Stoke Newington Church Street to go car free on 22 September
Church Street will go car free on Sunday 22 September as worldwide Car Free Day celebrations hit Stoke Newington.
The celebrations will see private motor vehicles removed from the street to allow residents, businesses and visitors to experience what the road could look like with fewer vehicles.
People will also be able to try out cargo bikes and get their bikes checked at stalls along Church Street.
During the day, Hackney’s 40 Play Streets will also be invited to celebrate Car Free Day by simultaneously reclaiming their streets from cars for play.
Play Streets, run in partnership between Hackney Council and Hackney Play Association, have been around in Hackney since 2012.
Car Free Day is about demonstrating how much we could improve our public spaces and tackle poor air quality if we reduced the number of polluting cars on our streets.
We recently secured £500k from TfL to reduce traffic on Stoke Newington Church Street and we’re using Car Free Day to close it so we can show people in the area what less motor traffic could actually look like.
Climate science and the reality of the emerging climate emergency demands radical changes to the way in which we live. In addition to the poor air quality, accidents, and congestion caused by land transport, cars and other motor vehicles now make up the largest - and growing - contribution to the UK’s carbon footprint.
Car Free Day represents an important step in demonstrating that the necessary changes we need to make to our transport system, far from being painful, will deliver major health and social benefits for all.
The Council is hosting a pop-up stall this weekend to ask residents what they think about reducing traffic in Stoke Newington Church Street.
Residents can have their say at 10am-2pm on Saturday 27 July at the Clissold House entrance of Clissold Park.
How you can get involved in Car Free Day
If you are an existing Hackney Play Street or Play Estate, you can take part in Car Free Day on Sunday 22 September by contacting Allison Vitalis from Hackney Play Streets (Allison.vitalis@hackneyplay.org) by 8 September to sign up to take part.
If you are new to Hackney Play Streets, Allison can advise you on how your street or estate can be part of Car Free Day. The deadline for new applications is 15 August. Or visit Hackney Play Streets for further information.
Free Hackney Play Streets Pack
All Hackney Streets participating in this year’s Car Free Day Play Street event will receive a free Play Streets pack, courtesy of Hackney Council.
What else is happening in London on Car Free Day?
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched the biggest ever celebration of Car Free Day in the capital, including hundreds of free activities taking place on 20 kilometres of closed roads around Tower Bridge, London Bridge and the City of London. By hosting a Play Street / Estate on Car Free Day, you will be part of the capital wide effort to help Londoners 'reclaim' their streets and 'reimagine' a car-free city.
For more information on Hackney's 2019 Car Free Day plans, visit Car Free Dy 2019.