Around 150 residents joined Green and walking and cycling groups including Friends of the Earth, Haringey Living Streets, Haringey Cycling Campaign, Haringey Clean Air Group, and Haringey XR, in a mass walk and cycle across the borough on September 26, calling for more action on climate from the council.
In the lead up to the global climate conference COP26, the groups are calling on Haringey Council to speed up its rollout of walking and cycling schemes to help residents switch away from car journeys in the borough. A quarter of Haringey’s carbon emissions are from road transport, so enabling more people to get around without going by car will be critical to our response to the climate emergency and help improve air quality and support residents lead more active, healthy lives.
The mayor, Sadiq Khan, is calling for climate action across the capital. Nearly half of London hospitals, and one in five of our schools are at risk of flooding. We need Haringey Council to play its part and take bold action in response to climate change now, or else we will all face the terrible impacts.
The groups are asking for safe and accessible walking and cycling routes across the borough, using interventions such as School Streets, low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), and physically protected cycle lanes. They are also asking for the borough to commit to reducing road deaths and casualties on our streets and enforcing speed limits.
One supporter, Haringey resident Karen Matthews, said: "The area has changed a lot since I moved in 25 years ago - it’s now a lot more busy and congested. Even for me, an able-bodied woman, I am becoming increasingly wary and concerned when out and about. Simply crossing the road has become quite traumatic at times, I have to be constantly negotiating on busy streets."
The event was joined by Cllr Mike Hakata, deputy leader of Haringey Council, who spoke to commit to urgent action on the boroughs walking and cycling action plan. The event was the final activity being organised as part of Haringey’s Big Green Week.
Catherine Kenyon is from Haringey Living Streets.
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