Chatsworth Road residents say new bus gate has caused 'severe disruption to our lives'

More than 1,000 Hackney residents and business owners have called on the council to remove a bus gate on Chatsworth Road.

A Low Traffic Neighborhood (LTN) was implemented in the area in August 2025, with the bus gate added at the entrance to Brooksby’s Walk. Chatsworth Road is now pedestrianised between Dunlace Road and Blurton Road every Sunday, between 6am and 8pm, to make way for its famous market.

Hackney Council made the changes in a bid to reduce traffic pollution in the area. But people living and working there have claimed the LTN and bus gate have caused ‘severe disruption to our daily lives and livelihoods’.

Residents and business owners say that rather than reducing traffic, the changes have simply pushed cars onto smaller residential streets nearby, as well as Lower Clapton Road and Lea Bridge Road. The higher number of vehicles on these roads has meant journey times are longer and congestion is worse, critics argue.

Resident Jon Aldenton said his journeys are longer and more complicated now, meaning his car ultimately uses more fuel per journey. He said: “Traffic has been queueing down Powerscroft Road, there have been [approximately] half-mile queues to get out of Median Road onto Lower Clapton Road and then solid traffic going south.”

And it’s not just the congestion which has worried Aldenton. “The businesses are up in arms, because they just lost loads of passing trade,” he added.

“This is half-thought through. The city's survived because [it’s] got economic life, right? And if you cut off bits of economic life, the city dies.”

One business owner who has felt the impact of this change is Mary Wagstaff. She has run the boutique Triangle from its premises on Chatsworth Road for 12 years and told the Citizen the changes have had a real impact on business.

“In terms of the passing trade, it's now reduced to almost zero,” she said.

“No one's going to chance encounter Chatsworth Road, because there's no through traffic anymore. [...] If you look at the road, it's completely dead. There's no one here.”

Business owner Jackie Crank has encountered similar problems. She runs the pet shop Pack and Clowder, with a branch on Chatsworth Road and Newington Green. She also runs market stalls at Broadway Market and Victoria Park, as well as one in Walthamstow.

“I've got a van, and I have to move stock around, pick things up and take gazebos to markets.

“[The LTN] has just… it's gone from what could be a 10 minute journey to a half hour journey. It's trebled every single thing, every journey in Hackney that I have to do.

“If I thought this worked [to reduce emissions], I'd be totally behind it. But to me, it's just so shortsighted. The idea of cutting off arteries just clogs up the other arteries left. It just totally doesn’t make sense.”

Crank added: “This has made it so difficult for anyone to get to Chatsworth Road. I've had a couple of delivery drivers tell me they're not coming because they can't make it onto the street, so it means we're not getting the stock that we need.”

The business owner also expressed concern over the added journey times she fears emergency vehicles now face, particularly given the road’s proximity to Homerton Hospital. “I have seen emergency vehicles behind me, not being able to get through. So I'm sure it's caused difficulty with their access as well," she told the Citizen.

Two petitions - one on the council website and one on change.org - have now been launched encouraging the council to ‘review and revise’ the changes. The latter had received more than 1,000 signatures at the time of writing.

“We acknowledge the importance of traffic management and the council's intention to enhance the community's quality of life,” the change.org petition reads. “However, these measures have not been successful in achieving their intended outcomes and have instead created chaos for both residents and businesses.

“The evidence of increased traffic jams and pollution is undeniable and needs immediate attention.”

LTNs are sections of road which are blocked off to cars - though cyclists, emergency vehicles and waste vehicles are permitted to pass through. The council began implementing them in 2020, and there are now 19 across the borough. More than 70 per cent of eligible roads in Hackney are now covered by an LTN.

This represents 50 per cent of the total area of Hackney, the highest percentage of any London borough.

Proponents say LTNs encourage people to choose more eco-friendly transport methods, such as walking and cycling, and to shop locally. But they have proven controversial, with many residents claiming that rather than opting not to drive, motorists are simply using smaller roads near the LTNs which are not equipped to handle high volumes of traffic.

A statement from Lea Bridge ward councillors said: "Lea Bridge ward councillors have long supported closing Chatsworth Road to traffic on Sundays from 10am to 4pm to allow the market to operate safely. Most residents have backed this since the market began in 2010.

"However, at the same time, the council’s StreetScene department decided to also introduce a wider traffic scheme which involved a blanket daytime closure one-way of Chatsworth Road, which has often caused heavy and unacceptable traffic congestion for residents wanting to exit the area and lengthy delays to the local bus services.

"Some disabled and elderly residents have become very distressed by the situation that has resulted. We have been deluged by emails from upset and concerned local residents and businesses.

"We support the majority of businesses and residents of the area who have supported the closure of the market area on Sundays but do not support the overall scheme in its present form, which a majority of residents taking part in the recent council consultation voted against. We hope to bring a petition to the Council from residents asking the Council to think again."

A Lea Bridge Ward forum is due to take place at 122-124 Lower Clapton Road on 22 January, where residents and business owners will have the opportunity to meet Cllr Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, and Streetscene officers.

Cllr Young said in a statement: “We’ve worked closely with local people to introduce changes designed to make the Chatsworth Road area greener, safer and more people-friendly, with better options for walking, cycling and public transport.

"Since the changes were introduced, we've been listening carefully to feedback from residents and businesses and are monitoring the impact of the scheme. Evidence from previous schemes shows that, once the changes have settled in, there is an overall reduction in traffic across the area, including boundary roads.

"But we are reviewing the monitoring data to see whether the scheme is working as intended and looking at whether any adjustments are needed to ensure that we meet our commitment to creating a better connected, thriving, liveable neighbourhood."

This article was amended on Friday, 9 January at 11.56am to include an updated quote from Cllr Sarah Young.