Kentish Town Town Centre Project
The details of a new consultation are now on the Camden Council website.
Click here to see the consultation leaflet
The council propose the following measures:
- many new locations for cycle stands
- improvements around the canopy area by the station
- improvements at junction with Leighton and Regis Road
- changes at junction with Prince of Wales Road
- changes at junction with Royal College Street and Castle Road
- cycle access in both directions at southern end of Bartholomew Road
- pedestrian link between Regis Road and Arctic Street
CCC’s response
Seating, Cycle Stands and Motorcycle Bays
Q1
a) public seating? Yes.
b) pedal cycle stands? Yes
c) secure motorcycle bays? No opinion
Comments
The plan to put cycle stands on the west side of Kentish Town Road is welcome as are the new locations on the east side.
The Canopy Area (and around the junction)
Q2. Do you agree with the proposed changes to the area around the Junction of Kentish Town Road and Leighton Road, including the plans for the canopy area as described on pages 5 and 6 of the booklet.
Yes – see comments.
Comments
The widening of the footway to the north of Leighton Road is useful. But please make sure that cyclists will not be entering a pinch point at the junction.
The new position for the cycle stands is acceptable, but please ensure that sufficient space is left on both sides: 1200mm between stands and adequate space between the stand and phone box.
Q3.Would you prefer a new pedestrian bridge for nighttime access to the overground platforms or improved lighting and CCTV around the existing Frideswide Place entrance and exit (as described on page 5 of the booklet?
Prefer New Bridge
Comments
It would be useful if the bridge could be open 24 hours for cyclists who currently have to force their way through the station and up and down stairs but presumably they want people to go through the ticket barriers during the day.
Traffic Signals Work
Q4. Do you agree with the proposed changes to the junction of Prince of Wales Road and Kentish Town Road, as described on page 7 and 8 of the booklet?
Yes – see comment
Comments
We’re pleased to se the introduction of the ASLs and feeder lanes at all branches of this junction and the introduction of a pedestrian phase on Prince of Wales Road is welcome. We have the following suggestions for further improvements:
The feeder lane on Prince of Wales Road should extend across Grafton Yard as far as the Bus Stop. The feeder lanes on Kentish Town Road southbound need to be longer, so as to allow cyclists to get past the longest expected queue as far as the ASL box.
We appreciate the improvements in Kentish Town Road where the existing three vehicle lanes will be replaced by two vehicle lanes and two cycle feeder lanes.
However we are unhappy about the potential conflict between northbound cyclists going straight ahead on Kentish Town Road and other vehicles turning left into Prince of Wales Road. This will arise when cyclists move from the bus lane into the straight ahead lane. The presence of the central feeder lane is an improvement on the current situation. Please would you consider what further improvements could be done to alleviate this problem.
Q5. Do you agree with the proposed signalled pedestrian crossing over Kentish Town Road, just north of Kelly Street, as described on page 8 of the booklet?
Yes
Q6. Do you agree with the proposed changes to the junction of Kentish Town Road with Royal College Street and Castle Road as described on page 9 of the booklet?
Yes – see comments.
Comments
We are very pleased with the design shown on page 9.The change to the geometry of the junction of Kentish Town Road with Royal College Street should be very beneficial in slowing the left turning traffic; and the other pavement build outs in Castle Road and Royal College Street are also welcome, as is the reduction of the latter to a single lane northbound with a good cycle lane leading to the ASL box.
We note that you have granted our request to realign the rear part of the ASL on Royal College Street to give cyclists more headway.
However we need to emphasise two points that we have already discussed with Brian Deagan (LCN+)
- the left lane northbound on Kentish Town Road should not be a left-turn only lane. It should be straight on and left; we have also discussed this with Dave Stewart who agrees with us.
- the feeder lane should start from the bus lane on the northbound approach.
Healey Street Pocket Square
Q7. Do you agree with the proposals for creating a pocket square at the end of Healey Street as described on page 10 of the booklet?
Yes – see comment.
Comment
The principle of maximum permeability for cyclists requires that this road closure should have a cycle gap, preferably in the middle of the road closure.
Rochester Road Pocket Square
Q8. Do you agree with the proposals for creating a pocket square at the end of Rochester Road as described on page 11 of the booklet?
Yes – see comment.
Comment
This road closure should have a cycle gap, preferably in the middle of the road closure.
