Amwell people-friendly streets neighbourhood brings safer, greener and healthier streets
A monitoring report for the Amwell people-friendly streets neighbourhood trial has revealed that the scheme has helped make streets safer, greener and healthier for local people.
Comparing data from September 2020 - prior to the scheme’s introduction in November 2020 - with data from May 2021, the report reveals that traffic on local roads within the neighbourhood trial dropped by 44%.
The report also shows that the scheme led to a 47% fall in the rate of speeding within the neighbourhood, while London Fire Brigade response times were not significantly affected.
People-friendly streets are designed to create healthier streets where it is easier for everyone to exercise, and the report shows that cycling rose by 149% westbound on Margery Street.
As part of its ongoing efforts to address the climate emergency by making Islington a net zero carbon borough by the year 2030, the council has so far introduced seven people-friendly streets neighbourhoods. Islington has been recently ranked as the top London borough for its healthy streets by a coalition of transport and health groups.
The schemes, which have been introduced as 18-month trials, are designed to reduce traffic in Islington’s neighbourhoods, creating streets where it is easier and safer for everyone to travel, exercise and play.
With public consultations being held approximately 12 months into each scheme, the council is publishing monitoring reports six months and 12 months into each scheme to keep local people informed about the impact of the trials.
The positive data from the six-month report for Amwell follows similarly encouraging reports on the St Peter’s, Canonbury East and Clerkenwell Green neighbourhoods.
Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We are facing a climate emergency, and we know that action is required to make Islington a safer, greener, healthier place as part of our ambition to achieve net zero carbon status by 2030.
“That is why we have been introducing people-friendly streets neighbourhood trials in Islington, and the schemes make it easier than ever to walk and cycle, improve air quality, and make our roads safer.
“The six-month monitoring report for Amwell, along with the reports from St Peter’s, Canonbury East and Clerkenwell Green, reflect the positive impact of the schemes so far, and we will continue to monitor the impact of all of the trials.
“People-friendly streets are designed to make Islington a better place for local people, and we are continuing to listen carefully to the feedback we are receiving on the schemes.”
The peer-reviewed Amwell monitoring report – in which certain figures have been adjusted to account for the impact of the Covid-19 lockdowns - also revealed that:
- Overall, traffic on boundary roads negligibly rose (see notes to editors) by 6%. Traffic on one of these streets, Farringdon Road, rose by 36%, though average travel times only increased by 8 seconds. The council will continue to monitor this and, if necessary, will consider mitigation options.
- Air quality data in the neighbourhood and on boundary roads followed borough wide trends, showing a fall in nitrogen dioxide levels.
- There was no impact on anti-social behaviour and crime rates.
Read the Amwell monitoring report in full on the Islington Council website.
During the 12-month public consultations on each neighbourhood, local people will have the opportunity to have their say on whether schemes in their area should be made permanent, changed or removed.
In the meantime, the council has also developed individual surveys for each neighbourhood to allow local people to have their say prior to the consultations. These can be found on the council’s people-friendly streets webpage by clicking the link to the relevant scheme.
Notes to editors
People-friendly streets are designed to help tackle the climate emergency, as Islington looks to achieve net zero carbon status by 2030. They create a better borough and address the sharp rises in traffic that have been seen in recent years - with 24.3 million more miles being driven in Islington in 2019 than in 2013.
Through a process known as normalisation, certain figures in the Amwell monitoring report – such as figures for traffic volume – have been adjusted to account for the impact of Covid-19, using data from across London which estimates how the pandemic has affected transport. Traffic figures have essentially been increased to account for the decrease in traffic during the pandemic. More details on this can be found within the report.
Please note: traffic flows fluctuate on a daily basis (generally up to 10%). As such, changes of traffic volumes within -10% to 10% are considered insignificant (i.e. no or negligible change).
Contact information
If you are a member of the public with a general question about the council please view the contact information on our website or call 020 7527 2000.