A protected bike lane is among the measures to be installed along Green Lanes to reduce accidents and encourage cycling.

Hackney Council is utilising experimental traffic orders to install protected cycle paths on Green Lanes between the junction with Petherton Road and Woodberry Grove, refresh road markings and remove nine shared parking bay spaces between Brownswood Road and Myddleton Avenue.

The orders, which see traffic measures introduced for an 18-month trial before a consultation, are controversial for their use on low-traffic neighbourhoods in areas such as Hoxton West and London Fields.

Work on Green Lanes that started on February 1 is being completed in partnership with Islington Council and will include the removal of central islands to accommodate narrower lane widths, the introduction of waiting and loading restrictions and the suspension of parking bays.

Green Lanes will not be closed during construction, but there may be congestion until it is finished after six to eight weeks.

Hackney mayor Philip Glanville said: “The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way we all get around.

"People are walking and cycling more, spending more time in their local area and significantly reducing the amount they travel by public transport, as capacity remains much lower than before the pandemic.

"By developing this cycle lane, and the surrounding works, we are building on my previous commitment in 2016 to this project and last year’s pre-Covid consultation."

Between November 2015 and October 2018, 51 crashes resulted in injuries on Green Lanes between Newington Green and the borough boundary with Haringey.

In February last year, a council consultation on improving road safety along the stretch revealed 85 per cent of respondents supported the proposals.

Hackney Council intends to seek further funding for a second phase of works on Green Lanes, between Petherton Road and Newington Green, but says it will consult on these measures if that funding becomes available.

Cllr Rowena Champion, Islington Council’s environment and transport chief, said: "The pandemic has led to a continued decrease in public transport capacity, so it is vital that more space is created to allow people to walk and cycle to prevent a further rise in motor vehicle traffic."

She said the authority supports the Green Lanes scheme, part of which crosses into Islington, but it is primarily led by Hackney.

Comments on the scheme will be collected until September 28 at rebuildingagreenerhackney.commonplace.is or through streetscene.consultations@hackney.gov.uk.