In April 2019, the new road layout for Highbury Corner was opened. One result is that significant levels of traffic is now diverting off the A1 and using Liverpool Road, a residential street. I am investigating why this was not predicted and avoided as part of the project design as I believe there are significant lessons to be learned. This was a joint TfL / Islington Council project so I am writing to both of these public bodies. As residents, the quality of many aspects of our lives is at the mercy of decisions made by politicians and public authorities. We have no choice but to trust in the quality of those decision and the quality the information and advice that feeds into those decisions. Many people living on Liverpool Road are now living on an extremely busy road. We are suffering with increased noise and pollution because politicians and their advisers failed in their analysis of the impact of the Highbury Corner project. By learning lessons, the hope is that TfL and local councils can improve the quality of their traffic modelling and do better at mitigating the impact of such projects. An additional hope is that by learning from this, politicians and the public will be equipped to ask better questions. The text below is a section from a public TfL document called “Highbury Corner Traffic Modelling - Explanatory note” (https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/highbury-corner-roundabout/user_uploads/highbury-corner-traffic-modelling-explanatory-note.pdf-1). The red colour has been added by me. Journey times when traveling north to south and south to north on the A1 (Holloway Road to Upper Street and vice versa) through Highbury Corner have indeed increased. However the increased journey times are not restricted to just peak times, they are at all times of the day. There are consequences when journey times increase: drivers find alternative routes. Based on the forecasts highlighted in red below, can you send me all the analysis (data and conclusions) undertaken that considered the consequences of these increased journey times. For example (and these are only examples): (a) how traffic might be displaced onto other roads and which roads (b) the environmental impact on other areas Can you also send me extracts from minutes that relate to any questions asked about the impact of these increased journey times and the responses to those questions. In addition, can you also send me all correspondence and documentation relating to this project that addressed the potential impact on traffic levels on Liverpool Road. I am not interested in the results of public surveys. Thank you General Traffic We anticipate changes to journeys through the scheme area. Some journeys for general traffic would get longer at the busiest times of day and some would get shorter. The traffic modelling analysis looks at predicted journey times at the busiest hours of the peak periods in the morning and evening. The predicted changes to journey times are summarised as follows: Traffic travelling southbound between Holloway Road and Upper Street is predicted to experience an increase in journey times of between 1 and 2 minutes in both the morning and evening peaks. Southbound journey times between Holloway Road and Canonbury Road would be 1 to 2 minutes longer in the morning peak and 2 to 3 minutes longer in the evening peak. When travelling northbound between Upper Street and Holloway Road, general traffic journey times are forecast to increase by up to 1 minute in both the morning and evening peaks. Northbound journey times between Canonbury Road and Holloway Road are forecast to be 2 to 3 minutes longer in the morning peak and up to 1 minute longer in the evening peak. Westbound journey times between St Paul’s Road and Upper Street and St Paul’s Road and Holloway Road are forecast to decrease by up to 1 minute in the morning peak. Eastbound journeys between Upper Street and St Paul's Road would also experience a decrease of up to 1 minute in the morning peak. Evening peak journey times are predicted to increase by up to 1 minute for all three of the above routes. Journey times in both the morning and evening peak are forecast to be 1 to 2 minutes longer for traffic travelling eastbound between Holloway Road and St Paul’s Road. For westbound journeys between St Paul’s Road and Canonbury Road, there would be up to a 1 minute decrease in the morning peak and between 1 to 2 minutes increase in the evening peak.

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TfL Ref: 1274-2021

Thank you for your request received by us on 2 October 2020 asking for information about the new road layout for Highbury Corner, north London.

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. You asked for the following information:
In April 2019, the new road layout for Highbury Corner was opened. One result is that significant levels of traffic is now diverting off the A1 and using Liverpool Road, a residential street. I am investigating why this was not predicted and avoided as part of the project design as I believe there are significant lessons to be learned. This was a joint TfL / Islington Council project so I am writing to both of these public bodies…
The text below is a section from a public TfL document called “Highbury Corner Traffic Modelling - Explanatory note” (https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/highbury-corner-roundabout/user_uploads/highbury-corner-traffic-modelling-explanatory-note.pdf-1).
Q1. There are consequences when journey times increase: drivers find alternative routes. Based on the forecasts highlighted in red below, can you send me all the analysis (data and conclusions) undertaken that considered the consequences of these increased journey times. For example (and these are only examples):

(a) how traffic might be displaced onto other roads and which roads

As per the consultation page referenced above, Transport for London (TfL) worked with the London Borough of Islington to appraise the scheme changes at Highbury Corner using a variety of modelling tools and data.

Principally, we used a modelling package called SATURN to understand how changes in traffic signal timings and road capacities will influence driver routes and traffic volumes for the AM and PM peak periods. This would highlight any road where there is expected to be a reduction in traffic (for blue lines, the thickness denotes the amount of traffic reduction) or other roads which may experience more traffic (red lines, again the thickness denotes the amount of traffic reduction), as shown in the attached PDF.

(b) the environmental impact on other areas

As part of the formal planning process, environmental monitoring and appraisal was undertaken. The documents detailing this can be found on Islington Council’s planning portal. Please navigate to the bottom of the page and click ‘Related Documents’ to view this and all other documents and information related to the planning approval of the Highbury Corner Scheme at:

https://planning.islington.gov.uk/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/Generic/StdDetails.aspx?PT=Planning%20Applications%20On-Line&TYPE=PL/PlanningPK.xml&PARAM0=462585&XSLT=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Islington/xslt/PL/PLDetails.xslt&FT=Planning%20Application%20Details&PUBLIC=Y&XMLSIDE=/Northgate/PlanningExplorer/SiteFiles/Skins/Islington/Menus/PL.xml&DAURI=PLANNING

In accordance with section 21 of the FOI Act, we are not obliged to supply you with a copy of the requested information as it is already accessible to you elsewhere.

Q2. Can you also send me extracts from minutes that relate to any questions asked about the impact of these increased journey times and the responses to those questions.

The most relevant document containing this are the RSPG minutes; the Road Space Performance Group where TfL’s Traffic Manager appraises the impact of proposed schemes on the network.  Key extracts are attached and the response to consultation questions can be found on the links to TfL’s consultation pages here: 

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/highbury-corner-roundabout/

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/roads/highbury-corner-roundabout/user_uploads/highbury-corner-response-to-issues-raised.pdf

Q3. In addition, can you also send me all correspondence and documentation relating to this project that addressed the potential impact on traffic levels on Liverpool Road.

As limited traffic impact was expected on Liverpool Road there is nothing further to add pertaining to traffic modelling under the scheme approval process; there was no pre-emptive mitigation planned with monitoring and a commitment to support to the London Borough of Islington should issues arise.

In the meantime, we understand you are in dialogue via the residents’ group with colleagues in our sponsorship team and Islington Council regarding Liverpool Road, monitoring and mitigation as well as traffic signal timings at Highbury Corner.

If you are considering submitting a further FOI request please think carefully about whether the request is essential at this current time, as answering FOI requests will require the use of limited resources and the attention of staff who could be supporting other essential activity. Where requests are made, please note that our response time may be impacted by the current situation.

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.

Please see the attached information sheet for details of your right to appeal as well as information on copyright and what to do if you would like to re-use any of the information we have disclosed.

Yours sincerely

 

Jasmine Howard
FOI Case Officer
FOI Case Management Team
General Counsel
Transport for London

 

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