Junction Liberal Democrats

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Stefan Kasprzyk went out at Archway at 8:00 in the morning with Islington Council officers, the Junction Safer Neighbourhood Team, and Met Police officers, to raise key road safety issues to all road users on Junction Road.

On this very cold, windy, wet day, Police and Islington Officers engaged with pedestrians and spoke to motorists, and handed out literature including information about the 20 MPH zones and the highway code.

It was a dreary, cold morning. Just the sort of day when people are preoccupied with getting to work and not really paying attention to what is going around about them. Council officers and the police were able to highlight the need to be aware of your surroundings. Pedestrians too are “road users” and need to pay attention to the traffic - so talking on a cellphone whilst crossing the road is a bad idea.

Local Liberal Democrats successfully campaigned in 2009 to obtain government funding for an Archway Low Carbon Zone - one of just 10 such areas in London.  

Visitors to Archway have an extra reason to celebrate the start of the New Year as a free parking scheme begins in the town centre. Stays of up to two hours in 513 local pay-and-display bays on Saturdays are now free as part of a new pilot project from Islington Council.

Shoppers and shops alike are expected to benefit from the free parking, which is due to run until the end of May and is part of the council’s measures to combat the effects of recession. It comes after the council ran a similar free parking scheme across Islington on Saturdays during the run-up to Christmas.

Cllr Terry Stacy, Leader of Islington Council, said: “We know these are difficult times and we want to help.

“Traders in Archway have suffered from the downturn - we’ve listened to their concerns and brought in this free parking scheme. We hope it will give businesses a helping hand and give shoppers an extra bit of New Year cheer.

Hak Huseyin, chairman of the Archway Town Centre Management Group, said: “The town centre management group is delighted with Islington Council’s decision to run a Saturday free parking pilot on Archway, as we’ve been campaigning for this for nearly two years. It’s been a really tough year for us as the recession bites and this is a great way for traders to start the new decade.”

The scheme started on Saturday (Jan 2) and will run until the last Saturday in May 2010. It will then be reviewed for its impact on local businesses and parking. It will apply in Pay and Display parking bays in Archway’s Controlled Parking Zone P, which includes bays in Junction Road, Magdala Avenue, Dartmouth Hill Park, St John’s Grove and some bays in side streets.

The Passivhaus standard has been used for the last twenty years in Europe, particularly in Germany, to create buildings that are so energy efficient that they don’t need central heating or air conditioning.Passivhaus is not just about new build - it can be used to scope retrofit work as well (which is important because more than 80% of our buildings will still be standing in 2050). It applies to both residential and commercial buildings.To raise awareness about Passivhaus, Islington and Camden Councils are holding a free conference at Camden Town Hall on 3rd February 2010 including visits to Passivhaus sites in both boroughs.

Islington’s Liberal Democrat councillors called an emergency debate on the future of Accident and Emergency services at the Whittington Hospital. Stefan and Ursula both spoke out against cuts to our local hospital.

Local resident and Junction Lib Dem website editor Arthur Graves wanted to find out what happens to our recycling.  So he recently visited the Bywaters Recycling and Recovery Centre in Bromley-by-Bow where the recyclable waste from Islington and 6 other London boroughs is processed. 

“I was highly impressed at the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations which separate everything into a large number of categories to allow effective re-use of household waste” says Arthur (pictured).

97% of everything that enters this facility is recycled in the UK with the remaining 3% recycled in the Netherlands.

The Lib Dem led council has recently increased the range of items which can be recycled which will dramatically reduce our impact on the environment.  In the ten years since the Lib Dems took control of Islington Council, the level of waste recycled has increased more than tenfold (from 3% to over 35%) and Islington Council is continuously looking for ways to improve this.

Local resident and Lib Dem Activist Arthur Graves was recently shortlisted as a finalist in the category of Best Environmental Household in the Archant London Environmental Awards for 2009.

The awards aim to recognise people who had taken the environmental message that step further, and from whom, good environmental practices could be shared.

Arthur commented “Given that 90% of London’s housing stock is Victorian and thus almost impossible to cheaply insulate, I and my family have been looking for other ways in which we can proactively reduce our carbon footprint.”

“For example, we recycle all our bath water into the garden; we compost all food and garden waste; we grow a large range of fruit and vegetables both in our own garden and in a neighbours unused front garden; we use car clubs and public transport rather than owning a car; and we recycle religiously including putting unwanted household items on our front wall for other people to use rather than throwing them away.”

“I think it’s important that Awards such as these recognise families such as mine, and there are many others out there, who are doing as much as they can realistically do to reduce carbon use.”

As the environmentally-friendly LED Christmas lights were switched on at Archway on the 27th of November, a new steering group met to start the process of turning Archway into one of London’s showcase low-carbon communities.  Liberal Democrat campaigners from Archway are calling on local residents to kick it off by having a low-carbon Christmas.

Shoppers and businesses in the Archway area are all set to benefit from a new free parking scheme starting in January.As part of its package of help for residents and businesses struggling through the recession, Liberal Democrat-run Islington has agreed to trial free parking for up to two hours in pay and display bays around the local shopping area from January to May 2010.  The scheme will then be reviewed to judge its impact.The move follows the Liberal Democrat council’s decision to bring in free parking for up to two hours throughout December in all the borough’s pay and display parking bays.  The council has also funded a special Time Out guide to Islington and a ‘Shop Local’ campaign.

Islington’s Lib Dem Council has installed 350 new cycle racks in the last year – putting Islington streets ahead of other London Boroughs in providing safe places for people to lock their bikes. New bikes stands have been put in on Bickerton Road, Elthorne Road, Highgate Hill, Junction Road, Rupert Road, Tufnell Park Road, and in Whittington Park.

In August 2007 there were 420 racks in Islington. By August 2008 the council had doubled that number to 880. Today there are over 1230 cycle racks on roads all around Islington – more than double the number than in neighbouring Labour-run Hackney.

A June 2009 report by the London Assembly found that 45% of people would cycle more if there was better cycle parking. Research conducted by TfL showed that the availability of cycle parking and the security of parked bikes remain the two biggest cycling-related concerns.

Councillor Greg Foxsmith, Islington’s Liberal Democrat councillor responsible for transport and the environment, said:

“I cycle, and would recommend it as a great way to get around Islington. The Liberal Democrats want to support people to take up cycling, and people need to know that they have somewhere secure to park their bike when they visit the shops, the doctor, church, or while they’re at work.

“That’s why this Liberal Democrat council has tripled the number of cycle racks on our streets in the last two years. We’re committed to making Islington one of the most cycle-friendly boroughs in London.”