Consultation: Salmon Lane Area

Tower Hamlets is committed to making the borough a safer place which people can take pride in. We are looking to deliver a range of improvements to our streets for everyone’s benefit, whether you walk, cycle, use public transport or drive. The first area to be reviewed is Stepney as we have received funding through and development contributions to improve the area.

“This is an exciting opportunity to improve the streets of Stepney. There are lots of small changes we could make which would really improve the streets in this area and discourage dangerous driving.

We want to know your ideas – where do you think a small change would make a big

improvement?

We’ve put forward some of our ideas but we know it is local residents who know their streets best. So share your ideas and together we can Transform Stepney and make it an even better place to live. We’re rolling out improvements in the Stepney area first of all,

but other areas throughout the borough will follow soon.”

- the Mayor

The Transforming Stepney’s Streets improvement area is framed by the A13, Sidney Street, A11, and Mile End Park and has approximately 9,500 residential homes. We are planning to make a range of improvements to the area, to help create better connected walking and cycling routes (including to the many schools in the area), making our roads safer and reducing the volume of traffic using these roads as a ‘rat run’. We also want to improve the look and feel of the area, making it an even more enjoyable, and safer, place to live, work and visit.

At peak times of the day, there is a significant increase in vehicles ‘rat running’ between the A13 and A11, and the school run. This has recently further increased in some residential roads, after the introduction of the Cycle Superhighway 2, which has closed a number of turns from the A11. This increased activity adds to the reduction in air quality within an area that is home for approximately 14,000 residents and 13 schools. Air quality is a big concern in our borough as it affects the health of all of us, particularly the young and the elderly.

Aims of the scheme:

√ Improve the look, feel and safety of the street for all road users;

√ Reduce the volume of non-local traffic rat running through the area;

√ Improve traffic calming in the existing 20mph zone to slow vehicle speeds throughout the area;

√ Improve walking and cycling routes to and from local schools, and places of interest

How you can get involved

We want everyone who lives, works and uses the local area to have their say on the scheme design and help shape the proposals. Over the next two months we shall be running a number of consultations which will show you all the Transforming Stepney’s Streets proposals. You will have the opportunity to give us feedback on what you like, don’t like and make your own suggestions on other improvements you would like to see in the area.

In order to manage the consultation over such a large area we have broken it into 5 smaller-sub- areas, these are listed below:

Salmon Lane Area

The Salmon Lane area consists of residential streets that are being invested in to create greater places to live, work and travel around. This area of the scheme is bounded by Ben Johnson Road/Burdent Road/Pixley Street/Copenhagen Place//Belgrave Street/Stepney High Street. A key feature of the scheme is to help improve the safety of the street, improve the existing 20 mph zone and to improve the environment you live in.

The area consists of approximately 1900 addresses and is used by those travelling to the schools on Aston Street and Halley Street as well as the large attraction of Whitehorse Road Park.

Key proposals

The key proposals include:

• The introduction of new traffic calming measures in order slow traffic to 20 mph

• Improvements to the junction of Troon Street and White Horse Road to improve road safety and reduce collisions

• Barnes Street to be changed to one-way north bound to reduce non local traffic rat running through the residential streets

• Public Realm improvements to the road closure at the junction of White Horse Road and Belgrave Street

• Blended Crossings on side streets and a new crossing on Salmon Lane to improve pedestrian routes

Consultation

In 2014, there were 932 personal injury collisions recorded in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 65% of those involved were either a cyclist, pedestrian or motor cycle.

Implementing 20 mph zones and limits across the borough has had a positive impact on reducing collisions and improving safety for all road users. Previous 20 mph zones have helped to reduce accidents in those areas by up to 70%. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents estimates that a pedestrian has a 90% chance of surviving being hit by a car at 20 mph, whereas this falls to a 50% chance at 30 mph and 10% at 40 mph.

We have recently taken this a step further in helping to make our streets safer by placing a 20 mph speed limit across the borough.

