Letter: Hackney mayor on recognition from Healthy Streets Coalition

Mayor of Hackney, Philip Glanville and Cllr Mete Coban, cabinet, member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm, write:

This week, Hackney was recognised by the Healthy Streets Coalition as one of the three London boroughs with the healthiest streets, after it looked at the work councils are doing to improve air quality, boost active lifestyles, encourage walking and cycling and cut carbon emissions.

We’re really proud of the work we’re doing to rebuild a greener Hackney in the wake of the pandemic, and this report recognises the transformation that has taken place in our neighbourhoods over the past decade - which are now cleaner and greener than they were back when the Healthy Streets Scorecard first started.

School Street at Gayhurst Primary (Image: Gary Manhine)

Hackney is now the first borough in London to have over a half of streets covered by low traffic neighbourhoods, and a huge 50 schools with School Streets, supporting people to walk, shop and cycle locally.

There’s still work to do and we remain ambitious - we want to do more to encourage more people to walk locally and we want to continue to make cycling safer and more accessible - but the results today show how progress on our journey in rebuilding a greener Hackney is creating cleaner air, healthier lives and better neighbourhoods for all of us.