Request ID: FOI-0070-2425 Date published: 01 May 2024
You asked
F/on from FOI-4568
I would like to request any information regarding cycling on the A5, anywhere from Marble Arch up to St John's Wood. To include:
a) Any assessments on the adequacy for cycling on any part of this road;
b) Any proposals considered for cycling infrastructure in the last 5 years;
c) Reasons why proposals not taken forward.
We answered
Our ref: FOI-0070-2425/GH Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 5 April 2024 asking for information about cycling adequacy on the A5. Your request has been considered under the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and our information access policy. I can confirm that we do hold the information you require.
I would like to request any information regarding cycling on the A5, anywhere from Marble Arch up to St John's Wood. To include:
Any assessments on the adequacy for cycling on any part of this road;
Any proposals considered for cycling infrastructure in the last 5 years;
It is known that the A5 does not offer a good cycling environment and that to provide a facility/level of service that would meet national and TfL’s own quality criteria would require a full segregation approach. We have done some work looking at the existing and potential importance of this link for cycling including a comparative assessment with the A41, however cycle infrastructure along the main routes such as the A5 is challenging and involves considerable investment due to the level of segregation and changes to signal junctions involved. Whilst there are no proposals to provide cycle infrastructure along the A5 directly, a lot has been done on local routes including east west crossings of the A5 and several in pipeline for north south links.
The approach has been to work with the City of Westminster on developing a network of cycle provision of routes running across or parallel to the A5 --- the enhancements at the junction at Blomfield Road and Harrowby Street being 2 examples.
Reasons why proposals not taken forward.
As indicated above the focus has been on working closely with Westminster on a network of local provision ---- C27,C43,C51 etc We have not progressed the idea of a fully segregated cycle route along the A5 itself mainly based on detailed engineering and local knowledge which indicates such a proposal would be very impactful on other road users, would have massive engineering challenges at some key junctions, be very expensive and be politically challenging --- the experience on developing the local network routes described bears this out. We do have an ambitious cycle programme and this does include routes along major routes eg Cycleway 4 but at the moment we have no proposal for the A5 for the reasons stated.
Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal.
Yours sincerely
Graham Hurt FOI Case Officer FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