Bartholomew Road – Cycle access and raised table
Q9. Do you agree with the proposed raised table at the entrance to Bartholomew Road from Kentish Town Road as described on page 12 of the booklet?
Yes
Q10. Do you agree with the proposed changes to no entry restriction on Bartholomew Road to allow cyclists through as described on page 12 of the booklet?
Yes – see comment.
Comment
This is very welcome. We have been asking for this exception for several years and could not understand why it was not implemented when the gate was put in.
Pay-and-display and the bus lane on Kentish Town Road between Farrier Street and Castle Road
Q11. Do you agree with the proposed changes to the operating hours of the bus lane and the new pay-and-display bays on Kentish Town Road as described on page 13 of the booklet
No. – see comment.
Comment
The bus lane provides a safe passage for cyclists riding up this stretch of Kentish Town Road. Nothing should be done to reduce the safety on what is to become an LCN+ Route when all possible safety measures have been put in place.
Q12. Do you agree with the proposed new pay-and-display bays on Royal College Street as described on page 13 of the booklet?
No opinion
Q13. Do you agree with the proposed change of parking bays on Hammond Street to shared use pay-and-display and permit holders as described on page 13 of the booklet?
No opinion
Camden Gardens
Q14. Do you agree with the proposed change to the area around Camden Gardens as described on page 14 of the booklet?
Yes – see comment.
Comment
It’s a good thing to put this area back into use and to widen the footway in Camden Street.
Farrier Street Pocket Square
Q15. Do you agree with the proposals for creating a pocket square at the end of Farrier Street as described on page 15 of the booklet?
It’s currently possible to get through here by bike. Please make sure that the design of the pocket square continues to provide cycle access.
Regis Road and Arctic Street Pedestrian Link
Q16. Do you think that having a pedestrian link between Regis Road and Artic Street, which is open for the public to use, is a good idea?
Yes – see comments.
Comment
A pedestrian link is clearly a good thing. However CCC has been campaigning for years for this to be a pedestrian and cycle link. We said the following in our response in April:
This (Regis Road/Arctic Street) link is very important for cyclists. Those that come from Leighton Road currently access Grafton Road via Holmes Road – requiring a hazardous right turn. A straight over crossing from Leighton Road into Regis Road would be much safer. It is very unfortunate that the council missed the opportunity to gain access from Regis Road into Holmes Road when the corner site at 54-74 Holmes Road was redeveloped.
We still believe that it would be even better if we could get a route between Regis Road and Holmes Road (through the parking area used by Hexagon cars) so cyclists can get on to the quiet N-S route without a major detour.
Any other comments
We strongly support the Town Centre approach in which a holistic approach is applied to a large area, considering the needs of all users rather than the piecemeal approach in which certain users are catered for. We hope that LB Camden will be successful in getting sufficient funding to carry out all of the Town Centre Projects in its LIP.
The CRISP report on Link 27 was published recently. It recommends that at first an alternative western route (Grafton Road and Castlehaven Road) will be signed as the Kentish Town bypass. Kentish Town Road will later be signed as the main route only when the recommended improvements have been carried out. For this reason, all efforts must be made to improve safety for cyclists on Kentish Town Road. We object to the following:
- Reducing bus lane hours on Kentish Town Road (see answer to Q 11).
- The retention of a left turn only lane at the junction of Castle Road.(see answer to Q6)
- Prince of Wales Road junction problem with left turn lane. (see answer to Q4)
- some details of junction improvements (e.g. inadequate feeder lanes)
- Islip Street/Holmes Road improvements have disappeared from the scheme:
In April we commented as follows: we very much appreciate the proposal to install new refuges to protect right turning cyclists. This manoeuvre is hazardous in both directions – cyclists in the central lane are squeezed between the two lanes of vehicles approaching from behind and from in front.
What has happened to this part of the project?
- The three roads on the east of Kentish Town Road between Islip Street and Bartholomew Road are impermeable to cyclists. We have in the past asked for cycle gaps. Please reconsider this situation so as to allow cyclists to get off the main road between these points.
In addition, the creation of the new pocket squares is an opportunity to create cycle gaps through these closures, which should not have been built without allowing cycle access.
*Project Monitoring Information8
Q18. How easy is it to get to the town centre of kentish town
By Bicycle Easy
Q20 In terms of road safety, how safe does it feel to get around Kentish Town?
By Bicycle Unsafe
Q24 How would you rate traffic congestion in Kentish Town?
Very Bad