Canonbury West people-friendly streets neighbourhood brings cleaner, greener, healthier streets

The Canonbury West scheme is one of seven people-friendly streets neighbourhoods to be introduced by the council as 18-month trials.    

They are part of the council’s wider ambitions to tackle the climate emergency and improve air quality, and help make it easier to walk, cycle, scoot and use buggies and wheelchairs.    

The Canonbury West neighbourhood was introduced in November 2020, and the council has published a monitoring report that reveals the positive impact of the trial so far.    

Comparing data from July 2020, prior to the scheme’s introduction, with new data from October 2021, the report reveals that on local roads within the neighbourhood traffic has fallen by 74%, with the number of vehicles speeding falling by 86% and cycling increasing by 77%.   

Each of the council’s people-friendly streets neighbourhoods is subject to a public consultation approximately 12 months into the trial, so that local people can have their say on whether each scheme should be made permanent, removed or changed. The consultation for the Canonbury West neighbourhood is currently open, and closes on Tuesday, 18 January 2022. Local people can find out more on the council’s website.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “We know how important Islington’s streets are for local people, and through our people-friendly streets programme we’re working to make them cleaner, greener, and healthier for everyone.    

“We’re pleased to see the positive impact that the Canonbury West neighbourhood has made in reducing traffic, creating more space for local people to enjoy their streets by walking, cycling, scooting and using buggies and wheelchairs.    

“We really value the feedback we’ve so far received from local people on the trials, and we’re looking forward to hearing their views on the Canonbury West neighbourhood during the public consultation.”   

The monitoring report on the Canonbury West people-friendly streets neighbourhood also reveals that:    

• Traffic at Clephane Road (North) has fallen by 87%, from 2,501 to 332 vehicles per day.    
• At Canonbury Square, the number of cycling trips rose from 182 to 697 per day, a 283% rise.   
• The changes in levels of nitrogen dioxide reflect those in the borough more widely.    
• The scheme had no significant impact on London Fire Brigade response times, or on anti-social behaviour and crime rates.    
• Overall, there has been a moderate decrease in motor vehicle traffic on boundary roads, with traffic falling on Canonbury Road (North) (-53%), Essex Road (-10%), Canonbury Road (South) (-8%), St. Paul’s Road (West) (-3%) and St. Paul’s Road (East) (-3%).  

The council is aware that some motorists travelling westbound on St Paul's Road towards Highbury Corner are using Canonbury Park North, and then Compton Road or Grange Grove, as a cut-through to avoid the traffic lights at the St Paul's Road and Highbury Grove junction. The council is looking into this and has asked local people for their thoughts on this in the Canonbury West consultation.    

Local people can find out more about the consultation and engagement events that the council will be running in Canonbury West on the council’s website.