I’ve lived in Islington for over 25 years and I care deeply about this borough. What worries me is that 24/7 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are dividing our community by protecting some streets while pushing traffic, fumes and congestion onto others. Clean air should not depend on where you live.

These changes are making everyday life harder for carers, disabled and elderly residents, families, NHS workers and small businesses who rely on vehicles for essential travel. Main roads that cannot be closed are now carrying heavier traffic and higher pollution, affecting far more people than the quieter streets inside LTNs.

Residents are seeing this displacement daily on roads such as Liverpool Road, Essex Road, Holloway Road, Seven Sisters Road, City Road, New North Road, St Paul’s Road, Balls Pond Road, Matthias Road and Isledon Road. These are key routes where people live, walk, use buses and access essential services, yet they are increasingly bearing the burden of traffic redirected from surrounding LTNs.

LTNs were introduced with good intentions, but their 24/7 implementation is causing harm across the borough. Public health research links air pollution to thousands of premature deaths in London each year, with the greatest risks found on busy, congested main roads where traffic is concentrated.

There are also serious questions about consistency and fairness. Some LTNs sit entirely within the Congestion Charge Zone, where motorists are already paying to drive. Residents reasonably ask why additional restrictions are needed in these areas, such as Amwell, when traffic is already regulated.

In addition, several roads were closed to vehicles during the Covid pandemic due to social distancing concerns. Five to six years later, many of these closures remain in place without proper reassessment, despite the original emergency conditions no longer applying.

There is a better way. A timed approach to LTNs could protect children during peak hours while allowing essential travel at other times. This would reduce congestion and pollution more fairly, without dividing Islington or shifting problems onto main roads.

We are asking Islington Council to reassess how LTNs are implemented, review Covid-era road closures, and work with residents on fair, timed solutions that protect everyone’s health; not just a few streets.