STREETSCAPE GUIDANCE

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INTRODUCTION
PART A
A vision for London’s streets
PART B
From strategy to delivery
PART C
New measures for new challenges
PART D
Balancing priorities
PART F
Appendix
PART E
Physical design and materials
SECTION 6
Introduction
SECTION 7
High quality footways
SECTION 8
Carriageways
SECTION 9
Crossings
SECTION 10
Kerbside activity
SECTION 11
Footway amenities
SECTION 12
Safety and functionality
SECTION 13
Street environment
SECTION 14
Transport interchanges
Streetscape Guidance
3.5 Rebalancing user needs
[Part B] From strategy to delivery 26
Figure 23: A series of interventions at Angel town centre has led to a more user friendly street with
increased space allowance for pedestrian movement and a negligible impact on vehicle capacity
Angel town centre – Upper Street
London Borough of Islington
N1
Completion date: June 2012
Cost:
£2.2m
Improvements
Recreate the space
Rethink traffic management
Relocate/merge functions
De-clutter
Tidy up
The initial aim of this scheme was to improve the
ease of running buses through Angel town centre.
However, the scope of the project quickly expanded
to include bus reliability, improved conditions for
cyclists and pedestrians, measures to smooth
traffic flows, public realm improvements, and
improved conditions for local businesses.
Early proposals included the widening of
footpaths and the removal of one southbound
lane between Islington Green and Duncan Street.
TRANSYT modelling suggested that the scheme
would be capacity neutral, however, consultation
revealed intense speculation that the proposed
road layout would worsen congestion in the area.
Pedestrian crossings were widened as a result of
the consultation.
Creating more ‘people friendly’ streets with
improved facilities for pedestrians was a
key focus of this project. A programme of
decluttering was undertaken which included the
removal of guardrails from the centre median
and along footpaths. A key crossing serving
Angel Tube station was relocated to the north
side of Liverpool Road junction and rephased
so that crossings could be made in a single
stage. A staggered crossing was also added at
the junction of Essex Road. Where existing tree
plantings used a raised edge, these were lowered
to be flush with the footway to increase the
available width for pedestrians.
To create a consistent public realm with visual
appeal, Yorkstone paving was laid throughout
the scheme. A band of setts was used on the
edge of the footway to visually reinforce the
edge and prevent cracking of paving should a
vehicle mount the kerb. The wide central median
was extended along the length of Upper Street
and guardrails removed to accommodate more
informal crossings.
The needs of local businesses were also better
served with three new inset loading bays added
to the east side of Upper Street. These were
paved in setts to match the surrounding footway
and therefore functioned as part of the footway
when not being used for deliveries.
To help traffic flow and increase the accessibility
of the bus stops on Upper Street, the
kerbs in the waiting area were moved. The
southbound bus lane was also widened to better
accommodate cyclists and motorcyclists.
Prior to these improvements, movement in
Angel was tightly controlled and was subject
to speeds not suitable to its context. Since the
improvements, Angel town centre is better
able to safely and efficiently serve businesses,
pedestrians, buses, cyclists and other traffic.