Stamford Hill campaigners blast Hackney transport policies for ‘upending lives’ of Charedi community 

A meeting of the newly launched task force. Photograph: courtesy JCC

Members of Hackney’s Charedi community have slammed Hackney’s traffic policies for “upending the lives” of residents by turning five-minute journeys into “half-hour ordeals”.

The Jewish Community Council (JCC) last week announced the launch of the Stamford Hill Traffic Action Plan (SHTAP) task force, set up to tackle the “ripple effect” of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), extra bus lanes and school street restrictions.

The group claims these changes have brought diminished footfall for local businesses, delayed school runs and made it harder for voluntary emergency groups to navigate the area “efficiently”.

JCC representative Levi Schapiro said: “For the majority of families in our community, owning a car is not a luxury – it’s an essential.

“Given the size of our families and the traditional way of life in a busy Charedi household, cars are vital for transporting children to and from school, attending Shul, and going to work.

“It’s not realistic to suggest parents take seven children to school on a bike. Most cars in our area are practical, seven-seater vehicles to accommodate large families.”

However, Hackney Council points to census data that shows the majority of households in south, west and north Stamford Hill report not owning a car or van.

A spokesperson also said the Town Hall had introduced school street exemptions for the community’s private, registered school minibuses, medical emergency (Hatzola) and neighbourhood watch (Shomrim) vehicles.

“While many Charedi families do use cars to get around, there is also significant walking and cycling to school among the Charedi community in the area,” they added.

“Traffic levels in Hackney remain lower than before the pandemic, journeys made by car within the borough are decreasing and the majority of households in the Stamford Hill area do not own a car.

“We want to support people who need to drive while improving road safety for those who don’t. As part of this, we are continuing to work on how to improve traffic flow on main roads.”

Hackney’s Charedi community – concentrated in the wards Stamford Hill West, Springfield, Cazenove and Woodberry Down – is one of the largest in Europe.

Within these wards, the largest LTN sits in Springfield around Mount Pleasant Lane, while Stamford Hill West and Cazenove have precious few of these restricted zones.

This part of the borough is largely represented by Conservative councillors, whose leader, Cllr Ian Sharer (Cazenove), is believed to have defected from the Liberal Democrats in part because of his opposition to these low traffic schemes.

A ward by-election last January, which Sharer won with ​53.6 per cent of the vote, was dubbed a “referendum on LTNs” by Cllr Simche Steinberger (Conservative, Springfield).

Though the core aim of the SHTAP is to alleviate the traffic “crisis”, it insists it also wants to balance the needs of its “vibrant” community with sustainability.

“While we appreciate and respect the council’s green policy initiatives, these measures cannot come at the expense of damaging the local economy, causing children to arrive at school late, and upending the daily lives of residents,” Mr Schapiro said.