Although the weather forecast was initially poor, the rain clouds disappeared as we got under way, leaving us to enjoy a bright and cheerful 2-mile round route.
Having all met up outside the café in Finsbury Park, we set off in the direction of Oakfield Road, where the gentle hill there was a challenge relished by the smallest riders among us – well done, kids!
As we took in the sights of Stapleton Hall Road, Lancaster Road, Upper Tollington Park, Florence Road, Stroud Green Road itself and more, it was a joy to see bus drivers and other motorists waving happily back to us as we passed, ringing our bells with the wish for safer cycling infrastructure for everyone.
We arrived back in Finsbury Park to bring the ride to an end and did a victory loop on the empty tennis courts, led inevitably by the courageous pace-setters in our group… the kids!
Why did we do this community ride?
There are two traffic flows in Stroud Green: one East/West towards Islington/Camden and the other towards Muswell Hill/Crouch End.
As Stroud Green is in the middle of the borough, we suffer a lot from traffic heading to those two areas. For example, Upper Tollington Park has something in the region of 13,000 motor vehicles passing along it on a daily basis. Whilst less busy roads such as Lancaster Road see some 4,000 motor vehicles per day.
It’s for these reasons that we are calling for safer and better cycling infrastructure in and around Stroud Green.
If you’re a Stroud Green resident and feel strongly about making streets healthier, you can join Healthy Stroud Green.
