Save Our Safer Streets - Tower Hamlets

Great coverage of our appeal hearing here: www.standard.co.uk/news/transpo...

We're at the Court of Appeal today for our hearing! Huge thanks to all our supporters for helping us get this far - we wouldn't have made it here without you.

📣APPEAL HEARING CONFIRMED
We are appealing the result of our judicial review at the Court of Appeal, Royal Courts of Justice on Weds 26 Nov.
Please join us for a photocall at 8.30am at the pedestrian area near St Mary-Le-Strand. We'd love to see you there, DM if you're coming!

💚 Inspiring talk at Brick Lane Mosque from Dr. Rachel Bower
@livingstreets.bsky.social on the health benefits of walking & cycling - including lowering blood sugar levels.
Many said they want to cycle but several feel unsafe. This is why we need to protect our LTNs: they save lives.

🐴 Police horses calmly sharing the road with cars in the Bethnal Green LTN. This is what 'liveable streets' means - calm, safe and shared spaces where everyone can coexist. From children walking to school to mounted police patrols.

This is what we're fighting to keep.

📉 Tower Hamlets falls to 10th place in Healthy Streets Scorecard after mayor's threats to 'rip out active travel schemes.' 😞

The good news? 'No LTNs, cycle tracks or School Streets removed' 😄

Our legal challenge is working! 💪

www.healthystreetsscorecard.london/results/your...

📉 Tower Hamlets falls to 10th place in Healthy Streets Scorecard after mayor's threats to 'rip out active travel schemes.' 😞

The good news? 'No LTNs, cycle tracks or School Streets removed' 😄

Our legal challenge is working! 💪

www.healthystreetsscorecard.london/results/your...

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London reduce road traffic injuries: a controlled before-and-after analysis (2012–2024) Background Between 2015 and 2024, 113 Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) were implemented across Greater London, with 27 subsequently removed. We investigated their impacts on road traffic injuries ins...

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods in London reduce road traffic injuries: a controlled before-and-after analysis (2012–2024) injuryprevention.bmj.com/content/earl... So why does @lutfurrahman.bsky.social want to get rid of them? Does he want more injuries? @saveoursaferstreets.org

London’s low-traffic zones ‘cut deaths and injuries by more than a third’ Exclusive: Study also finds no change in number of casualties on roads just outside low-traffic neighbourhoods

🚗 BREAKING: Largest study yet shows LTNs prevent 600+ road injuries across London, including 100 deaths/serious injuries - with no displacement to main roads.

Evidence is clear: these schemes save lives.

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Save Our Safer Streets in Tower Hamlets We are a group of Tower Hamlets residents who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in Bethnal Green, Wapping, Bow and Brick Lane.

UPDATE: Our Court of Appeal hearing is set for 25-26 November 2025!

🚌 TfL are joining us as an 'interested party' in proceedings

💰 We have less than £6k left to reach our goal.

Can you help us get over the line?

www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ou...

Row over Bethnal Green LTNs rages on as appeal will be heard in court ‘Going to court is a last resort for us, after all our attempts to engage constructively with the council failed,’ campaigners say

The Evening Standard covers our appeal victory.

www.standard.co.uk/news/transpo...

The Court will examine if mayor's consultation was fair & if he can legally ignore London's transport strategy.

Please support our appeal here:
www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ou...

Save Our Safer Streets in Tower Hamlets We are a group of Tower Hamlets residents who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in Bethnal Green, Wapping, Bow and Brick Lane.

🔔 UPDATE! The Court of Appeal has granted permission for us to challenge Tower Hamlets LTN removal!

Three judges will consider if the consultation was fair & if the mayor can legally ignore London's transport strategy.

We need £20k for our appeal:
www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ou...

Claims about LTNs delaying emergency services are often made without evidence. It's important to hear directly from those responsible for emergency response, such as the London Fire Commissioner, that this isn't true.

Graphics fill of statistics on the efficiency or in efficiency of cars

A typical European car is parked 92% of the time. It spends 1/5th of its driving time looking for parking. Its 5 seats only move 1.5 people. 86% of its fuel never reaches the wheels, and most of the energy that does, moves the car, not the people.

Sound efficient?

HT @ellenmacarthurfdn.bsky.social

Save our Safer Streets Tower Hamlets - Open Collective Save Our Safer Streets is a group of Tower Hamlets residents and business owners who want safer, cleaner and greener streets in the borough

We welcome the appointment of government envoys to oversee Tower Hamlets council until 2028.

