Latest news

Dear resident,

You have previously given us your views through the Commonplace platform and indicated that you would like to be kept informed by the Council.

Engagement periods extended

We’ve extended engagement periods on the trial low traffic neighbourhoods and School Streets we’ve introduced over the last year. This is so as many people as possible can have their say on whether they'd like to see them made permanent and so you can see how they work as we emerge from lockdown. It’s really important that you have your say - whether you walk, cycle, take public transport or use a car - so we can make sure all the views of Hackney’s diverse communities are heard. Have your say on this Commonplace page.

Traffic down after London Fields low traffic neighbourhood

An initial analysis of traffic counts around Hackney’s London Fields low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) shows early signs of traffic reduction, with traffic down both in the neighbourhood itself and on boundary main roads. Traffic inside London Fields LTN was down by an average of 44%, with traffic on boundary roads around the LTN also down by 21%, showing promising early indications of the ability of low traffic neighbourhoods to reduce traffic and support people to walk, shop and cycle locally.

Hackney Council to adopt strict new limits on pollution

We’re set to adopt strict new limits as part of an ambitious new draft air quality action plan that has gone out to consultation this week.

The limits will see World Health Organisation guidelines adopted for particulate matter pollution - known to stunt lung growth in children and cause respiratory and cardiovascular problems among all groups - by 2030, going beyond current National Air Quality Objectives.

School Streets - Benthal Primary and St Scholastica’s

New School Streets have been launched this week at Benthal and St Scholastica’s primary schools to help children walk and cycle to school and improve road safety at the school gates.

With the school-run accounting for a fifth of London’s morning traffic, the new School Streets will also help more parents leave their cars at home, improving air quality in the morning.

Banned turns removed after introduction of low traffic neighbourhoods

A series of banned turns into Richmond Road, Queensbridge Road and the A10 have been removed after we wrote to Transport for London to request the changes.

We have been listening to feedback from residents and businesses throughout the roll out of plans to rebuild a greener Hackney to see what additional changes to improve the local road network can be implemented.

Following the introduction of the London Fields low traffic neighbourhood, the banned turns are no longer required as traffic reduction measures. Not all of the banned turns were enforced by cameras, but where they were, drivers will no longer face fines for breaching the restrictions.

The northbound banned left turn from Mare Street into Richmond Road, the banned turns at the Queensbridge Road/Richmond Road junction and the westbound banned right turn from Whiston Road to the A10 have all been removed.

Shepherdess Walk camera enforcement

Camera enforcement of the filter in Shepherdess Walk is due to start this week, which will help to further reduce traffic in the area and support people to walk, shop and cycle locally.

New traffic filter at Clissold Crescent

A new traffic filter was installed last week at Clissold Crescent, which will help support people living in and around the area to walk, shop and cycle locally. We’ll be planting trees in the planters in the next couple of weeks.

New protected cycle lanes

Construction has started on new protected cycle lanes on Queensbridge Road and Balls Pond Road, as part of our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney in the wake of the pandemic.

The new protected cycle lanes on Queensbridge Road are being introduced between Whiston Road and Albion Drive, joining protected cycle lanes installed on Queensbridge Road between Hackney Road and Whiston Road earlier this year.

Together, this will support residents in Haggerston to join Quietway 2, improving cycle links to Lea Bridge, Leyton and Islington, and supporting residents in Hackney Central.

Plans to introduce cycle lanes on the section of Cycle Superhighway 1 along Balls Pond Road pre-date the pandemic, and were supported by 67% of respondents in consultation in 2018.

They will see a two-way protected cycle lane introduced between Culford Road and Kingsbury Road, with a traffic signal at the junction with Culford Road to allow the cycle route to cross Balls Pond Road.

Construction at both sites started this week, and is expected to last into next week at Queensbridge Road. Construction at Balls Pond Road is expected to last seven weeks.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback on our measures to Rebuild a Greener Hackney so far. The Hoxton West and Hackney Downs low traffic neighbourhoods have now been in place for four weeks - with each experiencing significantly reduced volumes of traffic, helping people to walk and cycle locally.

All of the measures in London Fields have now been in place for a week in their entirety, with reduced traffic in the area supporting people to walk and cycle.

We’d like to thank residents for their patience while these schemes are introduced - we know that there has been some disruption, particularly on main roads like Graham Road, Queensbridge Road and Northwold Road. It can sometimes take a number of weeks before drivers get used to the changes and sat nav apps adjust but you can find out more about what we’re doing in response below.

