People-friendly streets to arrive in Canonbury East

Islington Council is listening to local people, who have enjoyed quieter, calmer streets during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The council is working hard to ensure that streets across the borough remain friendly for everyone, in particular children, young people and those who are vulnerable.

The introduction of people-friendly streets in Islington will create more space to make it easier to walk safely, cycle as part of everyday life, use buggies or wheelchairs, and cross roads.

Work on the people-friendly streets neighbourhood in Canonbury East will start on Monday, 27 July, and will involve the implementation of traffic filters on 10 streets.

These will have the combined effect of removing traffic that currently cuts through the area as well as reducing the overall amount of traffic, making streets safer, quieter and cleaner for local people.

Canonbury East will be Islington’s second people-friendly streets neighbourhood - after work on the St Peter’s neighbourhood started on Friday, 3 July - with more to follow in the coming months.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Executive Member for Environment and Transport, said: “By creating a network of people-friendly streets across Islington, we are making it easier and safer to walk, cycle, and use buggies and wheelchairs, ensuring that our streets are more pleasant for all.

“The people-friendly streets neighbourhood in Canonbury East will create a safer, cleaner and friendlier environment for local residents, while giving appropriate space for social distancing as people make essential trips.

“We are working tirelessly to redesign Islington’s streets in order to create a greener borough and to respond effectively to Covid-19. We look forward to announcing details of our next people-friendly streets neighbourhoods in the near-future.”

The work in Canonbury East will be implemented under an 18-month Experimental Traffic Order. In July 2021, a public consultation will take place to give residents the chance to indicate whether they would like the changes to be made permanent.

The traffic filters in Canonbury East will have the effect of removing cut-through traffic. At certain locations, camera enforced filters will allow buses and emergency services vehicles through. Residents will not be exempt from the filters, but will still be able to access their property by car or any section of street, as will visitors and deliveries from outside the area.

Further people-friendly streets neighbourhoods are set to be introduced in the Canonbury West, Highbury, Clerkenwell, Nags Head, and St Mary’s areas by the autumn. 

In May, the council launched a Commonplace webpage to ask local people to give ideas and suggestions on what can be done to improve their streets, and this has received more than 3,400 comments.

The council is listening to local people and is working to create more people-friendly streets using quick, inexpensive measures such as bollards and banned turns. 

More measures at key locations like shopping areas and transport hubs, temporary cycle lanes, and even more school streets are set to be introduced across the borough in the coming months.

People-friendly streets are part of the council’s vision for a safer, greener, healthier borough, and will help achieve our ambitious plans for a net zero carbon Islington by 2030.