Obstacles to Cycling in Westminster
Westminster cyclists visit City Hall in their quest for improved conditions. Aldwych |
AldwychTypical of the gyratory systems of the 1960s that are now largely discredited and a hostile environment for cyclists: at some point you will probably have to cross at least two lanes of fast-moving traffic. Not to mention the noise, fumes etc. As part of the London Bus Priority network, there was a scheme to introduce a contraflow westbound bus lane in the Aldwych and to reduce the width of the parallel section of the Strand. Some of the released space would become a pedestrian area and a service road. When the Transportation and Highways Committee discussed the scheme on 23/01/01, members delayed further progress on the scheme (and destroyed any benefit for sustainable forms of transport) by asking officers to ensure that no group of road users would be given an advantage over other groups of road users. The Strand and Aldwych are on the line of LCN+ Route 38, which currently the subject of a CRISP (Cycle Route Stakeholder Implementation Plan). This may result in improvements. In the meantime, your best way to avoid the Aldwych is to use Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Great Queen Street and Long Acre. Though you will probably be blocked by a one-way section of Long Acre at some point. (see ‘Covent Garden’.) |
Delamere Terrace |
Blomfield Road and Delamere TerraceThe one-way section between Westbourne Terrace Road and Warwick Avenue is a serious obstacle to anyone cycling from the canal towards the Edgware Road crossing. The road is wide enough for a contraflow lane, though there is a tricky bend. There is a similar problem in Delamere Terrace, which is also one-way westbound. This is a problem for eastbound cyclists coming from the canal. Some currently ride illegally along the higher-level footway. Please see the Canals Page for more information. |
Cambridge Circus |
Cambridge CircusCambridge Circus featured in the TV programme Accident Black Spot. It certainly has a high casualty rate among pedestrians, thanks largely to the lack of pedestrian signals for the crossings of Shaftesbury Avenue (west) and Charing Cross Road (south). 69 pedestrians, 14 cyclists, 19 motorcyclists and 21 occupants of other vehicles were injured over a five-year period. As far as cycling is concerned, Cambridge Circus is a hole in the cycle network between the routes through Soho and the routes through Covent Garden. A sign indicates a southbound route through West Street, but it is impossible to reach it without dismounting and using the (unsignalled) pedestrian crossing. Our campaign for improved conditions was boosted by an article in TfL’s magazine London Direct in April 2001. A red/green man crossing for pedestrians has now been installed across Shaftesbury Avenue of the west side of the Circus. We believe that a cycle route between Soho and Covent Garden can be provided around the east side of the Circus without significantly conflicting with pedestrian movements. Unfortunately this route is not one of the ones included in the London Cycle Network Plus project. It is therefore unlike to receive much attention in the coming years. |
(Above) Work in progress on Long Acre in Covent Garden (Below) Motorists using the Wellington Street cycle track
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Covent GardenThe traffic-clogged streets of Covent Garden lie partly in Westminster and partly in Camden. Problems faced by cyclists in Covent Garden include: Long Acre: until now, the one-way scheme at the eastern end has meant that eastbound cyclists heading towards Great Queen Street are faced with a long detour via Bow Street, Tavistock Street and Drury Lane. After many years of campaigning by cyclists, Westminster is now putting in a contraflow cycle lane from Bow Street to Drury Lane. Something similar from Bow Street to St Martin's Lane would be really useful! Tavistock Street: the one-way section west of Wellington Street means that the route through Bedford Street to Leicester Square cannot be used in the reverse direction. It also blocks a possible route from Charing Cross via Chandos Place. Westminster's consultants have proposed a contraflow lane for eastbound cyclists. This would begin on the south side but cross to the north side shortly before Burleigh Street. Wellington Street: There is an unsatisfactory arrangement at the junction with the Strand, where conflict between cyclists and pedestrians could occur. In addition, the ‘no through road’ sign for motor vehicles in Wellington Street is badly placed, with the result that many motor vehicles have to reverse on reaching the closure at the Strand. Otherwise they simply drive along the cycle track (see photo). Further information on LCN+ Route 6 Following a number of unsuccessful initiatives by Camden, Westminster is now developing an action plan for improving Covent Garden. Further information on Covent Garden on www.coventgarden.org.uk |
 Lancaster Gate |
Lancaster GateLike the Aldwych, this gyratory system is a relic of outdated traffic planning and highly intimidating for cyclists. A count in July 2000 showed that 72 of the 194 eastbound cyclists passing through the area between 08:00 and 09:00 did so on the south footway of Bayswater Road in order to reach Victoria Gate into Hyde Park. We considered a number of solutions, but none seemed entirely satisfactory. A contraflow eastbound lane along Bayswater Road might not tempt cyclists away from the south footway because of the need to cross Lancaster Terrace and Westbourne Terrace. And it is an expensive solution. A cycle track along the south footway could lead to conflict with pedestrians near the bus stop and when the art market was open. A path through Kensington Gardens between Marlborough Gate and Victoria Gate might be used at excessive speed by (downhill) westbound cyclists and would not be open after dark. After several studies, the Royal Parks concluded that it would be unsafe to allow cyclists to use this route. So we are no further forward, except that cyclists heading towards Hyde Park Corner can now use the two permitted paths through Kensington Gardens to avoid Lancaster Gate altogether. |
