A clean air campaign group in Islington is urging the council to rethink proposals for a low traffic neighbourhood as new data shows high levels of traffic on a minor road.
The Save Lungs on Liverpool Road campaign was launched six months ago by Islington residents, in response to Barnsbury and Laycock liveable neighbourhood proposals put forward by Islington Council.
The group launched a petition calling on the council to reconsider the proposals, which they argue would increase traffic levels on Liverpool Road.
Islington Council’s liveable neighbourhood proposals include creating more green spaces, cycle lanes, safer streets, and introducing traffic reduction measures such as traffic filters.
The group has worked with satnav company TomTom on new research which revealed that in 2023 approximately three-quarters of vehicles making through journeys between Holloway Road and Islington High Street chose to use Liverpool Road rather than continuing on the A1 via Highbury Corner.
Jo Michaelides, a leading member of the campaign group, said: “It just feels fundamentally very wrong that some residential roads will have zero traffic, while the few that are going to be left open have to suffer even further – surely everyone’s lungs should be considered equally important?”
The group has this week sent the data to the council, calling the council to publish traffic usage data alongside any future proposed changes.
The clean air campaign group argue that Liverpool Road has already been negatively impacted by the removal of the roundabout at Highbury Corner in 2019, and the proposed plans would make traffic worse for Islington residents.
Clean air campaign Islington: Liverpool Road is a B-classed road which runs from Angel to Holloway Road, Islington | Right hand picture credit: Google Maps
Proposals for the liveable neighbourhood include introducing new traffic filters and other traffic reducing measures in the area around Liverpool Road.
Residents on Liverpool Road argue that these measures to reduce traffic on neighbouring roads would result in increased traffic levels on their road.
Michaelides added: “When the proposals came out last year, we were so disappointed and annoyed.
“We’ve been asking the Council to do something about the heavy traffic problem on our road for four years. They’d led us to believe it would be treated as a priority in the consultation, only to discover that we were going to be getting even more traffic than what we’ve got now.”
The group’s petition is at over 1,900 signatures, almost reaching the 2,000 which would prompt a council debate.
The group also produced a series of posters which residents along the road have displayed on their windows.
Houses along Liverpool Road, Islington with banners showing support for the clean air campaign
Michaelides said: “It’s just been really heart-warming how many people are supporting our campaign, not just Liverpool Road residents and St Mary Magdalene Academy school, but also people who live in surrounding roads in the area.
“They’ve said, ‘yeah, okay, it’ll be great if we have this liveable neighbourhood and we have no traffic, but it’s not fair on Liverpool Road to be basically getting everything’.”
Islington Council told NW Londoner it held two rounds of engagement with local people to understand more about the changes that they would like to see in the area.
The council said that it will use this feedback to inform its final proposals.
It added that residents will be able to take part in a consultation in the future based on these final proposals.
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