What does Mobility for Everyone look like in practice? In this guest blog, Tyler Linton, Assistant Director of Streetscene at Hackney Council, shares how the £19 million transformation of Amhurst Road is creating a greener, safer and more accessible street for people of all ages. From new walking and cycling routes to improved public transport, green space and climate-resilient features, the project demonstrates how changing the way we design our streets can support better everyday journeys and stronger communities.
Guest blog by Tyler Linton, Assistant Director of Streetscene, Hackney Council
As part of Mode Shift Month this September, we’re celebrating projects that make it easier for people to choose how they move. Read Tyler’s blog for inspiration – then make your own Mode Shift Month pledge and help create better everyday journeys for everyone.
Transforming Amhurst Road
Hackney’s Amhurst Road is undergoing a £19 million transformation from a traffic heavy route into a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly green corridor. This ambitious regeneration project rebalances road space by replacing carriageways with a 1,000-square-metre linear park. Designed to tackle poor air quality and high collision rates, the scheme introduces eight new zebra crossings, bus priority measures, and extensive greenery.
Creating Safer, Greener Everyday Journeys
At the heart of this transformation is a focus on climate resilience and sustainable transport. There is also a link to local history as this new green corridor features expansive Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), including rain gardens and hedges, which naturally manage surface water and reduce flooding. Fascinatingly, this modern engineering mirrors the area’s psychogeography, as Amhurst Road follows the historic, culverted route of the Hackney Brook—one of London’s lost rivers that shaped the early topography of the borough, running through Hackney from its source in Islington to the River Lea near to the Olympic Park.
Car Free Day: Bringing Amhurst Road to Life
To officially celebrate the delivery of this new street layout, Amhurst Road will take centre stage for Car Free Day on Sunday, 20 September. Held within a pocket park, developed as part of the Amhurst Road Pocket project, the event is a vibrant community activation designed to promote sustainable and active travel options to local people. Attendees can enjoy free Dr Bike maintenance checks, try out bikes, and join led walks, cargo bikes, the Zero Emission Network and a number of other interesting promotions, linking to the intergenerational theme of Mode Shift Month.
A Local Project with National Significance
This local celebration carries national significance, serving as the UK’s focus event for European Mobility Week, which is celebrated nationally as Mode Shift Month. Spearheaded by Modeshift, the campaign champions active travel and sustainable transport improvements. Hackney’s Car Free Day perfectly encapsulates these goals, drawing mainstream media attention and demonstrating how local authorities can successfully implement climate adaptation measures into public spaces.
The event embraces the 2026 European Mobility Week theme: ‘Mobility for Everyone – Intergenerational Fairness’. The Amhurst Road scheme promotes this ideal by deliberately relocating road space away from motor traffic to create expansive pedestrian areas and new pocket parks, which act as vital community assets that benefit people of all ages, through mitigating poor air quality that disproportionately affects children’s health, while offering safe, accessible public spaces for older residents.
Building Climate Resilience for the Future
As mentioned the scheme also provides a significant amount of SuDS and so prepares the street for future climate challenges. By reducing traffic and improving bus priority to support public transport and create new, safe routes for cyclists, the project ensures that everyone, regardless of their age or mobility, can navigate Hackney safely and comfortably.
Inspired by Amhurst Road?
Mode Shift Month is a September-long celebration of better everyday journeys. Whether it’s walking, wheeling, cycling, using public transport or sharing a journey, everyone can make a Mode Shift.
Make your Mode Shift Month pledge and join #TeamModeshift this September.