We need your help to protect our safer, healthier streets from costly and reckless decision-making.

Support our campaign here:

opencollective.com/save-our-saf...

London is Europe’s most congested city, with drivers sitting in traffic an average 101 hours last year The capital beats Paris and Dublin, in second and third place, as traffic congestion gets consistently worse

London hits record 101 hours stuck in traffic per year, costing the capital £3.85bn.

This is why we need safer streets that give people real alternatives to driving. In Bethnal Green, LTNs have helped more people walk & cycle without worsening congestion.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

5/5

remarked that the scheme had brought back some of the community feel of his youth. We will appeal against the judge's ruling because this LTN is helping us to have better lives.
Jane Harris
Save Our Safer Streets in Tower Hamlets

4/5

There hasn't been any long-term worsening of congestion on boundary roads or in emergency service response times. Local people, schools and businesses want our LTN to stay, as do GPs, the local hospital and the police. My 84-year-old neighbour, who has lived in the East End all his life,

3/5

In Tower Hamlets, the opposite of a gentrified enclave, they have been a huge success. Serious road injuries have been virtually eliminated, more people are walking and cycling and air quality is better.

2/5

accepting that the mayor does have some statutory powers to ensure that local councils implement or retain any plans already agreed: in this case, Bethnal Green's LTNs.
Every LTN is different and their benefits need to be considered case by case.

Text from the image 1/5
THE TIMES

Towering success
Sir, You report that the mayor of London "cannot stop councils from removing unpopular low-traffic neighbourhoods" ("Mayor loses court battle to keep low-traffic zones", Dec 19). In fact, the judgement was less clear-cut,

"Serious road injuries have been virtually eliminated, more people are walking & cycling and air quality is better. There hasn't been any long-term worsening of congestion on boundary roads or emergency service response times."

Read our letter in The Times on why we're appealing:

Anti-cycling stories are bad for the UK’s health, says Chris Boardman Racing champion turned active travel advocate criticises parts of the media for safety scaremongering

“At the moment we have a very consistent, non-evidence-based, negative narrative to stop any change. It is stopping people wanting to put their heads up & do difficult things. It needs people with courage to stand up & say: ‘This isn’t in the public interest.”— @chrisboardman.bsky.social. Well said.

YouTube video by Caroline Russell Mayor's response to High Court ruling on Tower Hamlets LTN decision making | Caroline Russell

I asked the Mayor at MQT for an oral update on the High Court ruling on the decision-making process over the removal of LTNs in Tower Hamlets, and the potential implications for delivery of the Mayor's Transport Strategy targets.

youtu.be/er29GcSVQss

Sad news from Bethnal Green but inspiring to see the community rally round to continue the fight. Remember, this is a procedural ruling on whether the Mayor has the power to remove NOT a ruling on the schemes themselves. The evidence mounts to show how effective LTN’s are.

Yesterday I wrote about the high court victory for Tower Hamlets mayor versus the LTN campaigners - they were protecting 3 popular LTNs where children play and older people now sit out and chat. They lost that fight to the rights of drivers. This is the reality of that context.

Save Our Safer Streets in Tower Hamlets We are a group of Tower Hamlets residents who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in Bethnal Green, Wapping, Bow and Brick Lane.

📢 Thanks to amazing supporters, we've raised £7,000 since yesterday to fund our legal appeal for safer Bethnal Green streets!

If you haven't yet donated, even small amounts make a difference
www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ou...

Tower Hamlets axing low traffic neighbourhoods is lawful, High Court rules Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman had promised to ‘abolish the failed Liveable Streets scheme’ in his 2022 re-election manifesto

The Mayor could have and still can avoid this mess by using his GLA Act 1999 powers to issue directions or directly take over powers from Tower Hamlets to stop Mayor Lutfur Rahman from taking this extreme step of removing Bethnal Green's Healthy Streets measures. www.standard.co.uk/news/london/...

Save Our Safer Streets in Tower Hamlets We are a group of Tower Hamlets residents who want to keep and improve the newly built pedestrian-friendly streets in Bethnal Green, Wapping, Bow and Brick Lane.

📢 Disappointing court news today, but the fight for safer streets continues!

With support from schools, GPs, Met Police & TfL, our legal team advises there are grounds for appeal.

Can you help us raise £30k?

www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-ou...

Excellent interview. You made some great points. Really shows the value of knowing the facts.