RESIDENTS of a major city say their high street is turning into a ghost town as shoppers disappear – but claim there's a simple solution.
The people of Stoke Newington, North London, argue that the local council's new environmental measures are strangling local businesses.
They are furious of the introduction of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in September last year, which was then made permanent in March.
Under the plan, a camera-monitored bus gate means that only buses, cyclists, pedestrians and emergency vehicles are allowed through the high street between 7am and 7pm, with fines enforced to deter drivers.
These restrictions also operate 24 hours a day on some surrounding roads.
Cafe owner Fatosh Tuloglu, 43, told MyLondon that her income had been "cut in half" after the new rules were introduced.
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She said: "This is going to be hard, there’s actually less people passing through as normal.
"Delivery companies are also finding it hard to come here, and during the first couple of weeks they had penalties.
"The seven until seven time limit is just cut into the middle of the road, and there are less people passing though.
"Before, sometimes when cars were passing through here, they stopped, bought something and carried it on their way. But, now look at this."
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She added that despite the idea of the LTN being to reduce traffic, she's "never seen" as many jams as she does now despite living in London for 20 years.
Huseyin Kaplan, 60, who also owns a cafe, agreed that the rules were harming business, especially amid the energy crisis.
He fumed: "We’re not happy about it now and for the future. This is a family business, me and my wife sometimes and my son. We can’t afford it.
"We’re paying double for electric and gas, and it’s killing us. Many customers were passing and stopping to buy a sandwich, now no one is coming in. It’s also not affecting pollution.
"We’ve been here for 18 years in this shop, and now we’re thinking of selling it. We can’t do it anymore, and in the future many small businesses are going to close down."
These concerns were echoed by Luzviminda George, 52, who co-owns an electrical shop with her husband.
She called the LTN "rubbish" and claimed that people are having to walk or cycle a much longer route to get to and from the shop, sometimes carrying TVs or other large goods.
Luzviminda said: "By seven in the evening, the shop is already closed. How can they bring something here to fix it?
"And with the air pollution, in Finsbury Park and Green Lanes, there is traffic there for hours and hours. It’s a ghost town in this area now."
Other local business owners spoke of shops closing down and customers being put off by fines in the early days of the scheme.
The area's fish and chip shop and green grocer's were forced to close as a "direct consequence" of the LTN, while other have had their customer based slashed in half, according to music shop owner Tom Neitzert.
However, Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville has heralded the project, claiming in a tweet that footfall has increased by 18% and that card transactions have tripled.
Councillor Mete Coban MBE, the Hackney Council cabinet member for climate change, environment and transport, also defended the scheme.
He said: "Stoke Newington Low Traffic Neighbourhood is helping to reduce traffic, promote walking and cycling and was widely supported by local residents in consultation.
"Footfall is up by 16% since it was introduced, cycling is up by 38% and 58% of people from the local area supported its introduction.
"Hackney is an importer of traffic, with 40% of vehicle journeys neither starting or ending in the borough, and we know that road transport is a significant contributor to air pollution and climate change.
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"That’s why we have a vision for a low-traffic Hackney, where transformed streets help to create a greener, healthier Hackney for all of our residents.
"In Stoke Newington, we have also widened pavements and introduced pocket parks – where on-street parking spaces are turned into green seating areas – to help make the area more attractive to shoppers and visitors."
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