Camden Square Area Safe and Healthy Streets scheme approved following public consultation

Camden Council has today (Tuesday 10 August 2021) approved a range of walking, cycling and road safety improvements to the Camden Square area following a public consultation with residents, businesses and key interested groups in February 2021. We have listened to feedback during the trial.

The scheme will:

• Introduce new motor vehicle restrictions on Murray Street, North Villas, Cantelowes Road, Camden Mews and Murray Mews to prevent non-local motor traffic from driving through the Camden Square area. These will compliment the existing motor vehicle restrictions that were introduced in this area in the 1970s.
• Install a new ‘continuous crossing’ and an updated/more visible ‘no motor vehicles, except for access’ signs at the entrance of Camden Mews and on Camden Park Road.
• Install a new “parallel zebra” crossing (permitting both pedestrians and cycles to cross with priority) on Agar Grove to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists immediately east of Agar Place.
• Extend the existing advisory cycle lane on Agar Grove leading up to the junction with St Pancras Way to the new parallel zebra crossing, and extend further east towards the Agar Grove Estate bus stop.
• Improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists by upgrading the signalised junction of St Pancras Way, Randolph Street, Agar Grove.
• Introduce a new northbound cycle connection from Royal College Street into Randolph Street.
• To enhance cycle safety, install new blue resin surfacing in the southbound cycle lane direction across junction of Royal College Street and Randolph Street.
• Introduce a segregated contraflow cycle lane on Randolph Street in the westbound direction with ‘wands’ to improve connectivity to Royal College Street from St Pancras Way and Agar Grove.
• Install a segregated cycle lane in the eastbound direction of Randolph Street to allow cyclist to travel separate from motor traffic by floating parking bays and ‘wands’.
• Introduce a new road layout on Cliff Road to improve safety and visibility for cyclists, and to reduce conflict with motor vehicles.
• Refresh the existing road marking at the junction of York Way with Cliff Road and Hungerford Road, including new ‘Advanced Stop Line’ on York Way and Hungerford Road for cycle entry.
• Minor cycling and walking changes to Rochester Square and Cantelowes Road at the junction with Camden Road, to improve connection to TfL’s proposed pedestrian crossing improvements on Camden Road.
• Upgrade the existing greenspaces at Agar Grove (between Agar Grove and Stratford Villas) and South Villas (between South Villas and Camden Terrace).

The scheme will be implemented under an 18-month Experimental Traffic Order, which will enable the improvements to be implemented on a trial basis. This will allow the Council to observe how the proposed changes are operating before carrying out a full public consultation, after twelve months, to decide whether or not the scheme is made permanent. The Experimental Traffic Order period and scheme construction is scheduled to start in September 2021.

The decision report and full rationale for this decision can be found here. The decision is subject to a five working day call in period.

Further information

The following amendments were made to the scheme following comments made in response to the consultation, including feedback from residents:

• You said: The motor vehicle restrictions may result in an increase in traffic volumes on nearby streets such as Camden Mews. We listened and will: Allow access in the northeast direction (only) on North Villas to help deter through-traffic from using Camden Mews between Cantelowes Road and Camden Park Road. Two wooden planters will be added onto Cantelowes Road to encourage motor vehicles to use North Villas instead of this section of Camden Mews. Two additional motor vehicle restrictions added on North Villas to (i) prevent vehicles from turning right into Camden Terrace from North Villas, and (ii) prevent vehicles from performing a U-turn on North Villas (between junctions with Camden Terrace and Camden Park Road) to avoid the banned right turn.
• You said: The mandatory left turn signs at the junction of Camden Mews and Camden Park Road will not prevent through-traffic from using Camden Mews (between Camden Park Road and York Way). We listened and will: Introduce a new ‘continuous crossing’ and update the existing ‘no motor vehicles, except for access’ signs at the entrance of Camden Mews. Additionally, increase the existing advance ‘no motor vehicles, except of access’ signage on Camden Park Road at the approach to Camden Mews. Enforcement using a camera was not viable at this location due to the limitation on the existing camera technology, however additional traffic survey monitoring of this section of Camden Mews will be undertaken during the trial period, including arranging update workshops with residents shortly after implementation.
• You said: Murray Mews will see an increase in motor vehicles. We listened and will: Install new ‘no motor vehicles, except for access’ signs on both ends of Murray Mews to deter any through-traffic. Additionally, Murray Mews and Camden Mews will form part of the pilot project to introduce either 10mph or 15mph following viability and approval from DfT.
• You said: The motor vehicle restrictions will impact the redevelopment of the London Irish Centre. We listened and will: Exempt heavy goods vehicles (HGV) from the Murray Street motor vehicle restriction and enforcement camera for those travelling in the southbound direction only. HGV’s will need to exit the area via North Villas due to the existing width restrictor at the junction of Agar Grove and Murray Street. HGV’s can enter and exit the area via North Villas without the need for an exemption, however if an HGV exemption is required, a request must be put forward to the Council for review and approval via [email protected].