Camden Council proposes the following road closures in the Doughty Street Area:
- Close Doughty Street at its junction with Guildford Street
- Close Brownlow Mews at its junction with Guildford Street
- Close Kings Mews at its junction with Theobalds Road
The council intends that these closures will keep motor traffic on Guildford Street and Grays Inn Road.
If the consultation is agreed, the initial scheme will be an experimental one to allow TfL to assess the effects on the junctions on Grays Inn Road at Guildford Street and Theobalds Road.
The consultation leaflet does not state whether cyclists will be permitted to ride through the closures. The officer in charge (Simi Shah) assures me that they will. However this is a point that I will make in my response.
Click here to see the consultation leaflet
CCC’s response
Selective road closures form one of the most effective traffic calming methods, thus providing a quiet zone which is good for cycling and walking. We therefore support all of the three proposed road closures in this consultation.
However, we are surprised that the consultation leaflet fails to state that cyclists will be permitted to ride through the closures. Although it states that the route through the closures will be available for emergency services, nothing has been said about cyclists.
It really is very important that cyclists should be able to benefit from the improved environment in Doughty Street, John Street, Brownlow Mews, North Mews and Kings Mews. In addition, the movements they can make now should be retained in the future for the sake of permeability.
Even though Simi Shah has assured me on the phone that cyclists should be able to ride through the road closures, that is not the same as having the fact mentioned in the consultation so that other consultees can see it.
Even with experimental closures, gaps should be provided for cyclists and properly signed.
