We believe that there would be a benefit to many local residents, who are doing their best to comply with the new regulations, if the space currently allocated to motor traffic along some of the borough’s shopping streets could be reduced and/or private through-motor traffic prohibited. This would leave more space for people walking, queuing for groceries and, of course, riding cycles for exercise/essential transport. This would reduce the risk to pedestrians of walking in the road, and help them maintain a separation of >2m, thereby reducing the potential for transmission between people of the Covid-19 virus. We would, of course, envisage that public transport and emergency vehicles would be excluded from any through-route prohibitions, and any interventions may expedite emergency access in formerly congested areas.

We would support any modal filtering on residential roads and our members believe that interventions (modal filtering, traffic reduction or reducing space for driving and increasing it for people walking and cycling) would be particularly valuable on the following streets:

• Broadway Market

The gates that are used to prevent motor traffic on market days could be closed during the lock-down period to enable people to walk on the road to enable them to keep 2 meters apart. The removal of through motor traffic and parking would allow enough space for people to use the street safely by foot or bike. Deliveries to shops could be facilitated either by opening one of the gates or by timed openings.

Ideally, this should be combined with a modal filter on Cat and Mutton Bridge (permitting bus access) to remove through traffic from the entire cell. A filter on Cat and Mutton Bridge would likely reduce motor traffic on Whiston Road, thereby providing an alternative cycle route to the congested canal towpath.

• Well Street Market

A bus gate at the location of the Well Street Market, on Well Street before the junction with Collent Street would open up this area for safe access to vital shopping amenities.

• Chatsworth Road

Emergency vehicles / buses-only gate, which could be located either at the north end, near Lea Bridge Road or on Brooksbys walk towards the south end. It would be important to position the gate so that it could not be bypassed by any residential roads. Owing to the presence of the Council depot on Millfields Road, council vehicles may also need to be given access via the gate.

• Stoke Newington Church Street

The pavements on Church Street are especially narrow. The street provides numerous essential shops and is a key route for accessing the green spaces for exercise. Bus gates at the Stoke Newington High Street junction and at the junction with Albion Road, alongside a lower speed limit for buses, would allow the more able and confident people to be able to go on to the road when required, and so allowing the more vulnerable pedestrians to remain on the pavement while preserving the 2 meter distance.

2 • Victoria Park

We welcome the reopening of Victoria Park, but if it is to remain closed to adult cyclists, then an alternative east- west route should be provided. As suggested in earlier email, our preference would be filters on Victoria Park Road, Gore Road and Cadogan Terrace. If a modal filter on Victoria Park Road is out of the question owing to emergency service access, a modal filter on Gascoyne Road beside Well Street Common should be included instead (at the junction with Bradstock Road).

We would like to see Tower Hamlets Council bring forward the promised bus gate on Grove Road. However, if they are unwilling to do so, Hackney Council could introduce such a restriction at the borough boundary.

• Downs Park Road

The filtering of Downs Park Road and Downs Road would provide more space for people running and cycling, leaving the relatively narrow paths on Hackney Downs for people to walk safely.

The above list is not intended to be exhaustive, and there may be other areas where you might consider interventions to be appropriate - for example, at the dual-carriageway section of Hackney Central and expediting trials for filtering in the Fields area. As suggested in your recent interview reported in the Guardian, given the nature of the public health crisis we face, changes should be made rapidly and then monitored so adjustments can be made to resolve any issues.

We would be grateful if you would consider the above when looking at any street interventions over the coming days and we would be pleased to lend our support to any schemes that achieve the relevant objectives.

Regards

Hackney Cycling Campaign

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• Broadway Market

The gates that are used to prevent motor traffic on market days could be closed during the lock-down period to enable people to walk on the road to enable them to keep 2 meters apart. The removal of through motor traffic and parking would allow enough space for people to use the street safely by foot or bike. Deliveries to shops could be facilitated either by opening one of the gates or by timed openings.

Ideally, this should be combined with a modal filter on Cat and Mutton Bridge (permitting bus access) to remove through traffic from the entire cell. A filter on Cat and Mutton Bridge would likely reduce motor traffic on Whiston Road, thereby providing an alternative cycle route to the congested canal towpath.

• Well Street Market

A bus gate at the location of the Well Street Market, on Well Street before the junction with Collent Street would open up this area for safe access to vital shopping amenities.

• Chatsworth Road

Emergency vehicles / buses-only gate, which could be located either at the north end, near Lea Bridge Road or on Brooksbys walk towards the south end. It would be important to position the gate so that it could not be bypassed by any residential roads. Owing to the presence of the Council depot on Millfields Road, council vehicles may also need to be given access via the gate.

• Stoke Newington Church Street

The pavements on Church Street are especially narrow. The street provides numerous essential shops and is a key route for accessing the green spaces for exercise. Bus gates at the Stoke Newington High Street junction and at the junction with Albion Road, alongside a lower speed limit for buses, would allow the more able and confident people to be able to go on to the road when required, and so allowing the more vulnerable pedestrians to remain on the pavement while preserving the 2 meter distance.

