Thank you for your email received by us on 20 June 2017 asking for information about the East West Cycle Superhighway at Lancaster Gate.
Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require.
As you may be aware, the resurfacing works at Lancaster Gate were completed on 22 June and we are pleased to advise this was six days ahead of schedule. Owing to the temporary traffic management required to safely facilitate these works, congestion will have inevitably increased over this period, but we now expect traffic flows to settle. We apologise for the inconvenience caused during this time, however these works were critical to ensure suitable road surfacing has been provided for all users.
As mentioned in the previous correspondence, as part of the resurfacing works we updated the traffic signal technology in the area. This new equipment is currently being configured and we expect to see an improvement to journey times over the next 6-8 weeks. Following resurfacing we have also installed new road markings which have helped improve lane discipline in the area.
The westbound closure at Cumberland Gate is part of the East-West Cycle Superhighway improvements and was included within the public consultation undertaken in spring 2015. Making North Carriage Drive one way eastbound to vehicles (except cyclists) enables a simpler and safer T- junction design at Victoria Gate. This junction improvement also allowed for 600 square metres of highway to be turned into additional park land to enhance the urban realm. North Carriage Drive is still under temporary operation and the final scheme to formalise this one way operation will be implemented early next year following the events season in Hyde Park.
As you described, east of Victoria Gate, along Bayswater Road there has been a reduction in traffic lanes. This has been necessary to create space to accommodate new cycling facilities in each direction and a new signal controlled pedestrian crossing. Owing to the limited space available and the presence of trees, it has not been possible to provide a dedicated westbound left turning lane into Hyde Park in addition to these new facilities.
With regards to the road closure on North Carriage Drive, this is an annual planned closure coordinated by The Royal Parks, the land owners, to accommodate British Summer Time; the road is also subject to other closures throughout the year to accommodate other events such as Winter Wonderland.
In order to accommodate the new cycle lanes, we have had to rebalance road space which has resulted in the removal of some space from other road users, including traffic lanes. These adaptations are designed to meet London’s changing and future needs. More information about the East-West Cycle Superhighway scheme, including the consultation we completed, can be found at https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/improvements-and-projects/cycle-superhighway-east-west.
We assess the safety benefits of a scheme across the whole route. The collision statistics for the East-West Cycle Superhighway route 36 months prior to construction of the scheme are provided in the table below. The Cycle Superhighway has been delivered to improve safety, but also to provide dedicated segregated road space for cyclists, which will help to encourage more people to cycle, as well as providing many improvements to pedestrians and the urban realm.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has recently released his draft transport strategy. The strategy sets out his plans to transform London’s streets, improve public transport and create opportunities for new homes and jobs, to ensure London is a fairer, greener, healthier and more prosperous city. As part of part of this, the Mayor pledges to transform the experience of the walking and cycling environment in central London by reducing the dominance of vehicular traffic. The Mayor’s aim for 2041 is for 80 per cent of Londoners’ trips to be on foot, by cycle or by using public transport. TfL commission annual research regarding attitudes to cycling and year on year the fear of being involved in a collision is the biggest barrier to cycling.
If you would like to respond to the public consultation on the Mayor’s draft transport strategy please visit this webpage https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/policy/mayors-transport-strategy/?cid=mayors-transport-strategy.
If this is not the information you are looking for, or if you are unable to access it for any reason, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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Yours sincerely
Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
Information Governance
Transport For London
