The St Mary's Church LTN is planned for implementation before the end of this year, but we have heard that the opposition to it is very strong and we fear that the ward councillors may not stand firm against this bullying. If you are in St Mary's ward please write to your councillors with this message:
As we have seen at COP26 in Glasgow the next few years are a critical time in human history, a one-time chance for survival to save the Dream for 1.5C. Islington is a progressive borough, bound by a Net Zero 2030 commitment, and recognises there is also a local duty in tackling Climate Change. Transport is the largest carbon emitter in the UK, as shown in the title chart from UK Climate Change Committee.
To reduce fossil fuel carbon, we all need to change how we travel, switching to public transport, walking, and cycling. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are one part of this transition, providing safe neighbourhood cells for active travel, reducing air pollution and noise, making people reconsider short local journeys by car. The Covid crisis was a wake-up call for action. The local 2030 plan for LTN rollout was facilitated by the council with the UK government grants for active travel. During the Covid emergency the council introduced seven LTNs which have been overwhelmingly successful as part of the climate change plan for the entire borough. LTNs are designed to stop vehicles cutting through Islington and return local streets to local people.
The St Mary's Church LTN is now to be implemented before the end of the year as part of this first group of Covid active travel plans. The council must stand firm, with no designed-in cut-throughs, and implement its full filter plan to protect St Mary's Church. This is doing its duty as good government protecting us from climate change.
As we ARE in an emergency, we need immediate action not blah, blah, blah.
Please contact local St Mary's councillors urging courage to do the right thing and support a full filter plan for St Mary's Church before it is too late.
Councillor Angela Picknell, angela.picknell@islington.gov.uk
Councillor Gary Poole, gary.poole@islington.gov.uk
Councillor Nurullah Turan, nurullah.turan@islington.gov.uk