Small business owners are criticising the liveable neighborhood scheme in Barnsbury as the project restricts traffic and can cause businesses to lose money.
“The council doesn’t care”
Mehmet Ulas, who owns a restaurant on Caledonian Road, is concerned that less traffic means less money once traffic filters are placed on side roads.
Ulas believes that the scheme will still be accepted, even though he feels that most people are not supportive. “The council doesn’t care,” Ulas says. “Rich people want it so that they can ride their bicycles in peace.”
“I’m quite angry”
Ilkay Cinko-Oner, Independent Councillor for Laycock, who also runs a fish and chips restaurant on Stock Orchard Street, says the scheme would damage her business by reducing parking space for customers.
“I’m quite angry. I really believe that climate change is happening and that we need to do something about it, but not by diverting traffic onto Caledonian Road.
“Pollution doesn’t go [down] like this, it spreads, which defeats the whole purpose of it being environmentally safe,” she says.
Cllr. Cinko-Oner believes the scheme is creating hostility among locals, including individuals with caring commitments, business owners, and young parents who cannot use public transport. A potential solution, she says, is an exemption to the LTN for residents.
“Liveable Neighbourhood is a brilliant scheme,” says Cllr. Cinko-Oner. “However, it has not fully captured the geographics of Islington.”
“Disastrous for local businesses”
Nick Collin, a member of the anti-LTN group, Keep Islington Moving, said he lacked confidence that Islington Council will listen to residents’ concerns. He described the current plan as “disastrous for local businesses.”
I am a Newspaper Journalism student at City, University of London, and a graduate in Politics and French from the University of Bristol. With six years of experience in media and a commitment to solutions-based, impactful storytelling, I have previously written for publications such as Marlborough News, Freshered, Her Campus, Epigram and Empoword. My interests are varied, but I mainly specialise in stories related to politics and culture.