There has been some progress with cycle schemes in the Royal Parks:
Studio Walk in Kensington Gardens
In Kensington Gardens, consultants have undertaken a second round of monitoring
of shared use on Studio Walk (see photo right). Their favourable conclusions are
expected to lead to the arrangement being made permanent when the trial period
ends in January.
Further details
In Hyde Park, the Royal Parks have obtained funding to develop and install
a permanent shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists
adjacent to the North Carriage Drive. This will be particularly useful when
the road is closed for various events - including the Olympics.
In St James's Park, we have seen plans for reconfiguring the junction
of Horse Guards Road with Birdcage Walk / Storey's Gate. Although a new island
will make it easier for pedestrians to cross Birdcage Walk, this is likely to make
right turns more difficult for cyclists. We have therefore urged the Royal Parks to consider
other options.
We have also seen plans for modifying the traffic scheme in front of Buckingham Palace.
The changes are not dramatic but include a slight reduction in the number of traffic lanes
and more advance stop lines.
Traffic modelling suggested that they could not close the west side of the Spur Road triangle without
causing congestion. So it will be difficult to put in a more radical scheme without
a large reduction in traffic volumes.
There are no immediate plans for implementing this £¼m scheme.
