City Fringe Ultra Low Emission Streets

Overview

Help us improve the City Fringe

Ultra Low Emission Streets are streets where Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets Councils are going to support and prioritise low pollution transport so that we can reduce the harmful effects of pollution in the City Fringe.

We would like your views on proposals to improve the environment for cycling and walking and reduce traffic in two zones in Shoreditch and Hoxton.

We will do this by creating two time-restricted pedestrian and cycle zones that will permit access to ultra low emission vehicles (ULEV) and permit holders.

Zone 1 includes:

• Blackall Street
• Cowper St
• Paul St (north of junction with Leonard Street)
• Ravey Street
• Singer Street
• Tabernacle St (north of junction with Leonard Street)
• Willow Street

Zone 2 includes:

• Charlotte Road
• Rivington Street (from junction with Curtain Road to junction with Great Eastern Street)

The detailed locations of these two zones are shown in the diagrams attached.

Vehicles that are not classed as ultra-low emission would not be allowed to enter the streets during the peak commuter periods of 7am-10am and 4pm-7pm Monday to Friday.

However residents who live in, and businesses located in these zones will still be allowed to enter them free of charge during peak commuter periods as long as they have registered for an exemption.

This scheme will:

• Reduce levels of air and noise pollution
• Make it easier and safer to walk and cycle
• Improve the character of the area for all residents and businesses
• Make it feel more secure for pedestrians and improve people’s walking experience

Why your views matter

Why are these changes being proposed?

The Council is committed to making Hackney’s roads safer for everyone living, working and visiting the Borough in its Transport Strategy. These changes are aimed at creating an environment that will encourage more walking and cycling, improve air quality and reduce emissions within the local area.

The Strategy includes a Liveable Neighbourhoods Plan, which recognises that streets in areas like Shoreditch are not just places to park vehicles or drive, walk and cycle on. They are also the places where we socialise, shop and live our lives. An aspiration is to reclaim Hackney’s neighbourhoods from parked vehicles and motor traffic congestion and transform them into the most attractive and liveable neighbourhoods in London. This can only be achieved by reducing the dominance of the private vehicle.

The damage to health from poor air quality caused by vehicle emissions was recognised in a Kings College London report in 2015 which estimated that 10,000 Londoners die early every year because of it. Poor air quality is also having a direct impact on our children’s health with evidence proving that it is responsible for the worrying rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses in our schools (GLA, 2008).

This has led to the three Councils joining forces to create a ‘Low Emission Neighbourhood’ (LEN) in the City Fringe, made possible through funding from the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund. During the planning of our LEN, research (and traffic counts) indicated that a lot of the polluting traffic on local roads around the City Fringe was from delivery vehicles (approximately 50%). We therefore developed these proposals to deal with this issue and support a shift to low emission deliveries.

What is the proposed scheme?

Please refer to the attached drawings throughout this section. We are proposing to create two time-restricted pedestrian and cycle zones that will permit access for ULEVs. Residents and businesses with non-ULEV vehicles will be able to register for an exemption to allow them to enter the zone during the times that the restriction is in force.

The zones were chosen because they feature:

• areas of high pollution
• important commuter routes for pedestrians and cyclists
• existing conflicts between vehicles on these routes
• concerns from local businesses and residents on the number of vehicles accessing these areas.

The restrictions will be enforced Monday to Friday via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at each entrance from the hours of 7am- 10am and 4pm-7pm. We are asking for your views on the proposed operating hours as part of this consultation.

Any unregistered vehicle accessing these zones during the operating hours will be automatically issued a penalty notice.

The hours of operation were chosen based on:

• The main commuting hours - reducing conflict between polluting vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists.
• Minimising the impact on residents and businesses from the outset by permitting vehicular movement for 18 hours of the day.

All vehicles that are already in the zones during the operational times will be able to exit the zones.

Signage will be erected at all entrances to the two zones. There will be no major physical changes to the area as part of these proposals. If approved, it is expected the scheme would be operational in March 2018.

What are ultra low emission vehicles?

ULEVs are vehicles that emit less than 75g/km C02. This includes all (100%) electric and hydrogen vehicles and some of the ‘cleanest’, least polluting, hybrid vehicles. To check if your vehicle is considered a ULEV please use the online search tool from the Department of Transport at carfueldata.dft.gov.uk

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The LEN is a tri-borough initiative between Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets Councils and will include a package of measures focussed on reducing emissions and promoting sustainable travel to improve the local air quality.

 The Hackney Transport Strategy includes a number of actions that are relevant to this scheme: 

LN3: Improving air quality
Tackles poor air quality, reducing NO2 and PM10 emissions.

LN4: Low Emission Neighbourhoods
Supports TfL air quality initiatives and works with TfL on the successful implementation of Ultra Low Emission Zones (ULEZs) and LENs.

LN6: Low emission deliveries
Works with partners to facilitate and promote ultra low and zero emission deliveries.

LN15: Filtered Streets
Reduces motor traffic to reduce rat running and to create safer walking and cycling conditions.

The Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy includes a number of objectives and policies that are relevant to this scheme:

Mayor’s Transport Strategy Goal 2: Quality of life Improves air, noise and health quality.

Mayor’s Transport Strategy Goal 5: Climate change Reduces carbon dioxide emissions.

Transport Policy 4 Encourage healthier, more active forms of travel.

Transport Policy 11 Maintain servicing and delivery access to businesses whilst reducing the number and impact of heavy goods vehicle.

Transport Policy 13 Encourage healthier, more active forms of travel, and reduce the proportion of trips made by motor vehicles.

What happens next

Your feedback will help us reach a decision on whether to proceed with these proposals. To keep up to date with this and other plans, please visit: hackney.gov.uk/street-consultations

Should the Council proceed with this proposal, residents and businesses within the area will receive a letter to inform them about the details of the scheme, the start date and how to register a vehicle for exemption. Public notices advising the changes will be displayed in the street.