COUNCIL TEXT
As part of Camden’s policy to reduce accidents involving personal injury and to provide a safer walking environment, the Council is starting a programme of measures to reduce the number and severity of accidents within the borough.
Bedford Way is one of a number of locations in the borough identified for improving pedestrian safety based on its accident record in the last three years.
Bedford Way is a wide road and has car parking spaces on both sides. During the last three years there have been a total of six minor road accidents within the vicinity of the Royal National Hotel and University of London. Four of the accidents involved pedestrians, and two involved motorcyclists. The main reason for the four accidents involving pedestrian, was they crossed the road without taking notice of the on coming traffic, indicating a need for a crossing facility. The width of the road makes a longer crossing time for pedestrians and parked vehicles on both sides obscure the view of approaching cars.
Therefore, the Council is proposing to introduce a new pedestrian crossing facility within the vicinity of the Royal National Hotel and University of London. The crossing facility consists of:
- Kerb build out to reduce the width of the road and therefore reduce pedestrian crossing time and avoid parked vehicles blocking the view of approaching traffic
- Pedestrian Refuge Island in the middle of the road, to increase safety while pedestrians cross the road
A pay and display parking space equivalent to one car length would be lost as a result of this proposal.
The attached drawing shows the location and layout of the proposed pedestrian crossing facilities. Please note that the attached drawing is a diagrammatic representation of the proposals and could therefore be subject to changes following public consultation and changes in design detailed.
The Council would be pleased to hear your views on the proposed measures and details on how to respond to this consultation are given on the back page of this letter.
CCC’s response
Camden Cycling Campaign supports this proposal, as it will clearly be of great benefit to pedestrians.
Although Bedford Way is shown as blue route on the cycle map, it is a wide straight road with parking bays on both sides. Therefore, it is unlikely that the kerb build outs and pedestrian refuge at the proposed crossing will become a potential pinch point for cyclists.
Question:
Do you agree with the proposal in the attached drawing? YES
