Transport for London proposes some improvements on Euston Road between Ossulston Street and Judd Street.
the proposed measures include:
1. Euston Road/Ossulston Street
• Provide Yellow Box road marking across the eastbound carriageway to assist cyclists exiting Ossulston Street. This proposal is subject to
Department for Transport approval
• Provide Advisory Cycle Lane markings on Mabledon Place across access for Bidborough House
• Provide Advanced Cycle Stop Lines on the Ossulston Street approach
2. Upper Woburn Place/Eversholt Street junction
• Provide Advance Cycle Stop Lines on the Eversholt Street and Upper Woburn Place approaches
• Provide taller signal poles on the eastbound Euston Road approach
• Provide pedestrian push button units with rotating cones (facilities to assist the visually impaired) on all pedestrian crossings
3. Gordon Street/Melton Street junction
• Provide Advance Cycle Stop Lines on the Gordon Street and Melton Street approaches
• Provide Anti-skid surfacing on the Gordon Street approach
• Provide a green man pedestrian crossing across Gordon Street where 650 pedestrians cross per hour in the morning
• Ban left turn from Euston Road into Gordon Street to facilitate proposed signal controlled crossing. The small number of motorists (around 10 vehicles per hour) using this left turn will need to access Gordon Street via Upper Woburn Place.
General
At all three locations we intend to remove sections of guard rail, subject to a safety assessment, and renew/relay the tactile (blister) paving to be in accordance with current guidelines
Click here to see the consultation leaflet
Concerns
The proposals for the Euston Road/Ossulston Street junction are all in the Link 28 CRISP study. But that also proposed widening the elephants footprints.
The Gordon Street/Melton Street junction was studied in Link 27 CRISP which recommended ALS + feeder lanes on all four arms of the junction. The consultation has failed to propose ASLs on Euston Road.
CCC’s response
CCC welcomes these proposals which should to make its safer for cyclists needing to cross Euston Road at these three junctions, thus reducing its effect as a barrier to north-south cycling. CCC also welcomes the proposal to remove guard rails at the three junctions because they are a hazard to cyclists who need an emergency escape route.
In our detailed responses below, we make many suggestions for improving the details of the design as presented in the consultation drawings.
1) Euston Road/Ossulston Street/Mabledon Place
Yellow Box: CCC welcomes the proposal to provide a yellow box road marking across the eastbound carriageway to assist southbound cyclists from Ossulston Street. We hope that with the support of LB Camden, this non-standard yellow box will obtain DfT approval.
Currently the elephants footprints extend right across Euston Road to indicate the cycle crossing. We welcome your agreement to investigate a design allowing elephants footprints to pass through the yellow box once approval has been granted.
Advanced Cycle Stop Line on the Ossulston Street: Please ensure that the new ASL has a central feeder lane as at present. Note that all motor vehicles must turn left here, so the feeder should be on the right side of the general vehicle lane.
3) Gordon Street/Euston Road/Melton Street Junction
This junction is on the LCN+ Link 27 interim route. The CRISP Study for Link 27 (Data Sheet 27-1h) recommends ASLs with feeder lanes on all four junction arms but the proposals show none on Euston Road itself: please see our following remarks.
Euston Road west of the junction. An ASL would help cyclists to get ahead of the traffic and make a good start across this junction where there is no bus lane to help them. Please consider including one.
Euston Road east of the junction. We welcome the extension of the bus lane to the junction and confirm that in the presence of the bus lane and the bendy buses, we believe that it is preferable for cyclists’ safety not to have an ASL. The reason is that cyclists should not be encouraged to move up on the inside of bendy buses when it would be safer to remain behind them.
Banned left turn from Euston Road into Gordon Street. We welcome this proposed change as it will simplify the use of Gordon Street for northbound cyclists.
ASL proposed on Gordon Street. This is badly needed, as is the feeder lane. But in this case it would be worth considering a feeder lane that starts south of Gower Place. Northbound cyclists have identified this location as a danger spot: in particular, the heavy traffic from Endsleigh Gardens turning right on Gordon Street blocks the way to the junction.
ASL proposed on Melton Street. This requires a feeder lane long enough to allow cyclists to pass the queues on the approach to the junction.
2) Upper Woburn Place/Euston Road/Eversholt Street Junction
Euston Road east of the junction. Left turn lane and separator island. Westbound cyclists will be in the inside lane on the approach to the junction. But the island does not obstruct cyclists going straight ahead, so they will not need to change position unless there is traffic backed up in the left-turning lane. You have confirmed that there is a sign in place that indicates that the bus lane continues straight ahead from the inside lane and that cyclists and buses can use this lane to go straight ahead. However, there is a risk that left turning drivers may cut off cyclists who are going straight ahead. To alleviate this problem, we request that the inside lane be marked as straight ahead for buses and cycles or left turn and a cycle logo shown near to left-turn arrow.
The best place for cyclists to wait at a red signal would be in the small triangle between the stop line, the turning lane and the inside westbound lane. It would be useful to construct an ASL here.
Euston Road west of the junction. Would it be possible to extend the bus lane to the junction (where there is no left turn)? See our comments above on the westbound approach to the junction at Gordon Street. With mixed vehicles in the lane, an ASL would be beneficial to cyclists.
Advance Stop Line on Eversholt Street. This is a welcome improvement. Please consider extending the feeder lane further to allow cyclists to pass the queues that occur here.
Upper Woburn Place aproach to junction. We note that the drawing shows a left turn only lane. Left turn only lanes are generally regarded as unsafe for cyclists. Have you assessed it for remedial action? Please consider replacing it with a left + ahead lane.
