Haringey Council is set to introduce a raft of new cycle lanes and redesign road layouts as part of a plan to allocate more road space to pedestrians and cyclists.

Haringey’s cabinet agreed the council would consult on new cycleway and low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) schemes as part of a ten-year Walking and Cycling Action Plan, with mooted projects in Highgate and Muswell Hill also featuring.

Cllr Matthew White (Lab, Bruce Grove) said the new measures aimed to promote local businesses, lower carbon emissions and improve local health.

“We need to take action urgently,” Cllr White told the meeting.

“This is about making neighbourhoods safer, less polluted, cleaner and more pleasant places to be for everyone, and also about helping our high streets recover from the pandemic – a green recovery.”

The first plans are likely to include a protected cycle track between Crouch End and Hornsey, costing an estimated £333,000 in total from a number of council and London-wide sources.

A cycle route between Highgate and Muswell Hill is also on the cards, as is one which would follow the route of the A1 from Archway to East Finchley.

Also listed are plans to connect Highgate and Crouch End with protected cycle lanes in Shepherd's Hill, and later, a cycling connection between North HIll and Hampstead Heath.

The town hall said "issues and opportunities" identified during the 2019 Liveable Crouch End pilot scheme would feed into its thinking.

Councillor Zena Brabazon (Lab.) supported the plan, but noted the report said through-roads have the capacity to carry the traffic "displaced" by the new schemes.

“I’m not sure this is entirely true for Green Lanes,” she said. “Green Lanes is absolutely chock-a-block.”

Campaigners from active travel groups including Haringey Living Streets and the Haringey Cycle Campaign presented a deputation in support of radical measures at the virtual meeting, and told councillors they welcomed the plans.

Activist Karen Matthews said: “Think back to July 2007 when a ban on smoking in public places was introduced to much opposition for fear of loss of business and revenue. Today, no one would ever dream of smoking indoors.

“It was a win.

“I feel we need to take similar drastic measures now, adding benefits in the long-term as we can save money in our NHS system with reduced cases of respiratory illness, obesity, diabetes, loneliness, isolation.”