Traffic Calming Measures

To try and influence driver behaviour and keep vehicles to appropriate speeds within residential areas and on key walking and cycling routes to schools, we are proposing to improve the traffic calming across the area. This includes:

• 20 mph Roundels: The refreshing and introduction of new 20 mph road markings on the entry to the area and on the main link roads such as Salmon Lane

• Speed Cushions: The introduction of further speed cushions in many of the roads as indicated on the proposal map

• Speed Humps: Additional full width speed humps along Halley Street with a raised table at the junction of Carr Street

(example of a speed hump that is easier for cyclists and cannot be avoided by vehicles)

(example of a 20mph roundel to increase awareness of the speed limit in the Salmon Lane area)

To what extent do you agree with the introduction of the new traffic calming measures?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree Comments

Junction Improvement

On further examination of collision levels we have found that most of these happen at junctions due to conflicting movements. This is particularly true at the junction of Troon Street/White Horse Road. Here there has been four collisions. 75% of these collisions involved vulnerable road users (25% pedestrians and 50% cyclists). Road user behaviour is key to reducing collision and although changes in road layout can’t fully resolve this, changing the layout of the highway can help. Therefore, we are looking at making improvements to this junction.

To do this we are proposing to:

• Narrow the roads approaching the junction

• Widen the footways for pedestrians, especially on the north eastern corner for those with push chairs and children walking to school

• Raise the roundabout to prevent vehicles from driving straight over

• Improve signs in the area

To what extent do you agree with the proposals at the junction of Troon Street/White Horse Road?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Comments:

New One Way Streets

Since the introduction of the Cycle Super Highway 2 and its restrictions on turning movements on the A11 residents have informed us of an increase in vehicles, especially large vehicles, cutting between the A13 and A11. This has increased vehicles on residential streets like Aston Street, York Square and Barnes Street.

Therefore to help reduce the non local traffic and heavy goods vehicles from unnecessarily entering your streets, potentially causing safety problems and undesirable places to walk and cycle, we want to make the southern half of Barnes Street one-way northbound. This would mean vehicles would not be able to use Barnes Street to get to the A13.

(Please refer to larger map for more information)

To what extent do you agree with the one way changes on the southern end of Barnes Street?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Comments:

Cycling and Walking Improvements

To help make walking and cycling throughout the Borough easier, safer and more enjoyable, we are proposing to introduce a new style of crossing at side road junctions that have a low vehicle flow. We call these blended crossings.

Blended crossings are designed to slow down vehicles when entering or exiting side roads and encourage vehicles to give way to pedestrians crossing the road, reinforcing the rules of the Highway Code.

The design of a blended crossing is to extend the footway over the junction to make it clear that pedestrians have the right of way. This will also make walking easier for people with push chairs and in wheelchairs.

Blended crossings are proposed on Aston Street with accesses to the Estates, Salmon Lane at its junctions with Conder Street and Brenton Street, and Carr Street with its junction with Parnham Street. An example of a blended crossing can be seen below.

A new crossing location is propsed on Salmon Lane near its junction with Aston Street. This will make it easier and safer for pupils and parents walking to and from Cayley Primary School.

To what extent do you agree with the blended crossing proposals?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Comments:

To what extent do you agree with the new crossing being proposed at the junction of Salmon Lane/Aston Street

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Comments:

Public Spaces

The existing modal filter on White Horse Road/Belgrave Street is to be redesigned to make it look more attractive. There is also scope to improve pedestrian and cycle facilities to provide a better link between the two parks in order for these road users to cross the road safely.

To what extent do you agree with the public space improvement?

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

Comments:

Contact Us

Residents can give their opinions on the proposals at: www.pclconsult.co.uk/tower-hamlets

If you require any other information please contact Project Centre Ltd who are carrying out the consultation on behalf of LB Tower Hamlets.

Via Email: [email protected]

Via Telephone: 07768141994

Via Post: Public Consultations Project Centre Unit 2 Holford Yard London WC1X 9HD