Low Traffic Hackney

We know people vote for many different reasons, not just transport and travel and traffic. But... when the vast vast vast majority of residents vote for two candidates* who clearly support measures to reduce traffic (including LTNs) and increase active travel, you have to take note! The anti-LTN movement in Hackney is not big. * Zoe and Caroline @hackneycable @mayorofhackney @hackneygreenparty /council-and-elections/elections-and-voting/election-results/mayoral-election-results

Congratulations to Hackney Green Party on winning the recent Council election with a landslide. In this blog post we dive into their manifesto to analyse their vision and ambition, and what they promised to deliver. To keep it clear, we’ve grouped items into four areas: the overall vision, the concrete deliverables, the more vague ambitions which may or may not be delivered, and things we feel are missing. ​ Worth noting that the good news from the elections is that over 83% of votes in the Mayoral election were for parties - Labour and Greens - that very clearly support traffic reduction and active travel. The anti-LTN vote - Tory and Reform - was under 14%. So from the election we can say with confidence that the vast majority of people who voted, did so for a mayor who actively supports our aims. /latest-news/green-transport-and-traffic-promises-how-do-they-stack-up @hackneygreenparty @mayorofhackney @zoegarbettgreen @hackneycable

If you remove traffic, you open streets and spaces for people. The truth is, no-one likes traffic. People prefer quiet, safe, unpolluted spaces, and that means restricting drivers, but opening spaces for local residents. Join us (free) at lowtraffichackney.org and get our monthly newsletter and updates, and let's ensure our new Green Mayor and Councillors deliver safe, quiet, unpolluted streets for all

Looking at the available evidence, it's impossible not to conclude that LTNs in Hackney are popular with the majority of residents. Yes, there is a very clear (and vocal) minority who oppose them, but it's important to recognise that this group is not representative of the vast majority of people who live in Hackney. There are no electoral dividends to gain by opposing LTNs, but plenty of supporters that could be put off by this. In the run up to the May local elections, all candidates and parties would be sensible to recognise this.

Active travel hustings for the Hackney mayoral election in May. We have the current Mayor of Hackney, @mayorofhackney and the Green Party mayoral candidate @zoegarbettgreen attending in person to answer our, and your, questions. Thursday 16th April at 7.30pm at the @pemburycommunitycentre Hope to see you there (no ticket required) #hackney #activetravel #traffic #cycling

How to better manage parking to control local traffic ​ Whilst car parking can undoubtedly cause harms, a level of parking is essential. Some residents need cars and sufficient visitor parking is important for accessibility, for some businesses, and for many services. So how can this be managed better? ​ Hackney is already covered with Controlled Parking Zones; this is the basic first step to having any control. But where should we go from here? 1. ​Devise a ‘kerbside strategy’: Stop the default assumption that kerbsides get filled with parking. Have a coherent strategy as to what mix of kerbside uses to prioritise, and then work towards it. Lambeth are a good example of strategic thinking on this. 2. Use permit pricing as a tool to control harms: Permits in inner London are far too cheap! Parking spaces here typically have a market value up to 10 times higher than the annual cost of a resident’s permit. Permit costs should better reflect the market rate. Anything less is a subsidy to harm (and mostly going to richer people). Increasing the price also helps to compensate cash-strapped councils for lost revenue that may come from reducing the total amount of parking. Price must also reflect vehicle pollution, vehicle size and weight as these factors contribute to road damage and danger. ​3. Embrace (a little) ‘parking stress’ (i.e. when a parking zone has high occupancy rates making it more difficult to find parking spaces very close to home): Parking Departments tend to view parking stress as a problem to be fixed and so provide too much space. ​But there is no legal obligation for the Council to provide public space for most residents to park private vehicles, only a power to do so if they wish. Low Traffic Hackney would like the Council to use parking more forcefully to reduce local car use and to prioritise alternatives. #hackney @sarahjoannayoung @zoegarbettgreen @hackneycable @caroline.woodley @sustainablehackney @dylanmlaw

Do LTNs favour rich people? Groups opposed to LTNs sometimes like to claim they benefit rich people on side streets whilst poor people on main roads suffer. It’s a snappy soundbite, but is there any truth to it? Myth 1: Poor and working class residents are more likely to use cars so they are more affected by road restrictions Not True! Car ownership is heavily weighted towards richer groups. Myth 2: LTNs only cover the rich areas Not True! In Hackney LTNs cover and strongly benefit more deprived areas. Myth 3: LTNs only benefit middle class people. Poorer people live on main roads. They push pollution to main roads. Not True! There is minimal difference in the population on main roads and minor roads in inner London. Pollution on main roads has fallen. Road harms such as air pollution and road danger disproportionately affect poorer people and those in deprivation. Reducing harms disproportionately benefits those groups. In conclusion: ​ LTNs are necessary to reduce pollution, to reduce road danger, to enable healthy active travel and to move towards more sustainable climate-safe cities. They are socially equitable because the gains disproportionately benefit poorer people who are suffering from the impacts of existing road harms whilst the restrictions are more likely to be felt by more affluent groups disproportionately responsible for creating those harms. Whilst any change may be difficult for some people, this has to be considered in light of the very significant harms of the status quo. #hackney #ltn #traffic

