Residents and elected members in Islington have expressed surprise and frustration after learning the total bill for a street-safety project on Thorpedale Road, Finsbury Park ran to six figures.
What was delivered and how much it cost
Information obtained through a Freedom of Information request and reported at a recent council meeting suggested the pedestrian crossing itself had cost around £100,000. The council has confirmed the overall street-safety scheme cost £131,000, saying the sum covered additional works beyond the crossing.
| Figure | Description |
|---|---|
| £100,000 | FOI figure cited for the pedestrian crossing (reported) |
| £131,000 | Council-confirmed total for the Thorpedale Road street-safety project |
Works included in the scheme
- Widening of pavements
- Drainage improvements
- Installation of a raised crossing and Belisha beacons
- Upgraded street lighting
- High-friction surfacing on the approach to the crossing
The council’s Executive Member for Climate, Environment and Transport confirmed these elements and said the project “delivered much more” than a simple zebra crossing.
“We widened pavements, carried out drainage improvements, installed a raised crossing to help reduce vehicle speeds, upgraded street lighting and Belisha beacons, and added high-friction surfacing on the approach to the crossing,” said Cllr Rowena Champion.
Councillors and residents react
Green Group councillor Jonathan Ward told colleagues and reporters people were “absolutely gobsmacked” at the initial figure, saying the street is not a busy road and questioning whether the spending was proportionate. The council’s finance lead, Cllr Paul Convery (Labour), said he was surprised too and suggested there might be additional, hidden costs in the total.
At the centre of the debate is a familiar local tension: the need to make streets safer, particularly where children walk to school, versus scrutiny of public spending at a time of tight budgets. Some councillors have pointed out that similar pedestrian crossings in other parts of Islington cost substantially less — figures cited at the meeting suggested typical schemes had been in the region of £15,000.
What this means for Islington
For residents, the immediate effect is a newly improved crossing and other safety measures on Thorpedale Road. For councillors and the council’s finance team, the episode is likely to prompt closer examination of how street-safety projects are costed, packaged and communicated. Questions raised at the meeting focused on:
- Whether smaller, cheaper interventions could achieve similar safety benefits in quieter streets
- How the council aggregates costs across a project and presents them publicly
- The potential for standardised pricing or clearer breakdowns to avoid future disputes
The council has defended the approach taken on Thorpedale Road as delivering multiple safety improvements in one package. Opponents argue the council needs to show more imagination and value for money when rolling out similar schemes across the borough.
As scrutiny continues, residents and ward councillors will be watching for a detailed breakdown of costs and for any changes to how future street-safety work is planned and reported in Islington.