• Victoria Park

We welcome the reopening of Victoria Park, but if it is to remain closed to adult cyclists, then an alternative east-west route should be provided. As suggested in earlier email, our preference would be filters on Victoria Park Road, Gore Road and Cadogan Terrace. If a modal filter on Victoria Park Road is out of the question owing to emergency service access, a modal filter on Gascoyne Road beside Well Street Common should be included instead (at the junction with Bradstock Road).

We would like to see Tower Hamlets Council bring forward the promised bus gate on Grove Road. However, if they are unwilling to do so, Hackney Council could introduce such a restriction at the borough boundary.

• Downs Park Road

The filtering of Downs Park Road and Downs Road would provide more space for people running and cycling, leaving the relatively narrow paths on Hackney Downs for people to walk safely.

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The above list is not intended to be exhaustive, and there may be other areas where you might consider interventions to be appropriate - for example, at the dual-carriageway section of Hackney Central and expediting trials for filtering in the London Fields area. As suggested in your recent interview reported in the Guardian, given the nature of the public health crisis we face, changes should be made rapidly and then monitored so adjustments can be made to resolve any issues.

We would be grateful if you would consider the above when looking at any street interventions over the coming days and we would be pleased to lend our support to any schemes that achieve the relevant objectives.

Regards

Hackney Cycling Campaign

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12th May 2020

Dear

We are grateful for TfL’s recent work to make walking and cycling safer in Hackney through pavement widening, and are excited about the Streetscape plans to make walking and cycling easier across the city.

Over the last year, Hackney Cycling Campaign has been working on a vision for Hackney’s streets. We have mapped the existing interventions, and the improvements which would be needed to make walking, cycling and public transport use the first choice for the overwhelming majority of residents, visitors and workers

We have used this mapping to identify the highest priority actions on TfL roads within the borough. We’ll be calling for this publicly in the hope that this mobilises wider support for these changes.

In addition to the priorities below, we have also written to Hackney Council to outline priority changes for the roads that they control in the borough. We attach a copy of the letter for your information.

We will shortly be in a position to share the interactive map showing the current and desired changes, and the written summary of interventions publicly. We’d be happy to share this with you and officers in advance if that would be helpful.

Best wishes,

Hackney Cycling Campaign

Hackneycycling.org.uk 1. Install cycle tracks on the A10 between Dalston Junction and . This route is a very busy cycling corridor, and the wide carrigeway leads to excess speed 2. Install cycle tracks along A503 Seven Sisters Road: Cone the entire route through Hackney. Bring forward plans for Future Route 2 between Camden and Tottenham 3. LInk between Hackney Road and Road. The left turn from Hackney Road to Shoreditch High Street should be made bus and cycle only, with Bike Tracks from Hackney Road all the way to CS3 on Cable Street. See map. The plans were drawn up as a more ambitious program of works in 2018 by Hackney Council 4. A12 Coned sections to allow cycling across to Eastway, with safe routes on the junction from Wick Road and Victoria Park Road. 5. Lea Bridge Road/ Roundabout Extend the tracks up to the roundabout. Revise Future Route 3 to higher standards to include filters on Sandringham Road and Downs Park Road as recommended by us during the consultation phase

A10 Shoreditch High Street with cycle tracks as part of QW13 plans from 2018.

Hackneycycling.org.uk

4. Hackney Road cycle tracks (major commuting route, links to junction improvements, links with CS1, goes to Clerkenwell Corridor which should be fast-tracked). 5. Chatsworth Road bus gate outside the Spar and filter on Clifden Road. This would support key worker travel to Haggerston Hospital, while also enabling social distancing on the key shopping street of Chatsworth Road. 6. Bus gate on White Post Lane (create social distancing space for entry to key park). If bus gates are not plausible in short term, could one lane of the bridge be dedicated to pedestrians, with temporary traffic lights to divert motor traffic to just one side of the bridge. Crucial, and your alternative suggestion is great. 7. Well Street bus gate. Well Street is a key shopping area with narrow pavements and too much space taken by parking. Bus access should be maintained while removing parking, and enable two- way cycling along Well Street. 8. Scriven Street modal filter. Installing modal filters on Scriven Street would remove the fast vehicle speeds and high volume that currently cut through from the A10 to Queensbridge Road. A filter on Scriven Street would enable better social distancing at Haggerston Station and improved access to Stonebridge Park. 9. Lordship Road modal filters. Tree planter filters should be installed at Lordship Road to prevent motor traffic from the road between East Reservoir and West Reservoir, In time, these green spaces could be joined, and so create additional green social space. 10. Modal filter on Middleton Road to protect Quietway 2, a key commuting route (and a road that was closed for road works last week with no apparent issues).

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