The classic argument against traffic filtering and LTNs is that it "pushes traffic onto main roads". In reality, over time this just doesn't happen. LTNs encourage people to move away from using cars to others modes of transport, such as walking, cycling or public transport. Traffic really does evaporate as some drivers choose not to drive or avoid the area altogether. Given that nearly half the traffic on Hackney roads is "passing through", does anyone really want that traffic rat running along small side streets which were not designed for large volumes of traffic?

Our Objective Reduce miles driven on Hackney roads by 30% by 2030 compared with 2019 5 Ways to achieve this by 2030: Low Traffic Neighbourhoods Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) coverage extended borough-wide, using filters to make local roads safer and more pleasant for walking and cycling. LTNs should be designed to prevent all through traffic across their defined area and existing LTNs should be adapted to achieve this where necessary. Kerbside and Parking strategies Implement kerbside and parking strategies including clear targets for conversion of private parking space to fair and sustainable uses. Parking permits to be limited and new permits reduced annually. Permit pricing should be amended to reflect vehicle size, weight and emissions in light of increased SUV usage. Children and School Travel Every school in the borough (including Secondary Schools) should have a car-free School Street. School Street schemes should be expanded to include more roads around schools so students and families can walk or wheel safely for most of their school journey. Every child in Hackney should have safe active routes to school. Cycling support Publish an implementation plan for a cycle network that achieves the Mayor's Transport Strategy 2041 target (100% of Hackney residents to live within 400m of a high-quality cycle route). Expand the 'Zero Emissions Network' cargo bike scheme and increase support for businesses and families to use cargo bikes. Bus priority Buses should always have priority on Hackney roads, especially main roads. Bus lanes should operate 24 hours. Bus routes should be prioritised for parking removal and all car parking should be removed from bus lanes.

Hackney Council has recently consulted on new low traffic neighbourhoods in Hoxton and Dalston, so sure as night follows day, some residents have been protesting to ‘open our roads’ (or more precisely, the grammatically innovative ‘open back our roads’). When people say ‘open our roads’ or ‘stop the road closures’ the real question is to whom they are open or closed, both before and after an LTN is put in place. So next time you hear someone say ‘open our roads’, ask them if they mean open to school kids on bikes, or disabled people using mobility aids, or people who can’t afford cars, or if they just mean open to the small minority in Hackney who choose to drive. Read the full article at lowtraffichackney.org @sarahjoannayoung @caroline.woodley @mayorofhackney @hackneygreenparty @hackneylabour @zoegarbettgreen #hackney #ltn #traffic #safestreets

LTNs: The hard evidence At Low Traffic Hackney we believe that to keep people safe, reduce harms and build healthy communities we need to follow the best evidence of what works. ​ A lot of research has been done into the effect of LTNs. The following isn’t intended as a comprehensive list or review of all the evidence, but aims to highlight some key studies and show that there is little doubt amongst experts that LTNs reduce a wide range of road harms. Have a look at the headings below to see what current best evidence says in each category: Road Danger Air Pollution Noise Traffic Levels Effect on Walking and Cycling Crime and personal safety Equality of impact Impact on Disabled People Impact on Emergency Services Other Benefits (community cohesion, children’s play, streetspace) What about people living on main roads? Summary Full details at lowtraffichackney.org

What principles does Low Traffic Hackney want to see in designing our main roads? They should be safe. This means air pollution should be minimised and always kept within legal limits. People should not be killed or seriously injured by motor traffic on main roads and we should aim for ‘vision zero’ (a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries). Speeds should be strictly controlled. People on foot or bicycle should be able to use main roads without danger. They should be accessible and comfortable for people outside cars. Main roads should not just be motor traffic sewers. People should be able to walk wheel or cycle them with ease and in comfort, without difficulty or inconvenience They should prioritise public transport over private and commercial motor traffic. Main roads should prioritise buses over other traffic both in the allocation of roadspace and in other priority measures such as signal timing. ​ They should allow essential motor traffic to move in a controlled way that minimises the harm it causes. Main roads need to work for motor traffic and to allow essential commercial and domestic motor vehicle journeys. Main roads should be highly controlled environments which are treated to minimise the harms that essential motor vehicle journeys cause. #hackney #traffic #airpollution