STREETSCAPE GUIDANCE

HOME
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
3.11 Accommodating all users
[Part B] From strategy to delivery 38
Figure 29: The use of ‘light touch’ cycle delineation measures at Royal College Street has led to a
greener environment where cyclists feel safer using the road. The result has been a reduction in
vehicle speeds and an increase in cycle numbers
Royal College Street
London Borough of Camden
NW1
Completion date: August 2013
Cost:
£0.37m
Improvements
Recreate the space
Rethink traffic management
Relocate/merge functions
De-clutter
Tidy up
Royal College Street had a reputation for road
accidents involving cyclists. Despite a 20mph
speed limit, vehicles were averaging 30mph
which made collisions more serious in nature.
In the three years prior to the improvements,
there had been 12 collisions with cyclists. A
new scheme was implemented to tackle this but
failed to reduce the number of collisions at Pratt
Street and Plender Street junctions.
TfL and borough traffic engineers worked closely
with cycling groups through several iterations
to ensure final designs were robust. Completed
in 2013, new segregated 2,000mm-wide cycle
lanes run down both sides of the road. This
narrows available space for drivers resulting in
lower speeds which makes it easier to anticipate
cyclists’ movements. The cycle lanes use a ‘light
touch’ approach to segregation with armadillo
road bumps and planters placed between cycles
and cars. These add greenery to the streetscape
and provide an effective but permeable barrier to
cars, while allowing pedestrians to cross the road
and board buses. Car parking bays have been
relocated away from the footway, doubling up
as buffers to protect cyclists against traffic. Bus
stops have been redesigned to accommodate
the new layout and junction signals have been
changed or removed to smooth traffic.
Six months after these works, traffic speed dropped
by up to 21 per cent. The route also rapidly grew in
popularity with a 46 per cent increase in cyclist use.
This has led to aspirations to extend the scheme
north and southbound of the site.