Better Streets for Enfield
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Better Streets for Enfield meeting: Defending low traffic neighbourhoods
Wednesday 23 September 7.30pm - 9.00pm
Function Room, The Fox, 413 Green Lanes N13 4JD
The meeting on Wednesday 23rd September will begin with a short formal Annual General Meeting of Enfield Cycling Campaign (ECC) (a branch of the London Cycling Campaign). Only members of ECC will be entitled to vote.
There will then be a presentation by representatives of Save Our Safer Streets Bethnal Green on lessons learnt from their four year long campaign to prevent the Mayor of Tower Hamlets from removing a low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch. The Mayor has appealed to the Supreme Court in a bid to overturn an earlier court decision that ruled that he did not have the powers to remove the LTN.
The case is highly relevant to Enfield, since during the local elections campaign this spring Enfield Conservatives were openly hostile to LTNs. Now that they are running the council (though short of a majority of seats), they have announced a review of LTNs - and many residents fear that they will remove the Fox Lane and Bowes LTNs and open them up to the rat running traffic that blighted these areas before the LTNs were introduced in 2020.
There will also be opportunities to ask questions and discuss issues relating to walking and cycling routes and to measures to make the borough's streets safer and pleasanter for users - not just car drivers.
If you can't make the Fox, you can join the meeting on Zoom.
Archived news
Council elections 2026: Better Streets for Enfield's key asks
This is a short series of blog posts covering the arguments and current position for when you are talking with neighbours and others in your community.
- An end to high-traffic neighbourhoods
- Traffic-free streets around every school during school run hour
- Enfield's Cycle Network: better than you might think, not as good as it could be
From this Friday 6th March three of Enfield's town centres will have a speed limit of 20mph.
The signage is currently going up in Edmonton, Southgate and Palmers Green as part of the first phase of 20mph.
As we've said before we'd like this to go further but understand we have to start somewhere.
Also as we've said before, we are not arguing for a 'blanket scheme' - the A10 and North Circular don't need it - but residential roads is the long-term aim.
Like any scheme it will take a little time to bed in, but as has been seen elsewhere, we look forward to the positive benefit for pedestrians, wheelers and cyclists.
You can help by sticking to 20 mph max in these areas. When it becomes the culture our high streets will be safer, healthier and more people-friendly. All of that is good for our local businesses.
As a reminder
Safety is a big issue in Enfield.
Enfield's casualty rate for pedestrians is 28th out of 32 London boroughs.
20mph schemes work - speeds fall and safety increases with it.
Car insurance companies are taking note too - premiums have been falling in Wales since the introduction of 20mph for urban/village roads.
20mph schemes save huge amounts of money too. Road injuries and deaths generate huge medical and societal costs. Even a small reduction in Enfield would save millions every year.
The constant acceleration to, and braking from, 30mph causes a lot of pollution from fuel, brakes and tyres. A 20mph limit is the equivalent of taking half the petrol cars off the road.
Electric cars are not pollution free either. They are heavier than those using petrol/diesel, and both brakes and tyres rely on friction to work. As the Daily Mail put it, tyre pollution is the 'dirty secret of electric cars'.
Then there's the noise.
Slower speeds, and less acceleration, means lower decibels. 20 mph halves perceived noise compared to 30mph as cars move at steadier speeds.
There's lots to gain.
https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/20mph
Transport for London consulting about redesign of key intersection on new walking and cycling route
Better Streets for Enfield have issued a statement about a consultation currently under way about the redesign of a key junction where a west-east walking and cycling route crosses the Great Cambridge Road. Transport for London's proposals, which would reduce hazard and inconvenience for pedestrians and cyclists, are controversial with some drivers.
We want to see
Safe streets
with safe space to walk, cycle and cross on busy roads and quiet, low-traffic streets in neighbourhoods.
Healthy streets
where active travel is the natural choice for short journeys and air is clean enough for children to breathe.
People-friendly streets
with lots of plants and seating, and where motor traffic doesn’t dominate – especially on high streets.
To achieve safe, healthy and people-friendly streets we campaign for
- An end to high-traffic neighbourhoods
- A complete, coherent Borough-wide network of cycle lanes
- Pedestrian-friendly high streets to boost local business
- 20mph as the default speed limit
- Traffic-free streets around every school during school run hours
We are the ‘umbrella’ group campaigning for active travel in Enfield, including walking, wheeling and cycling. Given this we have a strong relationship with the Enfield Cycling Campaign, which is the local branch of the London Cycling Campaign.
What are the local issues that concern you? Please get in touch and let us know! (but also remember we are local volunteers, we will reply as quickly as we can).
