We ask candidates to commit to completing 5 Quick Wins a year for the next two years. We ask that the council allocate £20,000 from the LIP (Local Improvement Plan) (2018/19) each year to Quick Wins. We ask that the council publishes a list of Quick Wins that might be considered in future years and updates it annually.
Big schemes, like Old Street roundabout or Highbury Corner, generate big benefits. But there are plenty of small changes which would cost the Council only a few thousand pounds. Many of these would have outsized impacts and enable more people to cycle in comfort and safety. The projects fall into several categories:
- Unsafe road markings: Road markings must not indicate that cyclists should ride too close to parked cars. This misinforms novice cyclists, and it can lead to confrontation with drivers.
- Permeability: Creating gaps for bikes, for example in fences and brick walls, to make cycling attractive and remove conflict with cars and pedestrians.
- Low-traffic neighbourhoods: For the cost of consultation and some bollards, a neighbourhood can become quieter, less polluted and a comfortable place to cycle. Islington has done this in the past, and neighbouring boroughs continue to introduce filtered cells, like Hackney.
- One-way roads, etc: Road signs should be accurate and allow people cycling to do safe things legally. The majority of one-way roads should be two-way for cycling.
Camden Council has worked very closely with Camden Cyclists over several years and have developed a rolling programme of quick wins. Cycle Islington, too, has maintained a list of Quick Wins, and we share it with the Council. Unfortunately, progress has been slow even on the easiest tasks.
Opportunities to enable safe cycling abound, and they don’t have to be expensive. Go and talk to candidates about Quick Wins in your part of the borough and be part of improving cycling infrastructure in Islington.