Proposals to Improve Safety for Cyclists Onshoreditch High Street Between

Home , Hackney Road, Shoreditch High Street

Proposals to improve safety for cyclists on Shoreditch High Street between Hackney Road and New Inn Yard

Responses to the Issues Raised February 2018 Consultation Summary Background

This consultation asked for views on plans to improve safety for cyclists using the proposed Central London Grid route between Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue (find out more at tfl.gov.uk/cycle-grid). This route forms part of the Quietway 13 cycle route, linking Farringdon to Broadway Market, being developed in partnership with the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets. Other measures proposed included a new southbound bus lane on Shoreditch High Street to help protect bus journey times, along with a larger traffic island and wider cycle lane at the junction of Shoreditch High Street and Hackney Road to improve pedestrian and cycling provision. Full proposals and our Consultation Report can be found at https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/shoreditch.

Conclusion and next steps

We received 154 responses to the consultation. After considering all responses, we intend to proceed with the scheme as set out in the consultation documents, subject to the formal traffic order process. We plan to begin construction at the end of February 2018.

2 Response to issues commonly raised

Below are our responses to the key issues raised, produced in partnership with Hackney Council?

Impact on cycling

General level of cycling provision Some respondents said the proposals will not improve conditions for cycling, failing to make the area safe for cyclists aged 8-80, nor encouraging people who want to cycle but do not feel sufficiently confident at present. The provision of right turn pockets and traffic islands on Shoreditch High Street will provide greater protection than at present for cyclists using the east-west cycle grid route. The reduction of southbound traffic lanes from two to one will provide a less hostile environment for cyclists using the junction. A two metre wide cycle lane from Hackney Road will also provide greater space for cyclists than at present.

Advisory cycle lane on Hackney Road Some respondents opposed the use of an advisory cycle lane on Hackney Road, saying it will increase conflict between cyclists and motor vehicles turning from Hackney Road into Shoreditch High Street. The advisory cycle lane from Hackney Road will provide more space to cyclists travelling southbound onto Shoreditch High Street. The existing cycle lane is very narrow and provides little protection to cyclists turning with two lanes of traffic. The new layout will provide a two metre wide lane adjacent to one lane of general traffic which will be less intimidating for cyclists. This will reduce conflict between cyclists and other road users.

Segregated cycle track on Hackney Road Some respondents called for a segregated cycle track on the corner of Hackney Road, saying it will remove conflict between cyclists and motor vehicles turning from Hackney Road into Shoreditch High Street. Providing a short section of segregated cycle lane on the exit from Hackney Road onto Shoreditch High Street was considered as part of the design. However it was felt that any form of segregation (full or partial segregation) would put cyclists in conflict with vehicles parking or loading in the bays to the south of the junction. Providing segregated cycle lanes along Shoreditch High Street is being considered as part of the wider Shoreditch triangle scheme.

Segregated cycle tracks on Shoreditch High Street Some respondents called for segregated cycle tracks on Shoreditch High Street to remove conflict between cyclists and motor traffic. Providing segregated cycle lanes along the full length of Shoreditch High Street is being considered as part of the wider Shoreditch Triangle scheme. The Central London Grid route crosses Shoreditch High Street between Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue. The primary purpose of the scheme is to provide a safe and convenient east-west crossing of Shoreditch High Street. Significant changes to the existing layout of Shoreditch High Street are not proposed as part of this scheme but will be considered as part of the wider Shoreditch Triangle scheme.

Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue crossing Some respondents called for the crossing between Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue to be redesigned to improve safety for cycling, with the main suggestion being to make this a signalised crossing. Two signalised crossing options between Calvert Avenue and Rivington Street were considered: converting the existing pedestrian crossing to a toucan crossing (a crossing for both pedestrians and cyclists); and signalising the entire junction of Shoreditch High Street, Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue. Converting the pedestrian crossing to a toucan crossing would provide a signal controlled facility for cyclists to cross. However this would be off the desire line for many cyclists as the crossing is south of the junction and many cyclists may continue to use the on-road facilities. Also, the footway south of Calvert Avenue is of insufficient width to provide a shared area for cyclists and pedestrians. The second option of signalising the whole junction would cause unacceptable delays to all vehicles including buses and cyclists on an important north-south corridor.

