These are our five asks which were sent to Labour, Liberal Democrat, Conservative and Green Parties. At our Active Travel hustings, held jointly with Islington Living Streets on 25 April 2022, the Greens and Liberal Democrats pledged to support them and Labour agreed in principle but with some caveats. We had no response, or participation in the hustings, from the Conservatives. The council, while in general supporting our 5 Asks, stated:
“We support measures to make it safer and more accessible to walk, wheel and cycle. Low traffic neighbourhoods and quieter cycling routes, including segregated cycle routes are fundamental to making Islington fairer, safer and greener in the midst of a climate and public health emergency. We are committed to building on the LTNs and 3 segregated cycle routes installed in the past two years, creating liveable neighbourhoods across the borough including with people friendly pavements and more greening. We will work to make deliveries more sustainable including by providing last mile delivery hubs and continue to work to increase the sustainable modal share and to make cycle parking more affordable.”
At our meeting on 8 June, we allocated one person to each Ask to report on progress at our regular monthly meetings and we will be keeping a dashboard on our website.
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Update September 2023
The tracker for these 5 Asks can be found here. For any questions, please contact us.
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1) Protected cycle routes on all busy roads in the borough by 2026.
(This to include both Islington and TfL roads. Residents should be able to access shops, schools, community centres and places of worship easily by cycle. Our LTNs should be joined up so that cyclists of all ages can safely cycle from one to the next. Dangerous junctions should continue to be improved.)
2) People Friendly Streets (Low Traffic Neighbourhoods) to cover the borough by 2024.
(The council have made an excellent start; now LTNs need to be cross borough with safe links between LTNs in Islington and neighbouring boroughs.)
3) The creation of at least ten hubs, possibly on Council property, where all freight is delivered for final delivery by non-polluting, sustainable means – target May 2026.
(‘Last mile delivery’ by cargo bikes, for example, to cut down traffic, noise and dangers on residential streets.)
4) Bring forward the target date for reaching 90% sustainable transport modal share as measured by TfL from 2041 to 2030.
(This is to increase the percentage of journeys in the borough made by walking, cycling and scooting.)
5) Deliver secure, affordable and flexible bike parking and ensure that it is never cheaper to park a car or van than to park a cycle.
(Reduce the cost of bikehangar rental and ensure that people can get refunds if they move, that they can buy family spaces at reduced prices and that the current cost inequalities are addressed to enable everyone to park bikes securely.)