Tfl is consulting on eight proposals concerning junctions on Camden Road between Bayham Street and Torriano Avenue.
Although the measures are intended to reduce accidents and improve traffic management at accident hotspots without increasing congestion, there is a lot to be desired as far as cycling is concerned.
The document containing the proposal can be acquired from the TfL website at the following address
The document includes a diagram for each of the eight proposals.
I will now outline the important changes for each of the eight proposals and give my provisional comments. Many of the proposals introduce red surfaces, tactile paving, anti skid and improved street lighting. I will not mention these here.
1. Camden Road between Bayham Street and Camden Street
Provisions: No substantial changes.
Recommendations: Has anybody any suggestions?
2. Camden Road / Camden Street Junction
Provisions: They do not show any ASLs.
Recommendations: I recommend the provision of ASLs and feeder lanes on the three arms of this junction.
3. Camden Road / Royal College Street Junction
Provisions: Provide advance cycle stop lines on all approaches.
Recommendations: The ASLs are welcome. All of them should have mandatory feeder lanes. (One is not shown on Camden Road south). I find it difficult to get across the junction from the ASL on the southern part of Royal College Street into the northern part due to the immense distance and the narrow entry to the latter – has anyone any suggestion as to improvements regarding this problem (apart from riding faster:-)?
4. Camden Road / St Pancras Way Junction
Provisions:
Option 1:
Reinstate the right turn from Camden Road to St Pancras Way. Provide a pedestrian island on Camden Road at the north side of St Pancras Way
Option 2:
Provide green man pedestrian stages on three sides of the junction with traffic stopped on all sides
Recommendations: Option 1 attracts eastbound vehicles into a route to Agar Grove that doesn’t usie Rochester Square ( and hence Stratford Villas and Murray Street and generally create annoying traffic on our Route 6). Therefore I would support this option.
5. Camden Road / Rochester Road / Rochester Square Junctions
Provisions: Some have been provided recently, so no new measures.
Recommendations: LCN+ Route 6 runs along the SE side of Camden Square, across Murray Street and into Stratford Villas. We therefore object strongly to the existing right turn into Rochester Square. In addition, this turn is a hazard to cyclists riding down the southbound side of Camden road in the bus lane as the turning vehicles frequently misjudge the speed of cyclists who have priority here. Note that if Option 1 (of 4) is chosen, then this turn will not be required.
6. Camden Road / Murray Street Junction
Provisions: (notes high number of cycle accidents)
Provide a pedestrian island opposite No. 164 Camden Road.
Provide improved road markings, including a right turn lane to Murray Street.
Reduce the width of the entrance to Murray Street from Camden Road to allow only one traffic lane in each direction and raise the carriageway to pavement level.
Ban right turns out of Murray Street.
Recommendations: Cyclists accessing LCN+ Route 6 from the north and north east use Murray Street. It is already difficult to turn into Murray Street from the southbound bus lane in Camden Road because of the high speed of taxis and buses behind. Cyclists therefore need help in making this turn without slowing down a lot. Although we support the narrowing of the entry to Murray Street, the build out on the NE side of the junction will make this manoeuvre even more difficult than before – we therefore object to it. Cyclists proceeding along Camden Road in the bus lane, again riding fast, are in danger from vehicles turning right into Murray Street (this is presumably the source of the cycle accidents reported at this junction). We therefore suggest that a green cycle ghost lane be marked across this junction.
7. Camden Road / Sandall Road Junction
Provisions:
Stop all vehicles turning right into or out of Sandall Road and the two petrol filling stations by building a central reservation with railings. The existing pelican crossing would be kept. Notes high number of cycle accidents.
Recommendations: Many cyclists coming from further north use Bartholomew Road and Sandall Road in order to access LCN+ Route 6 via Murray Street. The nearest convenient crossing of Camden Road for cyclists further north east is at Middleton Grove (beyond Brecknock Road)
We feel that it is absolutely essential that cyclists should be able to make the equivalent of a right turn at this junction. We suggest that the existing pelican crossing be converted to a Toucan and cyclists provided with access to it, possibly moving it nearer to the junction.
8. Camden Road / Camden Park Road Junction
Provisions:
Allow left turn from Camden Park Road into Camden Road. (to reduce number of vehicles using Murray Street).
Provide pedestrian signals across all sides of the junction and introduce an all round green-man pedestrian stage.
Provide advance cycle stop lines. Provide “ghost” cycle lane green surface across Camden Road to warn traffic turning left from Camden Park Road of cyclists.
Remove parking bays on west of Camden Park Road between Camden Mews and Camden Road. This would make space for queuing traffic and help buses and cyclists approaching the junction.
Recommendations:
- We are pleased to see the ASLs but the feeder lanes must be mandatory.
- We require a marked cycle lane in Torriano Avenue to enable cyclists to join the existing lane further up
- We approve the removal of parking bays in Camden Park Road to make room for cyclists
-We strongly object to the left turn into Camden Road. The presence of three lanes, which this necessitates does not leave room for an adequate cycle lane. In addition cyclists crossing to Torriano Avenue will have difficulty in the interaction with left turning vehicles.
