: “I want to thank all the residents who have talked to us about their experiences of travelling around Hackney. ShaToya Rose, who brought the petition on Monday, told us about some really difficult stories from residents who are finding it hard to travel around our borough.

“We want to make our borough cleaner, greener and more accessible to all, which is reflected in our transport policies. Almost 90 per cent of journeys that start in Hackney are by walking, cycling, wheeling or public transport. Overall, traffic is down across the borough, air quality is improving, and people are walking and cycling more.

“Low traffic neighbourhoods don’t stop people from driving to a particular destination, but it might take longer. We have some important exemptions, for example, for blue badge holders and school buses. We are listening to people who tell us that they need to drive and are experiencing problems, looking really carefully at all the feedback and working out how we can make our streets work for everyone”.