Hackney Council wants to add or upgrade 17 pedestrian crossings along New North Road and East Road in Hoxton, including eight side-road zebra crossings that it says would be the first of their kind in the borough. A public consultation is open until Sunday 6 December.

The plans cover the stretch between Poole Street and City Road. They include two new raised zebra crossings, upgrades to existing crossings and new raised crossing points without signals, along with new paving, trees, rain gardens and better lighting.

Why the council wants to change the road

The council says it has had complaints from residents about speeding and a lack of safe places to cross. Traffic surveys in July 2025 counted about 15,000 vehicles a day on the corridor, 7,000 heading north and 8,000 south, and found most drivers travelling at 22.2mph in a 20mph limit.

There were 38 collisions and 38 casualties between May 2021 and April 2026, according to the consultation page. Half of the collisions involved pedestrians, cyclists or other vulnerable road users.

“Residents have told us that traffic and a lack of safe places to cross are making parts of this road harder to walk around,” said Cllr Jacob Cable, Hackney’s cabinet member for climate, clean air, energy and transport. “So these proposals for 17 new or improved crossings are a major step forward in our plans to make Hackney the safest, most walkable borough in London.”

Where the crossings would go

New raised zebra crossings outside Parr Court on New North Road and outside The Spectrum building on East Road
Raised crossing points without signals or zebra markings outside Nevitt House on New North Road, at 81-83 East Road and outside Truscott House on East Road
Zebra markings across side roads, with raised entry treatments on side roads that do not already have them
A raised junction at Nile Street and Allerton Street, where the road is brought up to pavement level
Speed tables at intervals along both roads

Side-road zebras, according to the council, use the normal black-and-white stripes and give-way lines but have no zig-zag markings or Belisha beacons. The council’s example of one is in Westminster.

The plans would also turn the slip road between Vestry Street and Nile Street into a cycle-only route with extra green space, repave the east side of East Road between Bevenden Street and Chart Street, and add a loading bay outside Marten House on East Road. The council says no parking spaces would be lost. The announcement does not give a cost.

How to have a say

The survey is on the council’s consultation website. Paper copies are available at Shoreditch Library, with a Freepost envelope. The council will hold drop-in sessions at St Johns Community Hall on New North Road from 3pm to 7pm on Wednesday 18 November and from 11am to 4pm on Wednesday 25 November.

Subject to the consultation and the statutory process, the council aims to start the work in phases from March 2027. The scheme is part of its plan to end road deaths and serious injuries in Hackney by 2041.

The essentials

What: 17 new or upgraded pedestrian crossings, plus paving, trees, rain gardens and lighting
Where: New North Road and East Road, between Poole Street and City Road, Hoxton, N1
Consultation: open until Sunday 6 December 2026
Drop-ins: St Johns Community Hall, New North Road, N1 6TL, Wednesday 18 November, 3pm to 7pm, and Wednesday 25 November, 11am to 4pm
Work: in phases from March 2027, if approved