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LCC urges Londoners to oppose TfL's King's Cross gyratory plans - consultation closes on Monday

Campaign group says "interim" proposals fail to make area safer for cyclists ...

London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is urging people to oppose “interim” plans drawn up by Transport for London (TfL) for the King’s Cross gyratory, with the consultation period closing on Monday.

In an article on its website, LCC says that the proposals “lack connected and continuous protected cycle lanes or safe passage through the junction in every direction.

“There are considerable risks of potentially fatal left or right 'hooks' by lorries and other motor vehicles turning across the path of cyclists going ahead.

“Elsewhere in the junction, there are lesser risks of conflict with busy pedestrians areas.”

The area has seen a huge amount of redevelopment in recent years, and LCC points out that as new developments are completed, the area is seeing an increased level of cycle traffic.

It also notes that it will be one of the locations on the proposed North-South Cycle Superhighway, which will further increase the volume of traffic.

There are long-term plans by TfL and the two councils whose borders meet there – Camden and Islington – to remodel the gyratory system that links Euston Road and Pentonville Road.

LCC said: “There are many small improvements with more and wider mandatory cycle lanes and little bits of protected space.

“However, it will not possible to go through the junction in any direction without being exposed to unacceptable levels of danger.

“Some sections do not even meet the old cycle design standards set out a decade ago.”

The organisation outlines criticisms at several specific locations, for example saying that “Caledonian Road to Kings Cross Road involves major risks from large vehicles turning left and right across the path of cyclists,” and “is simply not good enough for a scheme supposed to reduce the danger to cyclists.”

The area includes the junction of Gray’s Inn Road and Pentonville Road where fashion student Deep Lee was killed by a lorry in November 2011.

Following her death, William Perrin of the King’s Cross Environment blog, which has also criticised the interim proposals, pressed for corporate manslaughter charges to be brought against TfL.

He said it had ignored the recommendations of a report it had itself commissioned into pedestrian safety in the area, which would also have improved cycle safety.

However, in October last year the Crown Prosecution Service said that it was unable to pursue the case, outlining a number of reasons for its decision that here was “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction against TfL for gross negligence manslaughter.”

At the inquest into her death last December at Poplar Coroner’s Court, Coroner Mary Hassell said: “Ultimately, cyclists and trucks don’t mix. The best possible way of having to avoid collision is to separate them.”

You can view the consultation and respond to it here.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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5 comments

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middleway | 10 years ago
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While it is nice to see Boris on a bike ... it is a shame that the junctions at Kings Cross are so unsafe ...

Boris on a Bike at Kings Cross

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kie7077 | 10 years ago
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A teenager could come up with a better design.

A teenager did come up with a better design:
Kings Cross can be cycle friendly

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kie7077 | 10 years ago
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A road system so crap you might as well walk:
http://goo.gl/maps/bU3MU

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kie7077 | 10 years ago
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Pentonville road Perfect place for a bus lane.

Junctiions are the most dangerous place, so why does the cycle lane stop at a junction that is no left turn because of the one way system.

Currently it's a nightmare to cycle up, it has your typical intermittent stop start 1.5 foot cycle lane which encourages drivers to speed past you within inches. Why do TFL think this is ok?

Still has roads that are changing in width constantly, these are a danger to cyclists as drivers jostle for position for space in a road that's narrowing. (CS2 is shockingly bad in this respect)

Cycle lane outside entrance to Birkenhead street. Dangerous merge with lane.

Kings Cross Bridge, still invites cyclists to get clipped and killed by right turning vehicles, no safe passage.

Pathetic token effort.

Here's an idea, pentonville road heading east where there are 2 lanes and a motor vehicle can not possibly pass safely whilst being in that lane, PAINT THE CYCLE LANE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LANE TO SHOW TO EVERYBODY WHERE THE CYCLIST SHOULD BE. YES IM SHOUTING. yes I am am serious. Give me one GOOD reason why this shouldn't be done. PUT THE CYCLIST IN PRIMARY POSITION, show car drivers where they should be, show cyclists where they should be.

Pentonville road is one of those roads with 2 thin lanes where if you cycle next to the gutter then the cars give you inches and stay in the same lane, so what do you do - take primary... and then you get the punishment passes so there is now no safe and stress free way of cycling up this road. And what have TFL done to remedy this? NOTHING.

Approach to junction from west - dangerous shrinking lanes again, no bus lane, bus stops in goddam awful place. so fucking shit and with such a massive pavement

Main junction going from west to east: 3 lanes merging in to 2 lanes and a bus lane: not safe.

Cycle lane on York way pushes cyclists over to left marking life hard for them when the same cycle lane just disappears.

This is wall to wall crap, it is unsafe, it is utterly pathetic.

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northstar | 10 years ago
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Same old tfl rubbish.

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