10 priority interventions to enable socially distanced movement.
Today we have identified fast fixes Hackney council should prioritise to make socially distanced movement safe.
We have released ten locations Hackney Council should immediately make safe for walking and cycling, and five locations for TfL on their controlled roads. If completed, they would see Chatsworth Road become a pleasant street market, Hackney Wick return to its Olympic-era quiet, and a safe cycling route from Finsbury Park to Clissold park.
We have identified these locations based on a bigger project to map every street in the borough, allowing us to identify the changes that are needed to enable walking and cycling in a borough where most residents do not have access to a car.
There are 280,000 people living in Hackney, but only 40,000 of them own cars. For the vast majority of people, the only viable choices are walking and cycling or public transport. With public transport capacity expected to reduce by over 80% urgent action is required now to make walking and cycling safer.
Hackney has the highest rate of hit and run deaths in London and the third highest rate of corona virus deaths in the UK. Research suggests that the effects of coronavirus are exacerbated by air pollution, and the proposals would ensure cleaner air throughout Hackney.
Hackney Cycling Campaign have identified critical links which are needed to make walking and cycling safe. These include:
- Cycle tracks on Green Lanes and Hackney Road, and the A10 providing safe links
- Barriers to remove through traffic from White Post Lane, Scriven Street and Whitmore Road
- Bus and cycle only streets to create safer pedestrian space on Church Street, Well Street and Chatsworth Road shopping areas
Hackney Council have already removed through traffic from Broadway Market and now plan to do the same on Barnabas Road, and is promising further changes. Hackney Cycling Campaign has been mapping the borough’s roads, the existing interventions and the changes needed to make safe walking and cycling possible. The full map and list of interventions will be released later this month.
Jono Kenyon, coordinator of Hackney Cycling, said: “The last few weeks have demonstrated a profound shift in how people need to travel. As more journeys are made due to changes to government advice, it is essential that people can make these safely. Huge numbers of people cycle and walk already in Hackney, but the streets are going to have to change radically if London is going to be able to keep on the move. We’re encouraging the council to act fast to ensure walking and cycling is people’s first choice when workplaces and schools reopen.”
The full list of priority interventions:
Hackney Council controlled streets:
- Green Lanes cycle tracks and associated filters: to implement the changes that were consulted on earlier in 2020. These cycling tracks would support a major commuter and leisure route, inter-connecting to major parks. It would also reduce excess vehicle speeds along the route.
- Church Street bus gates. Church Street’s pavements are too narrow to enable social distancing. Making Church Street bus and cycle only would promote social distancing and therefore enable business on Church Street to reopen sooner.
- Upgrades to CS1: Cycle Super Highway 1 runs the distance of Hackney but several sections
remain with high levels of motor vehicles. Completing CS1 to a high standard should now be a priority, and can be done by installing the Walford Road filters previously consulted on, installing 2 new tree planters filter on Whitmore Road, and installing 2 new filters on Pitfield Street & Fanshaw Street, and installing a cycle lane on Balls Pond Road. - Hackney Road cycle tracks (major commuting route, links to Old Street junction improvements, links with CS1, goes to Clerkenwell Corridor which should be fast-tracked).
- Chatsworth Road bus gate outside the Spar and filter on Clifden Road. This would support key worker travel to Haggerston Hospital, while also enabling social distancing on the key shopping street of Chatsworth Road.
- Bus gate on White Post Lane (create social distancing space for entry to key park). If bus gates are not plausible in short term, could one lane of the bridge be dedicated to pedestrians, with temporary traffic lights to divert motor traffic to just one side of the bridge. Crucial, and your alternative suggestion is great.
- Well Street bus gate. Well Street is a key shopping area with narrow pavements and too much space taken by parking. Bus access should be maintained while removing parking, and enable two-way cycling along Well Street.
- Scriven Street modal filter. Installing modal filters on Scriven Street would remove the fast vehicle speeds and high volume that currently cut through from the A10 to Queensbridge Road. A filter on Scriven Street would enable better social distancing at Haggerston Station and improved access to Stonebridge Park.
- Lordship Road modal filters. Tree planter filters should be installed at Lordship Road to prevent motor traffic from the road between East Reservoir and West Reservoir, In time, these green spaces could be joined, and so create additional green social space.
- Modal filter on Middleton Road to protect Quietway 2, a key commuting route (and a road that was closed for road works last week)
TfL controlled roads
- Cycle tracks on the A10 south of Dalston
- Cycle tracks on Seven Sisters Road, this is a key cycling corridor
- Put cycle tracks on Hackney Road, a key route towards central London
- Make the junctions around the A12 safe to use. Having what is effectively a motorway slip road in Hackney is bad enough. Let’s at least make it fit for humans!
- Lea Bridge Road – Dalson. We want the plans for Future Route 3 to be delivered immediately. It has been planned, budgeted, consulted and approved.
