HV makes no apology for anticipating that a 'Camden Consultation' is a done deal.  Maybe it's the Orwellian language, maybe it's past precedence. Here's the latest: Clerkenwell Road Safe and Healthy Streets. Click to take part in the 'consultation'.

HV's complaint is if Camden are going to do it anyway then please don't insult us by giving the illusion of choice.

 

 

Leather Lane Visualisation 

The Clerkenwell Road corridor has been highlighted as a top cycling priority corridor in Transport for London’s Cycling Action Plan 2. It’s one of the busiest walking and cycling routes in the borough. The junctions of Gray’s Inn Road / Theobald’s Road / Clerkenwell Road and Clerkenwell Road / Rosebery Avenue have been highlighted as high priority road safety intervention locations.

Camden Council, in collaboration with Islington Council, are proposing changes  to make it safer to walk, cycle and visit the area sustainably, as well as make it more attractive for more people to stop and visit local shops and attractions. The proposed changes would also introduce around 400m of new segregated cycle infrastructure, in both directions, contributing to the Council’s target of 40km of new segregated cycle infrastructure by 2025, as part of the primary cycle network in the Borough.

HV’s resident cynic says, “Is this the toe over the line beginning of ‘Clerkenwell Boulevard' that cycle lobbyists (Camden Cycling Campaign's website here and here, and this dedicated website with scant info)  have long-identified and done sunny picture mock-ups of an exclusive cycle path from Old Street to Oxford Street.  Restricting buses, delivery vehicles, cabs & taxis, and cars. The proposal refers to 'protect bus journey times'.  The way they'll do this is by removing bus stops.  Of course if the bus makes fewer stops the journey time is faster.  But what this shows is that the proposal impairs bus journey times.  And whilst I'm on it, give us back the bus Stops you've stolen from Grays Inn Road.”

 

Here’s some detail of Camden’s proposals:

Theobald’s Road/Gray’s Inn Road/Clerkenwell Road/Rosebery Avenue Junction Proposals

• Adding “cycle reservoirs” on Grays Inn Road in both directions (see photo guide for an example of a cycle reservoir and other types of cycling improvement measures). Cycle reservoirs give cyclists the opportunity to access the stop line before vehicles, improving safety for cyclists. To help deliver this in the southbound direction, Mount Pleasant is proposed to be made entry only at the junction with Gray’s Inn Road, and one-way eastbound to the junction with Laystall Street – the rest of Mount Pleasant is proposed to remain two-way.
• Adding a cycle reservoir on Rosebery Avenue to give cyclists the opportunity to access the stop line before vehicles, improving safety for cyclists. To help deliver this, the existing southbound bus lane on Rosebery Avenue would be terminated 17m sooner.
• Adding a separate cycle lane with signals separate from motor vehicles on Theobald’s Road and Clerkenwell Road, in both directions and at both junctions, allowing cyclists to progress separately to motor traffic, improving safety for cyclists.
• Upgrading the junctions of Gray’s Inn Road / Theobald’s Road / Clerkenwell Road and Clerkenwell Road / Rosebery Avenue for pedestrians, by widening some the pavements around the junctions to make pedestrian crossings shorter.
• Introducing a ‘straight across’ crossing across Rosebery Avenue, replacing the existing staggered crossing and pedestrian island to simplify crossing the road for pedestrians.
• Introducing a timed loading bay on Theobald’s Road by Kings Mews, with loading permitted between 10am – 2pm and 10pm – 6am, for the servicing of local shops. This would be done by permanently closing Kings Mews at the junction with Theobalds Road to all motor vehicles.
• Adding a timed loading bay outside 43 Gray’s Inn Road, with loading permitted between 10am – 2pm and 10pm – 6am, for the servicing of local shops.