It’s also worth noting that there have been TfL and Thames Water roadworks on the A10, in Stoke Newington (now nearing completion) and on Hackney Road that are affecting traffic levels across the borough at the moment, and a blocked bus lane on Graham Road has also been causing delays. Roadworks on Hackney Road are expected to finish on 7 October.

Please do continue to have your say using the Commonplace page. We have already made changes to the Hoxton West Low Traffic Neighbourhood as a result of feedback and will make changes to other schemes, if monitoring and feedback from residents shows it is necessary.

Graham Road

We know that there has been increased traffic on Graham Road, partly caused by roadworks in other areas of the borough, and a blocked bus lane on the road. The London Fields low traffic neighbourhood has also caused some disruption, but we do expect this to reduce as drivers get used to the changes and sat nav apps adjust. We are continuing to monitor traffic levels in the area. We have also asked TfL to adjust the traffic signals at the Mare Street junction to allow more time for traffic to exit onto Mare Street, helping to reduce congestion on Graham Road.

Queensbridge Road

Queensbridge Road has experienced increased traffic during the past week, which is partly as a result of drivers who cannot now pass through the London Fields area returning and using Queensbridge Road to get to Graham Road or Hackney Road. We expect this to reduce as sat nav apps update and drivers avoid the area completely. We are continuing to monitor traffic levels in the area and will also be installing cycle lanes along the road between Whiston Road and Albion Drive to make the road safer for cyclists.

Northwold Road

There had been an increase in traffic on Northwold Road as drivers got used to the changes in the Hackney Downs area, however this has now reduced slightly as part of the Thames Water roadworks in Stoke Newington have been completed. We are continuing to monitor traffic levels in the area.

We’ve had a number of questions over the last week, some of which are answered in our FAQs, but we wanted to elaborate on a few of them here.

Access for residents - route maps

We do not want to make residents’ lives harder. All residents can continue to drive to their properties, as shown by the maps below, which may be via alternative routes.

Congestion on main roads - how we expect this to reduce over time

While there are some increases in traffic on roads in the area at the moment, evidence from similar schemes, such as the Waltham Forest mini-Holland scheme where similar changes were introduced across a neighbourhood, point to an overall reduction in through-traffic over time.

Low traffic neighbourhoods also help to reduce the congestion caused by vehicles turning into side-streets. Fewer turning movements into side-streets are also shown to improve road safety, because there is less risk of collisions at junctions.

Effect on businesses

Our low traffic neighbourhoods do not prohibit delivery access to businesses, and can help to enhance footfall. Transport for London research shows that pedestrians and cyclists spend 40% more at local businesses than drivers.

Vandalism

Sadly, a number of traffic filters continued to be vandalised. We will continue to repair and replace anything that’s damaged, and will increase CCTV monitoring of sites to prevent this from happening. We will work with the police to prosecute anyone caught committing criminal damage.

We’re committed to listening to local people’s views for all of our rebuilding a greener Hackney measures. Please do take the time to feed back on this Commonplace site so we can improve schemes if necessary and take your views into account, alongside traffic monitoring, before any decision is made on whether or not to make schemes permanent.

Hoxton West low traffic neighbourhood

Following feedback from local residents and as a result of traffic monitoring in the area, the Council is making a change to the Hoxton West low traffic neighbourhood. This will move the traffic filter on Nile Street, close to the junction with Vestry Street, further westwards along Nile Street past the junction with Provost Street. This will help prevent non-local traffic from using Nile Street and Provost Street as a rat run. This work will take place on Saturday 19 September. All residents and businesses will continue to be able to access their properties by car.

London Fields Low Traffic Neighbourhood

As of yesterday, all measures in the London Fields Low Traffic Neighbourhood are fully implemented. As with any transport scheme, it can take a number of weeks for drivers to get used to the changes and sat nav apps to adjust. As with all of our schemes to Rebuild a Greener Hackney, we are monitoring traffic levels in the area and will make adjustments where necessary.

Transport for London is also carrying out roadworks to traffic signals on Hackney Road, which are causing delays in the area. This is expected to be completed on 7 October.

Camera enforcement at the Cat & Mutton bridge filter is set to begin on 12 October, following a one-month period to allow drivers to get used to the changes. This will join temporary and permanent cameras already in place at other filters in the borough, and support the new London Fields Low Traffic Neighbourhood.

