Acton Street

Consultation Summary

Transport for (TfL) recently consulted on possible changes to parking and red route control on Acton Street.

We had eight responses to the consultation, all were submitted online . Responses were received from Friends of Capital Transport, and six members of the public.

Friends of Capital Transport were generally opposed to the scheme. The London Borough of Camden supported some elements of the scheme but was opposed to others. Of the six members of the public; four were supportive and two were generally against. Our response to the main issues raised is outlined below.

After carefully considering all responses, we have made a decision.

We will proceed with construction of this safety critical highway measure. We will take on board the comments made as part of this consultation when developing longer term changes to the highway layout on Acton Street as part of the Kings Cross Gyratory Feasibility Study.

We would encourage all interested parties to participate in this by having a look at these design options once they are made available and provide us with any comments you may have. The project website where updates of this work will be provided can be found at : www.tfl.gov.uk/kingscrossgyratory

TfL Response to Issues Raised

Our response to the issues most commonly raised is provided below.

 Install segregated cycle lanes behind the kerb to keep cyclists safe and also protect the bridge (similar to the cycle lanes on Bridge, which help protect the bridge there)

TfL response The current highway layout with two streets merging into a one way street and the presence of a bus stop on the southside and motorcycle parking on the northside of the road would introduce conflict between users if segregation was to be considered at this stage. However the highway layout on Acton Street is being considered as part of the wider Kings Cross Gyratory feasibility study and suggestions will be considered as part of any longer term change on Acton Street.

 Residents have concerns about position of bus stops outside houses.

TfL response Due to a need to protect the bridge structure, stopping is being prohibited on the bridge and Trief kerb is being installed which is designed (through its height and curve) to present a clear visual signal to road users that it will prevent vehicles trying to leave the carriageway. As a result it is no longer possible for buses to stop on the bridge as the doors will be obstructed by these kerbs. The newly positioned bus stop starts outside number 19. This bus stop only serves one route and is located towards the end of the route so it is less likely that passengers will be waiting to board.

Careful consideration of the placement of this stop was given in order to provide pedestrians a safe location to cross at the junction of Swinton Place, utilising the gap created by the loading facility on the south side footway build outs on the north side of the road. The two bus stops also remain separated to minimise any conflicts between them.

 There are two bus stops in Acton Street: one for buses leaving Kings Cross (17 and 45) and one for buses approaching it (63). Only the latter appears on the plan. The former is important for people departing the area.

TfL response We would like to apologise if this plan caused confusion. We can confirm that the bus stop cage marking for those routes leaving Kings Cross is shown on the plan (the yellow cage marking as identified in the legend), but was not marked up due to it not changing. Please be reassured that we recognise the importance of this stop and it will remain after these works to the bridge have concluded.

 One of the buildings in Swinton Street abutting the railway looks to pose a threat to the railway beneath due to its poor condition.

TfL response We have passed on your comments to our colleagues in London Underground for whom we are carrying out these works. They have visited site and have asked Camden council building control to contact the building owner.

 Regarding the unassigned bay on north side. Will TfL make this section ‘no loading at any time’, due to the higher kerbs? If so, the Council would agree to this additional provision.

TfL response Double red lines prohibit stopping (including loading) at any time, with loading only being permitted in loading boxes or on single red lines outside of controlled hours.

 Reduction of loading and disabled persons’ parking bay on south side from 70m to 48m – This bay can be used by residents outside Red Route control hours. It would be desirable to reduce the impact on loss of overnight parking as much as possible. Camden uses a nominal 5m per parking space so it would be desirable to reduce this bay to 50m rather than 48m, to allow parking for up to 10 vehicles. This could be achieved by relocating the relocated bus stop slightly to the east: the dropped kerb between Nos. 5 and 7 is no longer needed for vehicular access as there appears to be a change of the building at the ground floor level.

TfL response We recognise that Priority (Red) Route controls allow evening and weekend parking. We designed the scheme to be able to maintain a loading and disabled parking facility that is around 48 metres in length, which is sufficient to meet most of this evening demand. As part of the detailed design process if possible we will make some adjustments to the location of the cage, however as we do not individually mark out parking spaces the area available is more flexible and is often used by larger vehicles than cars, so a fixed 50 metre length is desirable but not essential.

 Converting the double red lines to signal lines would mean that outside Red Route control hours parked vehicles would block the access to the rear of 300 Gray’s inn Road and may impede the flow of traffic turning left onto Gray’s Inn Road, particularly buses towards Holborn leaving the bus stand outside Nos. 39 to 51.

TfL response The existing double red lines at this location have been placed in error as no traffic order exists for them, so we are taking the opportunity to correct this. If it is found that parked vehicles block the access to the rear of 300 Gray’s Inn Road or impede bus movements leaving the stand we will review this position. We expect most of the movements into and out of 300 Gray’s Inn Road to take place during the controlled hours of the stopping restriction. The stated opening hours of the Bupa Centre is Monday to Friday: 7.30am - 6pm.The zigzag markings at the junction should ensure vehicles can always turn left onto Gray’s Inn Road and the Bus Stop is of a length that allows buses to pull into and out of the cage from the running lane and line up with the kerb, without needing to use the existing double red markings to turn out.