Members of the Shoreditch Community Association (SCA) hijacked the agenda at the Hoxton East and Shoreditch ward forum on Wednesday to protest the recent pedestrianisation of one of the area’s most popular clubbing strips, Rivington Street.
Moments after the opening of the ward meeting, intended for the discussion of youth-related issues, Rachel Munro-Peebles, co-chair of the SCA, interrupted proceedings and accused councillors of ignoring the association’s concerns.
“At the moment we’ve got endless residents who are suffering and we are not getting responses from our local councillors,” said Ms Munro-Peebles.
Another SCA member added: “My understanding is that you are elected representatives and you are there to ensure that what the community wants is protected. So if you don’t even have the courtesy of replying to emails that are addressed to you then I don’t really understand how this democracy works.”
Councillor Feryal Demirci responded: “I think it’s totally unfair to make it seem like I haven’t met with (the SCA).”
The SCA previously predicted that the proposed changes to the street were going to cause a “massive net negative impact” and described the road as “an already overwhelmed party street turned into nothing more than a drinking mall”.
Around 40,000 revellers descend on Shoreditch each weekend, according to Hoxton East councillors.
Plans to introduce a Pedestrian Zone were announced in April and the council marked out the junction of Rivington Street and Shoreditch High Street. The road will remain traffic-free until at least June 2015. Delivery vans, taxis and cyclists are still able to use the road.
Ms Demirci, also cabinet member for environment, said: “The council has a duty to try and tackle the accidents that are happening on that street…and the only way we can do that is to stop cars from coming in.”
Dave Price, 24, a Rivington Street resident, explained how dangerous it can be for pedestrians on the junction. “Loads of people roar up and pull into Rivington Street so fast that you don’t always see them coming when you’re crossing”.
“It’s a Catch 22,” Ms Demirci said. “On the one hand you have residents saying ‘close the road’ and on the other you’ve got residents saying ‘five or seven accidents aren’t enough to warrant change.’”
