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A lively and interesting Highbury East Ward Partnership meeting this afternoon – loads of questions, issues with and support for the Highbury Fields and Highbury West LTNs. Meeting extended to take and address all questions. Great credit to staff and councillors for engaging. 1/x
122 attendees. Chaired by @OshGantly with @CarolineRussell and @SueLukes hosting. The meeting started with a minute’s silence to remember neighbours lost to COVID. A number of important and familiar Highbury voices are now missing from these meetings. 2/x
Several issues covered by @SueLukes under community safety item – including mutual support and delivery of food and medicine to vulnerable neighbours through We Are Islington (see link below for more and to seek or offer help) 3/x https://twitter.com/IslingtonBC/status/1334935690170216452?s=20
Council Officers underlined People-Friendly streets are council policy. They were indeed an election issue and in majority Labour manifesto - also a version in Green manifesto. Council’s carbon and transport policies reflected this. 4/x
Why? Huge upswing in vehicles using residential streets since satnavs emerged. Health, road safety, environmental consequences, and new pressures on transport capacity in pandemic. ‘Do nothing’ not an option. 5/14
Islington Council used Commonplace to get views on how to solve these problems – not on whether or not to act (see above – do nothing a false premise). Council took account of feedback and emergency services comments to design schemes. 6/14
Highbury Fields and Highbury West schemes designed to prevent residential streets from being used to cut through, as well as encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport especially for shorter journeys. 7/14
Highbury Fields and Highbury West schemes being put in place now, and go live in January. Highbury East LTN scheme not yet ready, plan is to develop it during 2021. 8/14
LTN schemes include monitoring a range of factors and data. Baseline data will be published in 6 months, and reports ready at 12 months, ready for full consultation. Consultation and monitoring will inform decision on permanence after 18 month trials. 9/14
Huge number of comments &questions – everyone got to say what they thought. Included thoughts on siting of filters; were emergency services consulted (yes); is this undemocratic (no); how will this be monitored; can auto-number plate recognition be used (not at this stage); 10/14
… drop-off access to the station; improvements for pedestrians and park more pleasant to use; will Baalbec junction become congested; what’s the impact on main roads and people who live there; traffic reduction vs displacement… 11/14
… recent new filters already making streets quieter and more sociable; what about next Highbury Corner consultation (HC has already been consulted on – no further consultation but there is monitoring); lorry deliveries. 12/14
Important questions on continued engagement, monitoring and adjustment, and understanding traffic reduction v displacement. Sense that many want this to work but have understandable worries about how. So transparency and engagement vital. 13/14
Thanks a lot to @IslingtonBC officers, @OshGantly @CarolineRussell & @SueLukes for a great opportunity to engage. People still saying 'no one listens' obvs, so good to hear a clear explanation of why ‘do nothing’ isn’t an option & how views/data being taken into account. 14/14