Hackney Downs low traffic neighbourhood

We have started camera enforcement at the Brooke Road/Evering Road traffic filters, helping to reduce through-traffic in the area. We will be monitoring compliance at other sites and introducing cameras where appropriate.

Sadly, bollards at some sites have been repeatedly removed. We will continue to replace these and will start CCTV monitoring of sites if this continues to be a problem.

School Streets

The first of 40 new School Streets were introduced last week, supporting children to walk and cycle to school and maintain social distancing at the school gates. Collectively, over 14,000 children will benefit from cleaner air and improved road safety at the school gates as part of the plans.

Construction begins on measures to create quieter, safer streets in the London Fields area today, as part of our plans to rebuild a greener Hackney after lockdown, supporting people to walk, shop and cycle as public transport capacity remains low.

This construction in the London Fields area is expected to take up to two weeks. As with any scheme that makes changes to roads, there may be some disruption while drivers get used to the changes and sat nav apps adjust.

From today, we’re also rolling out new School Streets to 30 schools, supporting children to walk and cycle to school and maintain social distancing at the school gates. These are the first School Streets of 40 set to be introduced this autumn. Collectively, this will help over 14,000 children walk and cycle to school and help them maintain social distancing at the school gates.

Low traffic neighbourhoods in Hoxton West and Hackney Downs have been in place for roughly a week. While we expect disruption to continue for a number of weeks as drivers get used to the changes, these measures are already seeing reduced traffic in each area. Additional signage is being installed in each area to remind drivers of the changes, and outline how you can have your say.

As with all of our measures to rebuild a greener Hackney, you can have your say on this Commonplace page. We will consider all comments before making a decision on whether or not to make each scheme permanent. If there are issues raised by residents that need to be resolved sooner - and that our traffic monitoring supports - we will introduce mitigation measures.

Understandably, lots of you have questions about the new low traffic neighbourhoods. We want to work with you to make sure that the changes are working as well as possible so here are some of your questions answered.

Drivers are continuing to ignore the restrictions

Much of the traffic in the area will reduce as drivers get used to changes and sat nav apps adjust, however this can take a number of weeks. Unfortunately, there are some drivers who will continue to ignore the restrictions. We’ve already introduced camera enforcement at some sites, and there are bollards at others. This mix is to ensure that emergency services are still able to access each area quickly.

All other filters will be enforced randomly by mobile cameras. While we would have liked to guarantee 100% compliance with all the measures from day one, we are moving quickly to radically reduce traffic and improve conditions for walking and cycling at tens of locations across the borough so this hasn’t always been possible. However, most of this reduction in traffic we are aiming for in each neighbourhood will be achieved by the enforcement measures we have outlined.

What about access for local residents and businesses?

Residents and businesses can still access properties within the new low traffic neighbourhoods by motor vehicle, however this may be via different routes to avoid the filters, which you will not be able to drive through.

This may result in a small increase in journey time. In return, all residents in each area will see quieter, safer streets as through-traffic is removed. We also hope that this will encourage more residents to make short journeys on foot or by bike, further increasing the benefits to air quality and health.

Jenner Road in the Hackney Downs Low Traffic Neighbourhood

Residents have told us that they are concerned that Jenner Road will become a new rat-run as a result of the changes. While we think traffic on Jenner Road will reduce overall as drivers get used to the changes and through-traffic avoids the area completely, we will monitor traffic levels and make changes if necessary. We are happy to discuss residents’ concerns further.

Provost Street in the Hoxton West Low Traffic Neighbourhood

Some of you have reported significant levels of increased traffic on Provost Street as a result of the changes. We are looking at this, monitoring traffic and working up potential solutions. We will share more details soon.

‘Low traffic neighbourhoods only benefit wealthy residents’

This is not true. 70% of Hackney households do not own a car (with car ownership linked to higher income levels), but there is a risk that as public transport capacity remains low, the through-traffic that doesn’t start or end in the borough - which usually makes up 40% of traffic on Hackney’s roads - will increase. Meanwhile, the risk of road injury is also related to income. One study found that living in a household earning below £25,000 was associated with more than double the odds of injury*.

We have to stop this traffic from using our neighbourhoods as a cut-through, helping to create quieter, safer streets for everyone and supporting people to walk and cycle. We're implementing new traffic filters across the borough - in Homerton, Hackney Downs, Hoxton and London Fields, which improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, benefiting those on lower incomes who are more likely to walk and cycle - and more likely to be injured doing so.