Pedestrian and Public Realm/Greening Proposals

• We are proposing to close White Bear Yard to all motor vehicles and resurface the existing road with high quality materials, to make the street more inviting to pedestrians.
• Upgrade the existing zebra crossing on Clerkenwell Road by Laystall Street to a parallel crossing, so that pedestrians and people cycling can better access areas such as Leather Lane Market.
• Relocate the existing zebra crossing on Clerkenwell Road by Hatton Garden further west, by Leather Lane and Eyre Street Hill, and upgrade to a parallel crossing, for better access to areas such as Leather Lane Market for pedestrians and cycling.
• Create an improved public space (including seating) by the junction for people to sit rest and socialise, and additional trees to reduce CO2 and provide shade. This is in conjunction with the proposed closure of Leather Lane at the junction with Clerkenwell Road to motor traffic (which was consulted on here),
• Provide additional planting throughout the area with rain gardens and plants to improve biodiversity, provide shade and reduce the risk of flooding, in line with the Borough’s Climate Action Plan.

 

Cycling Proposals

• Add protected (segregated) cycle laneson Clerkenwell Road from the junction with Gray’s Inn Road to the junction with Herbal Hill and Saffron Hill, providing improved safety for people cycling.
• Introduce two new “bus stop bypasses”, one in each direction (designed according to Department for Transport standards), with the westbound bus stop located by Leather Lane, and the eastbound bus stop located by Back Hill to improve safety for cycling, and providing safe pedestrian crossings across the cycle lane for bus users. (See photo guide for an example of a bus stop bypass and other types of cycle measures).
• Add a two-stage right turn for westbound cyclists at the junction with Saffron Hill and Herbal Hill, to allow cyclists to access Cycle Superhighway 6 (CS6) on Herbal Hill safely.
• Relocate and extend the existing dockless bike and e-scooter bay on Clerkenwell Road by the junction with Leather Lane, to the proposed westbound bus stop bypass island to increase pavement space for pedestrians
• Add new cycle stands throughout the area to increase cycle parking availability for visitors to the area.

Bus Proposals

• Relocate the existing eastbound bus stop on Clerkenwell Road by Rosebery Avenue (bus stop Rosebery Avenue Stop CU) to the junction with Back Hill. This would improve access for pedestrians to areas such as Leather Lane Market and Hatton Garden.
• Consolidate the existing westbound bus stops on Clerkenwell Road (Rosebery Avenue Stop CW and Hatton Garden Stop D), to one westbound bus stop by Leather Lane, to provide easier access for bus passengers to Leather Lane Market and nearby attractions, this would also protect bus journey times. 

As per Transport for London Guidance, all proposed bus stop locations meet the criteria of a maximum of 400m distance between bus stops. See the Bus Stop Consolidation Plan for current and proposed distances between bus stops.

Additional Parking and Loading Proposals

Introduce a new 30m long 24/7 loading bay on Clerkenwell Road, outside Cavendish Mansions to service shops and homes.

• Close Back Hill to all motor vehicles, at the junction with Clerkenwell Road, for an  eastbound bus stop bypass. The existing closure on Back Hill at the junction with Warner Street is proposed to be partially opened to allow vehicles to enter Back Hill from Warner Street.
• Replace the existing paid for parking bay  and solo motorcycle bay on Back Hill, near the junction with Clerkenwell Road with a 24/7 loading bay to servicing shops and homes.
• Relocate the timed loading bay and resident permit bay on Back Hill, near the junction with Summers Street to the eastern kerb to give space for vehicles to turn around. The existing restrictions are proposed to remain. 
• Remove the existing solo motorcycle bay on Back Hill, by the junction with Warner Street with the adjacent resident permit bay extended further north. This would replace 5m of resident parking relocated from Summers Street.
• Replace an existing paid for parking bay on Warner Street with a resident parking bay to mitigate for the loss of residential parking in other areas of the scheme.
• Replace the existing resident parking bay on Eyre Street Hill, by the junction with Clerkenwell Road with a 24/7 loading bay, for servicing of shops and homes.
• Changes to waiting and loading restrictions on Hatton Garden, to allow loading on double yellow lines by the junction with Clerkenwell Road.
• Remove existing resident permit bay on Saffron Hill, by the junction with Clerkenwell Road and replaced with a new rain garden (see photo guide for an example) to improve biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding.