This post is intended to be the first of a regular series of updates about Camden’s progress with building cycle infrastructure. Subsequent posts will appear whenever there is anything new to report.
Click on any image to see an enlargement
Progress on major projects under construction
Procter Street
Camden Council has now started to implement major changes to Procter Street as part of a scheme to make the east and south sides of the Holborn gyratory safer for cycling. The red circles on the map show the pair of junctions to be upgraded in this scheme. The blue circle shows where the improvements were made at the north-west corner of the gyratory in early 2022.
The work has started on the new cycle lane which is planned to go all the way down Procter Street inside planted areas and island bus stops as shown in the visualisation.
York Way
The pop-up cycle lanes were installed in Autumn 2022. They were protected by flexible bollards which are now being replaced with stepped tracks as part of the permanent scheme which will also include upgrades to some of the junctions. This work started last autumn at the southern end (by Wharfdale Road) and has now reached the Copenhagen Street junction.
The work on this southern section (a length of about 350 m on each side of the road) is now complete apart from some work on the canal bridge. It includes a new bus stop bypass on the Islington side. Note: this covers about 20% of the route along York Way.
Finishing touches
Blue paint on Prince of Wales Road eastbound side-road junctions
Soon after the completion of the westbound cycle lanes on Prince of Wales Road, Camden Council used bright blue paint to emphasise the cycle lanes as they crossed the junctions at Harmood Street and Crogsland Road. Since then the application of blue paint to carriageway level cycle lanes as they pass side road junctions has become a standard in Camden (e.g. they are applied consistently on Haverstock Hill)
The task of upgrading the eastbound cycle lanes on Prince of Wales Road to stepped tracks was completed last autumn but the application of blue paint was deferred. On 6th February we saw blue paint at two of the junctions (Dalby and Ryland) but not at Talacre Road.
Other News
Camden Road crossings
TfL has completed the Toucan crossing over Camden Road between Rochester Square and Rochester Road and is currently working on the other Toucan crossing between the footway exit from Cantelowes Road (past the planter known locally as the ‘billiard table’) and the western exit from Cantelowes Gardens.
The Rochester Road crossing involves cycling on the footway (on the far side in the photo) and is not well signed, either for cyclists or pedestrians.
However, it is very useful in providing a cycle link across Camden Road between the Rochester Road area and the C50 route through Camden Square.
End Note
Keeping track of the many work sites in Camden is quite a lot of work for our committee. We would very much appreciate it if anyone living close to one of these sites would volunteer to let us know when things make progress.
