Islington liveable neighbourhoods are set to cover the entire borough by 2030, under a council pledge to redesign streets around children rather than cars.
Too many children in the borough face a daily obstacle course of heavy traffic — with its noise, air pollution and threat of serious injury — simply stepping out of their front doors.
Children are rarely considered, let alone prioritised, when street and transport decisions are made. Decades of adult- and car-centric planning have damaged young people’s health and safety while limiting their freedom.
Designing streets from a child-friendly perspective works for adults too — though the reverse is not true. A child-friendly Islington would also advance road safety, public health, cleaner air, active travel, climate action and social equality.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) are part of that shift. What once seemed impossible — less traffic and more space for walking and cycling — has proved popular and beneficial.
Sceptics questioned whether LTNs would work, but a major 2025 study of 113 LTNs across London over a decade found injuries fell 35 per cent within the schemes, and deaths and serious injuries fell 37 per cent. Fears that traffic would simply be displaced onto surrounding “boundary” roads proved unfounded — cyclist and motorist injuries fell there too, with no change for pedestrians, and junctions fitted with filters became safer.
The pledge builds on a wider move towards calmer roads, with 20mph speed limits more than tripling across London under Sadiq Khan.
Islington Council calls its newer schemes Liveable Neighbourhoods — areas designed to be more welcoming, where children can play, neighbours can gather in green, biodiverse spaces, and getting around is easier for everyone, while cutting toxic air pollution and making it simpler to enjoy the health benefits of walking, cycling and wheeling.
The council has committed to rolling them out borough-wide by 2030. Writing for London Now, Rachael Swynnerton argued it must now deliver on that promise — giving children the foundation for a happy and healthy childhood.