- The entrance to Torriano Avenue is not wide enough for two lanes of vehicles and a cycle lane. Cyclists must be allowed to use this road safely. We therefore ask for the reduction to a single lane of vehicles and an adequately wide mandatory cycle lane for passing the build out on the NE side of the road.
CCC’s Response
Camden Road runs parallel and close to LCN+ Route 6, which links the Royal College segregated cycle track to Hollway and Tufnell Park via Georgiana Street, St Pancras Way, Agar Grove, Stratord Villas across Murray Street along the side of Camden Square into North Villas and Cliff Road. This means that many cyclists will be crossing Camden Road or using short sections of it in order to access and leave Route 6. This requires very careful design of all of the junctions on this section of Camden Road to cater for cyclists movements.
1. Camden Road between Bayham Street and Camden Street
CCC (Camden Cycling campaign) has no comments on this section
2. Camden Road / Camden Street Junction
CCC recommends that ASLs and feeder lanes with coloured surfaces should be provided on the three arms of this junction. The feeder lanes should be 1.5 m wide and as long as the expected queue at each junction.
Regarding the north side of the junction in Camden Street: the feeder lane can either replace the infrequently used left turning lane, or failing this, be placed to the right of the left lane.
3. Camden Road / Royal College Street Junction
CCC welcomes the introduction of the ASLs at this junction, which is regularly used by cyclists heading away from the Royal College Street cycle track. However, we stress that all of them should have mandatory feeder lanes. (A feeder lane is not shown on Camden Road south). As above, the feeder lanes should be 1.5 m wide and as long as the expected queue at each junction.
It is difficult for cyclists to get across the junction from the ASL on the southern part of Royal College Street into the northern part due to the immense distance and the narrow entry to the latter. The least that can be done is to provide a green ghost lane across the junction together with a 1.5 m wide mandatory cycle lane past the entry to the north part of Royal College Street whose narrow entrance is a severe pinch point for cyclists. Even better would be a cycle gap through the build out on the western side of the road.
Finally, we would like to have an improvement in the lighting under the bridge.
4. Camden Road / St Pancras Way Junction
CCC supports Option 1 because it will attract eastbound vehicles into a route to Agar Grove that doesn’t use Rochester Square (and hence Stratford Villas and Murray Street and generally create annoying traffic on LCN+ Route 6).
In either case, CCC recommends the introduction of an ASL and feeder lane on Camden Road on both sides of the junction.
5. Camden Road / Rochester Road / Rochester Square Junctions
As mentioned above, LCN+ Route 6 runs along the SE side of Camden Square, across Murray Street and into Stratford Villas. We therefore object strongly to the existing right turn into Rochester Square. In addition, this turn is a hazard to cyclists riding down the southbound side of Camden road in the bus lane, as the turning vehicles frequently misjudge the speed of cyclists who have priority here. Note that if Option 1 (of junction 4) is chosen, then this turn will not be required.
6. Camden Road / Murray Street Junction
Cyclists accessing LCN+ Route 6 from the north and north east use Murray Street. It is already difficult to turn into Murray Street from the southbound bus lane in Camden Road because of the high speed of taxis and buses behind. Cyclists therefore need help in making this turn without slowing down a lot. Although we support the narrowing of the entry to Murray Street, the build out on the NE side of the junction will make this manoeuvre even more difficult than before – we therefore object to it.
Cyclists proceeding along Camden Road in the bus lane, again riding fast, are in danger from vehicles turning right into Murray Street (this is presumably the source of the cycle accidents reported at this junction). We therefore suggest that a green cycle ghost lane be marked across this junction.
7. Camden Road / Sandall Road Junction
CCC would like to know the details of the particular manoeuvres involved in the high number of cycle accidents.
Many cyclists coming from further north use Bartholomew Road and Sandall Road in order to access LCN+ Route 6 via Murray Street. The nearest convenient crossing of Camden Road for cyclists further north east is at Middleton Grove (beyond Brecknock Road). In addition cyclists attending Camden School in Sandall road need to cross Camden Road at this point.
We feel that it is absolutely essential that cyclists should be able to make the equivalent of a right turn at this junction. The minimum that could be done would be to provide a cycle gap and road markings through the proposed railings in the centre of Camden Road.
Ideally, there should be traffic signal control to allow cyclists to make this crossing, either by converting the existing pelican crossing to a Toucan, or independently.
8. Camden Road / Camden Park Road Junction
CCC is pleased to see that ASLs have been introduced. However the feeder lanes must be mandatory.
The entrance to Torriano Avenue is not wide enough for two lanes of vehicles and a cycle lane. Cyclists must be allowed to use this road safely. We therefore ask for the reduction to a single lane of vehicles and an adequately wide (at least 1.5 m) mandatory cycle lane for passing the build out on the NE side of the road.
Failing this change, the minimum that we require is a marked 1.5 m mandatory cycle lane in Torriano Avenue to enable cyclists to join the existing lane further up.
We approve the removal of parking bays in Camden Park Road to make room for cyclists.
We strongly object to the left turn into Camden Road. The presence of three lanes, which this necessitates does not leave room for an adequate cycle lane. In addition cyclists crossing to Torriano Avenue will have difficulty in the interaction with left turning vehicles.
