Create safe routes for cycling to school

We invited people to tell us about their children’s route to school and share ideas on simple changes that could make it possible to cycle.

These were marked as lines on the two maps below with annotations in red or black showing barriers that might make it unlikely people would cycle with their children (e.g. crossing over Camden Road).

Map 1 with letters — Map 1: routes 1, 4, 7. 10

Routes on Map 1

1. Ra^:

a. Rochester Square to Kentish Town Primary (Islip Street). Green line (walking) via Camden Road, Sandall Road*, Bartholomew Rd, Gaisford Road, Hammond Street

b. Rochester Square to Ackland Burghley. Green line via Camden Square, North Villas, Torriano Avenue (1-way)†, Leighton Rd, Lady Margaret, across Fortess Road.

c. Rochester Square to Bridge Senior School. Green line via Camden Square, North Villas, Cliff Villas, Hungerford Road, Middleton Grove and dark alleyway to Carleton Rd. The dark alleyway could be avoided if Camden Park Road- Torriano Avenue was more suitable.

4. St:

St Albans Road to Caversham Clinic – not a route to school

7. Rd:

Cliff Villas to Ackland Burghley. Green line via Camden Park Road, Torriano Avenue (1-way), Leighton Rd, Lady Margaret, across Fortess Road.

10. Sa:

a. Corinne Road to Ackland Burghley: not discussed

b. Corinne Road to Torriano Primary: blue line through housing estates and across Brecknock Road into Torriano Avenue (north), walk Torriano Av (south)

^: full names withheld

† : red major barrier

*: orange too much motor traffic, parking too close to junction

Routes on Map 2

2. Ca:

a. Gaisford Road to UCL academy – red line on prince of Wales Road + green line on King Henry’s Road. Note green dots on Angler’s Lane

b. Gaisford Road to Parliament Hill – blue line on Highgate Road – for younger children the Grafton Rd route would be preferable

c. Gaisford Road to Ackland Burghley – blue line on Fortess Road – for younger children a route via Bartholomew Rd, Lady Margaret and across Fortess Rd would be preferable

3. Ka:

a. Coity Road to Ackland Burghley – green line to Grafton Road, Oak Village, Gordon House Rd railway bridge, Highgate Road, Ingestre Road

b. Coity Road to Kentish Town primary – green line to Holmes Road, across Kentish Town Road, Islip Street

5. Ha:

Patshull Road – Kentish Town primary – blue line (walking) via KTR, Wolsey Mews

An: noted problem for cycling at mini roundabout on junction York Way/Market Road (red circle)

Tw: Gaisford Road to Kings Cross Academy – thick red line Sandall Rd, cross Camden Road, Murray Street, cross Agar Grove, Camley Street

C & B: Gaisford Road to Abacus – thin green line Sandall Rd, cross Camden Road, Murray Street, cross Agar Grove, Camley Street

Breaking down of Major Barriers

We selected the following

A. Safe cycle crossing over Fortess Road between Raveley Street and Lady Somerset Road

See routes 1 and 7.

B. Protected Two-way Cycling in Torriano Avenue (and Camden Park Road)

See routes 1b, 1c, 7 and 10b

C. Safe cycle crossing over Agar Grove between Murray Street and the Agar-Camley link

See routes 8 and 9

D. Safe passage under the bridge on Gordon House Road

See route 3a.

Also note that although 2b used Highgate Road, a route via Grafton Road would be preferable

E. Safe crossing over Kentish Town Road between Islip Street and Holmes Road

See route 3b

G. Safe cycle crossing over Camden Road between Murray Street and Sandall Road

See routes 8 and 9

Low traffic neighbourhoods

The following roads were noted to have too much motor traffic

Bartholomew Road, Sandall Road, Gaisford Road, Leighton Road, Torriano Avenue, Wolseley Mews, Murray Street, Camley Street and Holmes Road

Issues with parking too close to a junction e.g intersection of Gaisford Road and Hammond Street

What next?

We will use these and many other examples that we hope to collect and then decide how to promote the ideas of breaking barriers with Camden Council.

Jean Dollimore, George Coulouris, Rachel Wrangham and Sam Parkes