Dear KIM Supporter

 

Since the Phase 2 Barnsbury.Laycock LTN/LN consultation process ended last October there has been little in the way of significant announcements by the Council. Disappointingly, they are refusing to publish the consultation results of not just Phase 2 but also Phase 1 until Phase 3 (see below). We suspect this is because the results would reveal widespread opposition to the B.L proposals and we are protesting vigorously.

 

As part of a new budget announcement the Council has, however, reiterated its intention to extend its LTN programme to cover 70% of the borough and has identified four new proposed LTNs around Tufnell Park and Dartmouth Park in addition to B.L (see our letter to the Tribune at https://keepislingtonmoving.com/media#modest-proposal ). So we must all continue to fight until it is recognised that LTNs represent a failed transport management policy which simply does not work.

 

In this respect, arguably the most encouraging development over the past few months has been the change of heart of the Conservative government which is no longer funding new schemes and has initiated a review of LTNs by the Department for Transport (DfT). We have sent several letters to the DfT with evidence that Islington's LTN programme is misguided and its consultation process is seriously flawed. See our website item at https://keepislingtonmoving.com/home#dft-review which includes links to Transport Minister Mark Harper's "Plan for Drivers" and examples of our inputs to the DfT review.

 

We continue to email Islington's Executive Committee with important KIM research reports. Our last was on the failed St Mary's LTN and our letter included copies of two previous emails - see https://keepislingtonmoving.com/articles#executive-committee . We are also active on Twitter (as @KeepIzMoving), Nextdoor (as Nick Collin, Barnsbury) and in the pages of the Tribune (many contributors!). This all helps to change hearts and minds, both locally and nationally, so if you'd like to add your support, please join the conversation.

 

In December a delegation from Keep Barnsbury Moving (KBM) met at the Town Hall with Councillors Rowena Champion, Praful Nargund and Nurullah Turan. Rowena surprised us by saying that Phase 3 consultations prior to a formal LTN/LN plan for B.L would now not happen until after the mayoral elections in May. We're not sure about the precise implications of this but on balance it is surely positive.

 

The KBM meeting was quite constructive and open and whilst the Council is clearly still wedded to its existing B.L plans for now, we were able to raise a large number of concerns which Rowena has promised to look into. We are also trying to arrange similar meetings with other Councillors including those representing Laycock residents.

 

All in all I'm now more rather than less optimistic that we can halt road closures in B.L. and if we can do that, then we may be able to reverse the negative aspects of other existing Islington LTNs. But it will require relentless lobbying on all our parts, not just of the Council, but also of government and institutions such as the DfT, and perhaps most importantly of all our neighbours who live and work here. So please keep fighting the good fight!

 

 

Kind regards, Nick