East East West Cycle Superhighway Hyde Park Response to Consultation August 2015 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation September 2015 Contents Executive summary ..................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 2 2 The consultation ..................................................................................................... 6 3 Responses to the consultation ................................................................................ 9 4 Summary of stakeholder responses ..................................................................... 15 5 Conclusion and next steps .................................................................................... 23 Next steps ................................................................................................................. 23 Appendix A – TfL response to issues commonly raised ............................................ 23 Appendix B – consultation letter and map of distribution area .................................. 33 Appendix C – Email to stakeholders and stakeholder groups ................................... 39 Appendix D – List of stakeholders and stakeholder groups ...................................... 40 Appendix E – Email to Oyster users on the TfL database ......................................... 56 Appendix F – SEBRA News advert (March 2015) ..................................................... 57 Executive summary Between 9 February and 29 March 2015, Transport for London (TfL) consulted on revised proposals for the East-West Cycle Superhighway at Lancaster Gate. We received 651 responses to the consultation, of which 78% supported or partially supported our proposals. Comments from respondents included general support for the proposals, suggestions that a pedestrian crossing should be provided to Sussex Gardens, and concerns regarding the impact on traffic. After considering all responses, we intend to proceed with the scheme as set out in the consultation documents, although with some changes to the detailed proposals, as summarised below. Subject to the formal Traffic Order process and agreement with Westminster City Council, we plan to start construction work in November 2015, with completion planned for summer 2016. We will keep visitors and road users informed of our plans and progress, including writing to local residents, businesses and other stakeholders before undertaking work in their area. We will also provide road traffic information to help people better plan their journeys and make informed choices about how, where and when they travel. Changes to proposals set out in the consultation documents Having considered comments received, we are planning some changes to the proposals set out for consultation, including: Following further investigations and discussions with Westminster City Council and key stakeholders, we will install a new signalised crossing to the north-west corner of the public garden at Sussex Gardens, providing a controlled pedestrian access point to this park We have revised the design of the Bayswater Road / Lancaster Terrace junction to accommodate a ‘straight-across’ pedestrian crossing on Bayswater Road, opposite the entrance to Hyde Park at Marlborough Gate, instead of the two-stage ‘staggered’ crossing we consulted on We have reviewed parking controls in the area to ensure available parking is maximised. The conversion of a zebra crossing to signalised crossing at Westbourne Crescent means that shorter zig-zag markings can be provided. The remaining space will be placed under single yellow line control, allowing parking during off-peak times including Sunday 1 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation 1 Introduction We originally consulted on proposals for the East-West Cycle Superhighway between 3 September 2014 and 9 November 2014. Following the September 2014 consultation, the TfL Board agreed that some changes to the original proposals would be subject to further consultation. Between 9 February and 29 March 2015, we consulted on further proposals for certain sections of the East-West Cycle Superhighway. This included revised proposals for the section of the route at Lancaster Gate. These amended designs were developed following further investigations and in response to feedback from residents and others. As part of the consultation material, we provided an updated summary of predicted journey time impacts through the scheme area for different road users This document explains the processes, responses and outcomes of the Lancaster Gate consultation, and sets out our response to issues commonly raised. 1.1 Purpose of the scheme Feedback from the September 2014 consultation included concerns about the alignment and layout of the cycle facilities. In response to this and following further investigations, we, we made substantial changes to the design of this section of the East-West Cycle Superhighway to provide a more direct route for southbound cyclists 1.2 Description of the proposals The new proposals at Lancaster Gate included: Segregated two-way cycle track on Westbourne Street between Sussex Gardens and Bayswater Road New signalised pedestrian crossing across Westbourne Street at the junction with Stanhope Terrace Segregated cycle track eastbound on Bayswater Road Removal of approximately 13 resident parking spaces on Westbourne Street Removal of some mature trees No reduction in parking on Bathurst Street, Stanhope Terrace or Sussex Square Changes to local bus operations Elements of the previous scheme that remained: Introduction of two-way traffic on Bayswater Road Segregated cycle track westbound on Bayswater Road Segregated cycle tracks onto Westbourne Terrace via Sussex Gardens New signalised pedestrian crossing at Victoria Gate/Brook Street junction 2 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation Benefits of the scheme compared to previous proposals: The revised proposals provide southbound cyclists on the East-West Cycle Superhighway with a more direct route to Hyde Park via Westbourne Street and Bayswater Road The road layout of Bathurst Street, Stanhope Terrace, Sussex Square and Brook Street would remain unchanged Moving the segregated cycle track to the eastern side of Westbourne Street would maintain the existing access to the Lancaster London Hotel and remove interactions with loading and the taxi rank A new signalised crossing on Westbourne Street would allow pedestrians to cross in one movement Please see the TfL consultation website for full details of the proposals consulted on. 3 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation 1.3 Map of the proposals 4 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation 1.4 Changes to bus services at Lancaster Gate 5 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation 2 The consultation 2.1 Consultation duration and structure Duration The consultation on revised proposals for the East-West Cycle Superhighway at Lancaster Gate ran from 9 February 2015 to 29 March 2015. Structure Information on the consultation, including details of the proposals consulted on, was available online at tfl.gov.uk/east-west-consult from 9 February 2015. Respondents were asked about their level of support for the proposals (‘support’, ‘partially support’, ‘don’t support’, ‘not sure’, ‘no opinion’). Respondents were also given an opportunity to comment on the proposals. Respondents were also asked to submit their name, email address and postcode, along with information about their cycling and other travel habits. All questions were optional, apart from the question asking for overall views on the proposal. Other information, such as the respondent’s IP address and the date and time of responding, was recorded automatically. All data is held under conditions that conform to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. 2.2. Consultation material, distribution and publicity 2.2.1 Consultation website On 9 February 2015, detailed information on the proposals was published at https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/cycling/82f4da86. The consultation information included explanatory text, a detailed design drawing of the scheme area, and a map showing changes to bus services at Lancaster Gate. 2.2.2 Non-web formats Printed plans, accompanying descriptions and response forms were available on request by telephone, email or writing to FREEPOST TFL CONSULTATIONS. The printed material was also available at the seven public events held during the consultation period. 2.2.3 Consultation publicity The consultation information was publicised via the following channels: Publicity specific to the Lancaster Gate consultation A letter and consultation drawing were sent to 17,298 addresses in postcode sectors within 0.5 miles of the scheme area (See Appendix B for the letter and map of the distribution area). 6 East-West Cycle Superhighway Lancaster Gate Response to Consultation Wider publicity including the Lancaster Gate consultation Emails to stakeholders: We emailed around 700 different stakeholder organisations to let them know about the consultation. Please see Appendix C for the email and Appendix D for the list of recipients. The email contained a brief summary of the proposals and a link to the consultation website. Leaflet distribution to