Let's have quieter, safer streets, say Enfield Greens

Text of an Enfield Green Party press release issued on 29 April 2018

Our streets were laid out to serve people on foot, cyclists and a few motor vehicles. But today the vehicles dominate residential streets. Cars in motion or idling pollute our air and make parents too fearful to let children walk or cycle to school.

“The health and wellbeing of people must come first” says Enfield Green Party co-chair Alex McRae. “Motor vehicles are part of modern life, but drivers should not be allowed to speed through residential streets to save a little travel time.”

The places where people live, shop and go to school should be low-traffic neighbourhoods. They often aren’t.

“Look at the streets south of the North Circular in Bowes ward,” says local resident and Green Party council candidate Liz Wright. “Brownlow, Warwick and adjacent roads see over 15,000 cars, vans and lorries every day. And it’s been like that for years. So we want the area between the North Circular, Bounds Green Road and Green Lanes to be a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) allowing traffic to go in and out but not through.”

Enfield Green Party developed the LTN plan following advice from members of Better Streets for Enfield. Its key features will be controls that allow people, buses and bikes, but not other motor vehicles, to pass through.

“In Waltham Forest LTNs have brought peace to dozens of streets and actually reduced total traffic. That’s what I want for Enfield,” says Liz. Enfield Green Party advocates the creation of LTNs to reduce traffic across the whole of Enfield, together with other measures to promote walking and cycling.

Read more about Enfield Green Party's policies and candidates at www.enfieldgreens.org.uk.