Show your love for People Friendly Streets

Two Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, in Islington branded as People Friendly Streets schemes, have been implemented in St Peters and Canonbury East with four more planned over the next few months. Sadly, there has been a lot of noisy mis-information spread recently by those who apparently want dangerous, noisy streets and filthy air. So let’s spread a little love by putting up posters showing some support. Get creative with small relatives and friends and a box of crayons. Let’s get green hearts all over Islington !

Petition to protect our trees

Our trees desperately need more protection than they currently have so I have started a petition to gather support for improving how the local council looks after its 40,000 trees. Currently only 400 (yes, that’s just 1%) have any protection at all and this should be 100%. Please have a read and if you can, sign and spread the petition to everyone you know in Islington who cares about our trees. Many thanks. Petition is here

Walking @Tea-time

Anne Faure inspiring the audience 9 July 2020

Walking @ Tea-time on 9 July was a very uplifting event with some fab speakers; Stephen Edwards of Living Street talked about the Power of the Pedestrian Pound and Anne Faure who is heavily involved with pedestrian organisations in France, talked of her experiences with humanising streets. One of her slides demonstrated so beautifully the Power of Greening Streets – the change in the fortunes of a small French town by planting roses. Just look at the screenshot above ! Organised by London Living Streets and the Active Travel Academy at University of Westminster, these webinars started in May and are well worth attending.

Community groups come together !

Four groups (Cycle Islington, Islington Living Streets, Islington Clean Air Parents and Fossil Free Islington) recently met the council leader Cllr Richard Watts and transport/environment lead Cllr Rowena Champion to discuss how we can work together on the rollout of LTNs. While the council are working on the actual plans, we are gathering a list of volunteers in each ward and giving suggestions on what needs to be done to start raising awareness of LTNs. ICAP have been busy with Chris Kenyon setting up mapping meetings; Cycle Islington is producing a leaflet which everyone can use, working groups have set up mini websites for St Peters and Barnsbury/St Marys, people are talking to their networks, Chris has a survey we can all send out …… have a look at the Low Traffic Neighbourhood page on this site to find out more.

Low Traffic Neighbourhood rollout starts early July 2020

This is something which many people and groups have been campaigning for for years and is a most welcome announcement. St Peter’s will be the first in early July, followed by Canonbury, Highbury, Clerkenwell, Nags Head and St Mary’s. Richard Watts, leader of the council, confirmed that by the end of 2020, 30% of the borough would have a LTN and that by mid 2021, he expected to see half of the borough with a LTN. Great to see strong community campaigning by three of our members, Living Streets Islington Clean Air Parents and Cycle Islington. I would love to get community parklets and planters on the agenda too as it seems a good opportunity to include them as part of the plans. More on the Councill’s plans here. Have a look at the Commonplace map where you can add your comments about your local area’s streets and where improvements are needed. More about LTNs from Living Streets and Cycle Islington here and here.