Westminster Cycling Campaign News: November 2008
Cyclists
are beginning to use new toucan crossings at Marble Arch. These have been
installed across junctions on the south side of the gyratory system and connect
the central reservation of Park Lane with Hyde Park and with the island where
the arch stands. There is no crossing to the north of the arch, but signals stop
the traffic just long enough to reach Great Cumberland Place from the arch and
vice versa.
If you are thinking of crossing here, there are a number of points to note:
- If you are coming south from Great Cumberland Place, you need to be in the
right-hand lane in order to reach the arch.
- If you are heading north towards Great Cumberland Place, the only time you
could possibly start to cross the road from the arch is when traffic starts
turning left out of Great Cumberland Place.
- The Royal Parks have not yet allowed cycling along the paths connecting
Marble Arch with the cycle routes around Hyde Park, but they are planning to
do so.
Marble Arch is actually made of marble. It was designed by John Nash in 1828
and originally stood outside Buckingham Palace. It was moved to its present site
in 1851, supposedly because it was too narrow for carriages to pass through.