 The Harrow Road gyratory system |
PaddingtonThe Harrow Road, the railway and the canal are a formidable barrier to north-south cycle movements in the Paddington area and the gyratory systems on the Harrow Road are best avoided. For many years there has been a legal agreement between the City of Westminster and the developer of the Goods Yard site that there should be a pedestrian and cycle route across the site between Bishop’s Bridge Road and the junction of Harrow Road and Westbourne Terrace Road, where there is now a surface-level crossing. After many years of inactivity, the Goods Yard site, now known as Paddington Central is now being developed in phases. The final phase has still to be completed, so the path does not yet reach the Harrow Road. In October 2001, the developer applied for permission to defer the design of the cycle route. Westminster Cycling Campaign and Sustrans successfully objected. In the meantime, the canal towing-path has been improved and cyclists are now allowed to use it. We strongly support a proposal to install traffic signals around the Harrow Road / Bishop's Bridge Road gyratory system. As well as taming traffic, this would allow pedestrians to cross at surface level. |
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From Private Eye 14-27 December 2001 |
Pavement CyclingIn the minds of many people, the word associated with 'cycling' is 'pavement'. This is especially true of many members of Westminster City Council. If unauthorised cycling on the footway really is as prevalent as some people allege, then it is symptomatic of a number of problems, such as:
Westminster Cycling Campaign is determined to tackle all three of these problems. We therefore welcome reports of where unauthorised cycling on the footway is a particular problem, so that we can address the issues that cause it. Although many pedestrians are afraid of unauthorised cyclists on the footway and quite rightly resent their presence there, collisions are thankfully rare: the most common experience is that someone was "nearly knocked down" by a cyclist. To put the problem in perspective, one pedestrian was reported injured by a cyclist on the footway in Westminster over the five years 1994-8. This figure compares with 246 pedestrians who were reported injured by motor vehicles on the footway in Westminster over the same period. It has been suggested that the 'lycra lout' image of cycling among certain pedestrians is reinforced by the wearing of clothing that suggests that cyclists come from another planet. There is less objection to old people riding on the footway in more ordinary clothes. |
Romilly Street in Soho. The van received a fixed-penalty notice shortly after this photo was taken. |
SohoIn March 2000, Westminster decided to abandon the experimental pedestrian scheme in Soho. Fortunately the cycle routes that were installed as part of the pedestrianisation scheme survived and have since been supplemented by a link between Carlisle Street and Chapel Street and a cycle gap in Soho Street. The one-way system in Soho continues to be a problem, especially in the area of Noel Street and Hollen Street. The feasibility study on LCN+ Route 39 has proposed making these streets two-way for cycles. Victoria StationDifficult to reach on a bike because of the gyratory system and even harder to escape from. As for parking your bike, it’s likely to make you miss your train. Westminster City Council has now issued a planning brief. Thanks to input from cyclists, the problems they face are clearly stated. Land Securities plc are seeking to redevelop the site bounded by Buckingham Palace Road / Victoria Street / Bressenden Place with a mixed development incorporating an underground bus station. There may be some scope for making local cycling improvements as part of this development. |
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Victoria Street / Storey’s Gate / Great Smith StreetA difficult junction on the route between Lambeth Bridge and St James’s Park. Southbound cyclists have a difficult right turn out of Storey’s Gate. Northbound cyclists have difficulty in reaching the advance stop line in Great Smith Street when there is a queue of traffic. We strongly supported a proposal to install traffic signals on Broad Sanctuary to the east of Storey's Gate as part of LCN+ Route 0. Stopping the traffic at this point would not only allow cyclists to turn right more easily from Storey's Gate but also enable visitors to cross the road between Westminster Abbey and the public toilets. Unfortunately engineers concluded that the signals would be so far apart on Victoria Street - Broad Sanctuary that traffic would be delayed by an abnormally long inter-phase gap. Waterloo BridgeFor many years, cyclists have been pressing for car-parking to be banned 24 hours a day on the bridge. Cars can currently park there in the evening. and at the weekend and on Sundays, when parking restrictions do not appear to be enforced. Cyclist have also been experiencing difficulties with the surface of the bridge. In the northbound direction, holes often appear each side of an expansion joint towards the north end. In the southbound direction, the road surface has become seriously rutted by the weight of traffic at the approach to the Bull Ring roundabout. Westminster are aware of these problems but have not yet applied a final solution. |
