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Progress on major projects under construction
York Way almost finished
The temporary scheme with flexible bollards was completed by the end of 2020. When we reported last September, the permanent scheme with stepped tracks was completed from Wharfedale Road to Agar Grove apart from the section south of the HS1 railway bridge. This section and the section north of Agar Grove, show some excellent features. But we are unable to say that the scheme is completed because the cycle track on the Islington side between Camden Park Road and Agar Grove has not been upgraded and the Market Road junction is currently under construction.
Southbound from Cliff Road to Camden Park Road
York Way south of the HS1 bridge
Parallel crossing by Tapper Walk
Kings Cross Central is enclosed by the railway (north), the canal (west and south) and York Way (east). Cyclists from the north can access the site by using the first parallel crossing to make a right turn. The two-way cycle track enables them to enter and exit via Tapper Walk. It also provides access in and out of Canal Reach,
The parallel crossing at Beaconsfield Street connects Kings Cross Central to a walking and cycling route via Randell’s Road and Bingfield Park to Caledonian Road.
This crossing, which is north of the junction, provides a section of two-way cycle track on both sides of York Way so that people cycling northbound or southbound on York Way can complete their right turns into the corresponding side road.
Parallel crossing at the junction of Beaconsfield Street and Randell’s Road
The York Way cycle route provides about 2.4 km of protected cycle lanes between Wharfedale Road at the southern end and Cliff Road at the northern end. It connects well with the C50 (Camden Square) route at the northern end and with C6 via Goodsway near the southern end.
Unfortunately there is no southbound cycle lane between Agar Grove and the HS1 railway bridge.
We have heard about an ambitious new design for the Agar Grove junction but so far have no news as to when it might be constructed.
Missing link to Gray’s Inn Road: the red line shows the natural route for joining these two cycle tracks. Unfortunately TfL is working very slowly on a less direct route to the east.
Chalk Farm Road completed
We last reported on this permanent scheme with stepped tracks in September. It was finished in February. We will write a report in our next edition.
Haverstock Hill north of Chalk Farm Road
The temporary scheme in which the cycle tracks on both sides of the road are protected by flexible bollards was completed by September 2022. It runs between Prince of Wales Road and the junction with Pond Street. Camden are now working on a permanent scheme with stepped tracks.
Paul Allen reports: the work started in March and is organised in phases, with various configurations of 3 or 4 way traffic lights and some road closures. Work is in progress on both sides of Haverstock Hill near to Prince of Wales Road, at the junction of Eton Road and on the west side north of Eton Road.
Crowndale Road
Camden is building kerb separated cycle tracks on both sides of Crowndale Road between Royal College Street and Bayham Street.
Bus stops on cycle tracks
When there is room for the island, a bus stop bypass is the best choice. See for example this new one on York Way. This scheme will have two of these at the bus stops close to Royal College Street. One of them is shown below. When it is complete the bus shelter will be placed on the island.
SUBB – shared use bus shelter. See this example in Haverstock Hill
Smaller Projects
Pedestrianisation of Camden High Street
The buses that used to go up Camden High Street are now diverted via Kentish Town Road
Leather Lane
Leather lane is the home of a busy weekday market with traffic restrictions from 8am to 4:30 pm. Camden has implemented a new road closure at the junction of Clerkenwell Road that will simplify the design of the proposed cycle tracks on Clerkenweill Road. There is also another road closure in Baldwins Gardens with the result that there is no longer any motor vehicle access between Gray’s Inn Road and Leather Lane. Cycles can now travel in both directions on Greville Street between Hatton Garden and Leather lane.
In our response to the consultation we requested the removal of the non-standard signs which say ‘pedestrians only’ and ‘cyclist and e-scooters please dismount’ at the southern end of Leather Lane. It is a big disappointment that cycles are still not allowed to cycle from the sourthern end of Leather Lane to High Holborn where there is a crossing to Fetter Lane that provides a convenient southbound continuation
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Rain gardens in Camden Town