Traffic islands on Shoreditch High Street Some respondents expressed concern that the new traffic islands will create pinch points that bring cyclists on Shoreditch High Street into conflict with motor traffic. The existing lane widths on Shoreditch High Street are narrower than the proposed lane widths within this scheme. Lane widths on the approach to the pedestrian crossing will be four metres wide which provides adequate space for vehicles and cyclists to operate.

Advanced Stop Lines Some respondents expressed concern that Advanced Stop Lines (ASLs) are not an adequate solution for improving cycling safety. One Advanced Stop Line is being provided on the southbound exit from Hackney Road onto Shoreditch High Street. A two metre wide cycle lane is proposed on the approach to this Advanced Stop Line, before the pedestrian crossing. This provides a waiting area for cyclists ahead of traffic to reduce conflict with waiting vehicles. The two metre cycle lane continues after the Advanced Stop Line providing space for cyclists.

Impact on buses

24-hour bus lane Some respondents called for the new bus lane to operate 24/7 to reflect the busy night-time and weekend economy in this area. The original proposed hours for the southbound bus lane on Shoreditch High Street were 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday. Following comments in the consultation and a reassessment of the needs of bus users and bus operators, the hours of operation of the bus lane have been amended to restrict it to use by only cyclists, motorcyclists, buses and taxis 24 hours a day.

5 Impact on pedestrians

General provision for pedestrians Some respondents noted the high footfall in this area and called for more to be done to improve provisions for pedestrians in Shoreditch High Street and nearby roads. The pedestrian traffic island at the northern end of the proposed scheme will be widened to provide additional space for pedestrians and to reduce the carriageway to one lane southbound on the exit from Hackney Road.

Impact on motorists

Reducing number of lanes on Hackney Road and Shoreditch High Street Some respondents said the proposed lane reduction will cause motor traffic congestion.

Motor traffic reassignment Some respondents said increased congestion in Shoreditch High Street will encourage rat-running in nearby minor roads or increase congestion on other arterial routes. The design of the scheme proposes the reduction from two southbound traffic lanes to one to provide right turn pockets for cyclists onto Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue. The proposals have been subject to traffic modelling and the overall impact on traffic congestion and vehicle queuing has been shown to be low.

Banned turn increasing journey times for motorists Some respondents objected to the proposals on the grounds that it would increase journey times for motorists who would have to use alternative routes. The proposals have been subject to traffic modelling and the overall impact on traffic congestion and vehicle queuing has been shown to be low. The scheme proposes a right-turn pocket for cyclists on Shoreditch High Street turning into Rivington Street as part of the east-west cycle grid route. This will be protected by traffic islands. In order to protect cyclists, the right-turn from Rivington Street onto Shoreditch High Street needs to be banned. Without this, motorists could turn right across the cycle pocket and waiting cyclists. Vehicles using Rivington Street would still be able to turn left out of Rivington Street and use Calvert Avenue, Boundary Street and Redchurch Street to re-join Shoreditch High Street.

6 Impact on road safety

Filtering minor roads Some respondents called for through motor traffic to be prevented from using minor roads near Shoreditch High Street as ‘rat-runs’, in particular roads along the Quietway route such as Rivington Street and Calvert Avenue. Respondents said this would improve safety for cyclists, pedestrians and residents. Rivington Street runs in parallel to Old Street and is regularly used by vehicles to service businesses in the area. There is a limited amount of through traffic “rat running” between Shoreditch High Street and Great Eastern Street. Businesses and residents need to have continued access and it would be inappropriate to close the road using filtering. Calvert Avenue connects Shoreditch High Street to residential areas including Arnold Circus and Boundary Street. It is also used by buses finishing their route and contains a number of bus stands. It would not be possible to close Calvert Avenue to through traffic without major changes to bus routes and restricting access to residential properties.

