Kingsland Road cafe boss guilty of blocking pavement with advertising boards
This sign cost the Troyganic Cafe and Wine Bar owner upwards of £2,000 at court. Picture: TfL - Credit: Archant
Ignoring repeated demands to move advertising boards that were blocking the pavement has earned a Kingsland Road cafe owner a court bill of £2,000.
Abdullah Pisiren, licensee of Troyganic Cafe and Wine Bar, was convicted of two counts of highway obstruction at Lavender Hill Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Warning letters from Transport for London (TfL) last year had fallen on deaf ears and Pisiren also failed to pay two fines for his illegally placed furniture.
TfL launched Operation Clearway in 2015 in a push to make the streets more enjoyable for pedestrians, and officers have since removed more than 2,000 obstructions.
Pisiren was ordered to pay a fine of £440, court costs of £1,600 and a £60 victim surcharge.
He was one of two owners convicted at Lavender Hill last week. The other was Hassan Basal, who owns Eroma Cafe in Holloway Road, who had put tables and chairs outside and again ignored repeated demands to move them.
Siwan Hayward, TfL’s Head of Transport Policing, said: “We want everyone to enjoy walking and moving around our streets without having to navigate around unnecessary and annoying street clutter.
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“We are continuing to work with boroughs, businesses, disability groups and schools to help make London the most walkable city in the world.”
David Kent, an officer with Guide Dogs London, said pavements should be a “sanctuary” for blind people.
“If a visually impaired person is forced to leave the pavement to avoid an obstacle and go into the road, their safety is immediately compromised,” he said. “London’s streets are challenging enough, so this move is extremely encouraging for our clients’ safety.”
