The northern extension runs from the junction with Kentish Town Road to the junction with Baynes Street south of Camden Road. The main challenges for this design were:
- a safe crossing over Camden Road for which Camden/TfL have agreed on a signalling solution that includes a separate stage for north and southbound cycles
- the junction of Royal College Street and St Pancras Way where southbound cycles will be going straight ahead while all motor traffic is turning left; a variety of solutions were discussed.
The implementation of the scheme was completed in June 2016
There are stepped tracks on both sides of the road; separate cycle signals for crossing Camden Road and an experimental narrow section to enable people to cycle southbound past the junction with St Pancras Way.
The pity is that this mainly excellent scheme has been marred by the loading bay on the NB route and that ‘hours of operation’ have not yet been posted (19 June 2016), nor are there any dropped kerbs to get on and off the track.
We will carry out an ‘informal audit’ towards the end of June.
Construction autumn 2015- spring 2016
The scheme implemented was modified due to the problems described below. The changes are mostly for the best. But Camden Council agreed to install an off-peak loading bay on the NB route – we were against this but stated that there must be a way to cycle down and up again when the bay is occupied.
Consultation autumn 2014
Camden Council consulted on the northern extension in September and October 2014. See our discussion on CycleScape
Following our discussions, John Chamberlain sent the following response to Camden Council.
Response RCS Northern extension
The main issues for further discussion :
- junction with Kentish Town Road has not been considered
- loading bay just north of Camden Road inside cycle track; this was subsequently replaced by motor cycle parking
- more protection required for southbound cyclists approaching Camden Road
- Camden Road junction: length of cycle stage and facilitating right turns from Camden Road, pedestrian crossing over Camden Road NE of junction
- Junction with St Pancras Way
- cycle lane on St Pancras Way should be inside parking (subsequently agreed)
- interface with phase 1 of RCS scheme
Design of Junction with St Pancras Way
At this junction, southbound cycles in a nearside lane need to continue straight down RCS while motors turn left down St Pancras Way. The aim was to find a solution in which
-
- signals are not used
- cyclists do not give way to motors
Camden proposed a succession of possible solutions which are discussed in detail in our report on Junction St Pancras Way-RCS.
Opposition from local groups led to the following further issues being raised:
- the route should be one-way as is the motor route, which was strongly rejected on safety grounds (dangerous crossing over Camden Road and difficult merge in St Pancras Way by Baynes Street) by CCC and Camden Council
- Baynes Street junction; we stated it should have the same treatment as at Georgiana
- Queues at junction with Camden road: council will provide two x northbound lanes with some narrowing of the northbound cycletrack on approach to junction; we asked for sloped edge to separating kerbs
- Raised table at Ivor Street which CCC welcomed
- Moving parking to west side south of Ivor Street for shops; we prefer the parking outside the contraflow cycle track but if it is moved, it is likely that motors will be able to pass the bus at the stop which we would object to.
- Loading bays in cycle track; CCC position : Loading bays in the cycle track are totally unacceptable on this route which is planned to encourage new cyclists who will not be happy to move out into the carriageway.
- Rail replacement bus stops; there is likely to be a continuing need for this space, we want another location to be found that is not interrupting a cycle route and provides a long-term solution.
- Wilmot Place now to be open with right turns; we would prefer Wilmot Place to be closed as originally proposed. If open, we want only buses to be allowed to turn right here; two-way cycling to be implemented through Wilmot Place and Jeffreys Street.
Result
Cllr Jones approved the scheme on 16th December 2014. Read about the deputations and the result in our news post.