Reducing the footway on Calvert Avenue Some respondents were opposed to reducing the size of the Calvert Avenue footway to accommodate larger vehicles, saying this increases risk for vulnerable road users. Due to the proposed right-turn pockets and the traffic island that will be needed to protect cyclists, larger vehicles would not be able to physically make the left-turn into Calvert Avenue from Shoreditch High Street. The tracking line of larger vehicles such as waste lorries shows that the kerbs will need to be cut back slightly to allow these vehicles to make the turn without over-running the footway. Reducing the footway a small amount would allow larger vehicles to make the turn and help to protect pedestrians rather than increase the risk to their safety.

Hackney Road left turn lane Some respondents called for the removal of the Hackney Road slip road to improve cycling and pedestrian safety. The removal of the Hackney Road slip road would have a significant impact on traffic queuing on the approach to Old Street and Shoreditch High Street. This is not being considered within the scope of this project because of the detrimental impacts on queuing and traffic flow on Hackney Road. This junction falls within the scope of the Shoreditch Triangle scheme and will be considered as part of the wider upgrade of the network.

20mph speed limit Some respondents called for a 20mph speed limit on Shoreditch High Street (A10) to improve safety for all road users. A separate 20mph speed limit with associated signing and lining has been installed on the A10 in Hackney to improve safety for all road users.

Continuous footway across Calvert Avenue Some respondents called for a Dutch-style footway on Shoreditch High Street that continues across the entrance to Calvert Avenue, encouraging priority for pedestrians over turning traffic. Calvert Avenue is regularly used by larger vehicles, particularly buses and needs to maintain priority access for vans, delivery vehicles and waste lorries. Heavy vehicles turning into Calvert Avenue would damage standard footway materials which could become a maintenance issue and provide an uneven surface for pedestrians.

Impact on pollution

Extra traffic creating noise and air pollution Some respondents said increased congestion will lead to increased air pollution from motor traffic. The traffic modelling for this scheme indicates minor increases in traffic queueing and congestion as a result of the measures proposed on Shoreditch High Street. It is not anticipated that this will lead to significant increases in noise or air pollution. Transport for London have a range of measures to tackle air pollution including the T-Charge in central London, the introduction of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in April 2019 and the City Fringe Low Emission Neighbourhood which is currently being consulted on in this area.

Transport strategy

Proposals not compatible with Healthy Streets aspirations Some respondents claimed that the proposals are not compatible with the Mayor of London’s aspirations to create Healthy Streets, which favour walking, cycling and public transport over other modes.

These proposals are designed primarily for the benefit of cyclists who are currently unable to safely cross Shoreditch High Street on the east-west cycle route. Cyclists travelling north-south on Shoreditch High Street will also benefit from increased space, with 2 metre wide cycle lanes proposed on the exit from Hackney Road. There is no significant negative impact on pedestrians or public transport users as part of these proposals. The reduction of traffic lanes is likely to improve conditions for pedestrians in the area.

Waste of money Some respondents said the scheme did not represent adequate value for money. The cost of the scheme is low in comparison to other larger cycle superhighways and major schemes and all costs are scrutinised during the design process. Cycling levels in Hackney are high when compared to other parts of London with a long-term target to increase the cycling mode share to 15% and this scheme provides an important connection in the Quietway 13 cycle route which will benefit significant numbers of cyclists.

Comments on the consultation

Combining Quietway consultations Some respondents asked why all of Quietway 13 was not consulted on and implemented in one process. The proposals at this junction form part of the Quietway 13 cycle route, linking F arringdon to B roadway Market. The majority of the route is on roads managed by the London Borough of Hackney ra ther than TfL so we cannot consult on these roads. C ons ulta tion times ca les vary between schemes and therefore cannot all be carried out a t the s ame time.