Tavistock Place Cycle Track upgrade

February 2017

Camden Council decides to extend the period of the experimental traffic order while they old a Public Inquiry. Read our report.

September 2016

Camden Council consults on making the trial layout permanent together with improvements. See details here.

During the consultation period, we worked hard to get as many people as possible to reply to the consultation. John Hartley led this campaign and invented ‘cards’ to hand out to people in the street.

The consultation was strongly opposed by BRAG mainly on grounds of increased congestion in Judd Street. Read our post about how to reduce this congestion in the presence of the Tavistock Place improvements: The Bloomsbury Cell.

Read our post about the results: (over 15,000 responses with 78% in favour).

December 2015

Camden Council takes away one motor lane and provides double the space for cycling . See Tavistock – Torrington trial

There is evidence that there is very strong support for the trial from people we interviewed in Byng Place that included many who seldom cycle in London.

We start to work on SaferBloomsbury Campaign

November 2015 Space for Cycling Doubled

The trial starts. Read our post on the start of the trial in Tavistock Place and Torrington Place

January 2015

The West End Project report (January 2015) proposed a trial in which:

• the existing two-way segregated cycle track to operate as a one-way eastbound cycle lane
• one eastbound traffic lane would be maintained
• the existing westbound traffic lane would be converted to a lane for cycling and servicing vehicles only

March 2015, we were shown the simple designs required to inform users of each junction as to the new permitted movements.

This 12-month trial will commence in June 2015.

August 2013

The Tavistock Place cycle track is part a key east-west cycle route through Camden between Islington and Westminster. It consists of a two-way segregated cycle track along the entire length of Tavistock Place and Torrington Place, constructed in 2002 in response to Camden Cycling Campaign’s proposal in 1998 for a new cross-borough cycle route, named the Seven Stations Link (or SSL, see The history of the Seven Stations Link for details). The route has become hugely popular but the level of cycle traffic it now carries makes it congested, confusing for pedestrians and dangerous for cyclists, especially at junctions with side roads.

Since it was built cycling in London has doubled and the two-way track is now too narrow and heavily overcrowded. It needs updating to carry the thousands of cyclists who use it and make crossings safer for pedestrians.

The video shows interactions between cyclists, between cyclists and pedestrians and between cyclists and motor vehicles.  These interactions illustrate the risk for cyclists of colliding with other cyclists, the difficulties encountered by pedestrians crossing the track and also the ‘near misses’ between cyclists and motor vehicles at Gordon Square.

The final scene depicts streets that suggest two possible design approaches:

1. 1. Provide a pair of very wide lightly-segregated cycle tracks, one on each side of the street, as has just been done in Royal College Street (which is used as an illustration). To provide for current and future usage in Tavistock Place, wider tracks than those in RCS would be required.

1. Implement strategically placed road closures so that there is no through traffic on any part of the route at any time. There would then be no need to segregate cyclists. This idea is illustrated by some film shot in Whidbourne Street and also by an extract from David Hembrow’s video ‘Nearly car free areas’.

The Tavistock Place Cycle Tracks from Camden Cyclists on Vimeo.

Camden Cyclists August 2013

Reactions to the Video

Twitter

 

camden cyclists@camdencyclists

Video makes case for urgent upgrade to popular route In Tavistock Place – for cyclists and pedestrians @Sarah_Hayward camdencyclists.org.uk/camden/campaig… – 27 Aug

 

Sarah Hayward@Sarah_Hayward  Follow @camdencyclists am sympathetic, I now avoid it! There are also probs for pedestrians many who live in neighboring blocks. No simple answer. 08:10 AM – 27 Aug 13

Sarah Hayward@Sarah_Hayward  Follow @camdencyclists don’t know if upgrade factored in to central London grid work.@philjones79 should be able to tell you. 08:11 AM – 27 Aug 13

Phil Jones@philjones79 @Sarah_Hayward @camdencyclists We need to upgrade this route and now starting to explore options. Will be having detailed talks with CCC 08:15 AM – 27 Aug 13

Mark Treasure@AsEasyAsRiding @philjones79 Wider tracks & pavements will need one-way flow for motor vehicles. Great if this could happen @camdencyclists@Sarah_Hayward 08:18 AM – 27 Aug 13

cyclistsinthecity@citycyclists Fantastic video of hugely over-capacity Tavistock Place cycle by @camdencyclists Needs upgrading for more bikes 08:20 AM – 27 Aug 13

Rita Krishna@rita_krshn  Follow @citycyclists @camdencyclists. There is no way you can reduce conflict with pedestrians nor ‘improve’ junctions here. Should take lanes OUT. – 27 Aug cyclistsinthecity@citycyclists @rita_krshn @camdencyclists Take lanes out and do what else? This is the ONLY serious e-w route through central London on a bike

Phil Jones @philjones79 New video from @camdencyclists makes good case for upgrading key east/west cycle route thru London on Tavistock Placecamdencyclists.org.uk/camden/campaig… 09:35 AM – 27 Aug 13