Plans have been unveiled for a major cycle route linking Swiss Cottage to Canary Wharf and Barking, reports the London Evening Standard. The route will include a Danish-style cycle lane through Camden which will be higher than the road, but lower than the pavement.
Delancey Street and Pratt Street, on the route via Swiss Cottage and Regent’s Park to King’s Cross, will get the two metre wide tracks and also better crossings for pedestrians.
Andrew Gilligan, the Mayor of London’s cycling commissioner, said:
“This outstanding scheme will break one of north London’s main barriers to cycling. Once the links are complete, cyclists will be able to ride from Swiss Cottage and Camden Town to Canary Wharf, Barking or Elephant & Castle entirely on separated cycle tracks or low-traffic streets. It’s testimony to the power of the relationship between TfL and a borough genuinely committed to cycling.”
Phil Jones, Camden’s cabinet member for transport, said:
“These new plans are for some of best cycling facilities that London has seen and will open up a network of safe and attractive routes for the growing number of cyclists who want to cycle through Camden.
“Camden already has some safe and attractive cycle routes and by the end of 2015, we are on track to have doubled the amount of segregated cycle lanes in the past two years. By the end of 2016 we plan to have over 10km of new and improved segregated cycle lanes in the borough linking many of our town centres to each other and to the West End and City.”
Earlier this month, Camden Council said that it would also be stepping up enforcement on one of its busiest cycle routes to stop vehicles using it for loading during peak hours. Vans were spotted using the Tottenham Court Road cycle lane to unload during its hours of operation, forcing cyclists out into four lanes of traffic. A spokesman said that the council would make an effort to monitor the location more closely and that enforcement action would be taken if vehicles were found parked there.
8 thoughts on “Danish-style cycle lane planned through Camden”
Seems only London has the
Seems only London has the money to make any meaningful infrastructure changes. Typical lopsided Britain. However I think the way to go is to follow the Majorcan road system rather than the Danes.
“Danish Style” (as distinct
“Danish Style” (as distinct from Dutch style) paths are usually a half-kerb height up from the motor carriageway, and then another half-kerb-height takes the profile up to footway height.
As such they are visually similar to being a raised extra traffic lane, and have no “hard” separation from the motor traffic flow.
In the UK, these will just be used as car parking and commercial vehicle loading, just like the painted cycle routes of the London CS network already are. They will be deadly and useless without lots of parking enforcement, which will be lacking.
There is no reason not to build “Dutch Style”, with full height kerbing, trees, bollards, and other street furniture separating the cycle carriageway from the flow of motor traffic flow.
Andrew Gilligan and Phil Jones are planning de-facto car parking and they almost certainly know it and don’t care.
A borough that is “genuinely committed to cycling” would have read the CROW manual and proposed something that is more resistant to abuse from drivers. This borough is nothing of the kind and is looking for something much cheaper, so it can boast about it for minimum expense (oh look, it has already begun). This is a vanity project, not a project to benefit cycling.
severs1966 wrote:”Danish
The Council are in the process of installing a similar scheme along Hills Road in Cambridge, and to be honest I’m largely in favour of it as a form factor. Hard separations have some merit, but they also pen in cyclists: making right turns almost impossible, and leaving possibility of borrowing the main carriageway when faced by a slow lane hog or an obstacle in the bikeway. So far I’ve yet to see a motorist abuse them, and I hope that the council will enforce traffic regulations firmly to keep it that way, perhaps one thing in the Cambridge scheme’s favour is a custom red surface they’re using which does leave it looking much less road like and yet distinct from pavement.
Ultimately it’s about choosing the appropriate infrastructure solution for the particular road, and combining it with statutory enforcement and encouragement. Both of those require political willpower which must be coaxed along with support and feedback. It’s very easy to get wed to one philosophy of cycling safety, but ultimately to make our roads liveable spaces we need to bring about a wholesale culture change in the UK.
@severs1966
“In the UK, these
@severs1966
“In the UK, these will just be used as car parking and commercial vehicle loading, just like the painted cycle routes of the London CS network already are. They will be deadly and useless without lots of parking enforcement, which will be lacking.”
yup, just like this yesterday on CS3. Driver had left the lorry parked and gone for a nice wander whilst talking to someone on his mobile phone.
Yeah, but he’s got his hazard
Yeah, but he’s got his hazard lights on. So that’s alright them! 🙂
“Danish style”……
The success
“Danish style”……
The success of the danish cycling infrastructure is that _all_ streets have segregated cycling lanes. Copying this system for a single line won’t improve the overall security at crossings and dead ends.
it’s never going to change
it’s never going to change whilst we have ill thought out infrastructure (it needs to be “structural” segregation rather than paint!) and motorized road users who simply don’t care about others.
Need for a Standard Letter
Need for a Standard Letter !
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Dear Sir ,
Your company indulges in a Non Beneficial Form of Advertising that is viewed by MANY with disapproval !
Would those seeing these Photos , CHOOSE to do business with a Company that employs ” Selfish & InconsiderateDrivers”?
Apart from Parking in an Inconsiderate fashion , HOW do they drive when in the vicinity of a Cyclist ? The Photo suggests that they may well treat the Cyclist with less care , than YOU would require ?
Please advise ” Road.cc ” that YOUR Driver has received councelling , so as to repair the Readers’ opinion of YOUR Company Ethics
Sincerely
+++++++++++++++++++
Wonder IF there are Employers able to read simple requests for consideration of their prospective clients ?
VisionZeroWorldWide has a variety of Cycle Safety Placards available for DownLoad , a simple ” Like ” appreciated .