Construction of a new experimental cycle lane, Cycleway 50, between Holloway and Finsbury Park will start later this month, as TfL announces plans for a consultation when the route opens. Apart from providing both a new cycle lane and more space for pedestrians, Cycleway 50 will also eventually connect to an existing C50 cycle lane running between York Way and Royal College Street in Camden.
A significant reason for the route that’s been chosen is the Nag’s Head gyratory in Holloway, which has seen an average of 70 people injured in road collisions each year between 2017-2020.
The route was highlighted back in 2017 as part of TfL’s Strategic Cycling Analysis (SCA) which identified the area of Camden to Finsbury Park as being in the top 5-10 per cent of most popular cycle routes in London and among the top five per cent of routes in London with the greatest potential for additional cycling, but only if new facilities were provided.
Cycleway 50 was originally proposed as a permanent route, running for 7km between Tottenham Hale and Camden with the route split into three phases. Work on the permanent scheme had reached an advanced stage in design when it was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID emergency.
In May 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) issued statutory guidance and provided funding to local authorities on how to reallocate road space following the pandemic, and with that designs for Cycleway 50 were bought forward again to be implemented as a temporary, experimental scheme.
As it’s an experimental cycle lane, pending a final consultation, along with changes to road speeds, rephasing of traffic lights and expanded pavement areas at junctions, the cycle lane will be segregated with cycle wands.
Where there is not more than one lane for traffic, the wands will be spaced to enable traffic to pull into the cycle lane and out of the way of emergency vehicles when needed.
TfL is also working with Islington Council to finalise the design for the next phase of Cycleway 50 along Camden Road, Caledonian Road through to York Way in Camden where the route will join up with existing cycle lanes. They hope to begin construction on that phase later this year and complete it in 2024.
Subject to funding, the cycle lane could also be extended northwards to Tottenham Hale.
Construction work on this phase of Cycleway 50 between Holloway and Finsbury Park will begin on 16th January and take approximately 10 months to complete.
Northbound phases
- January to March – Parkhurst Road between Warlters Road and Holloway Road junction
- March to May – Seven Sisters Road between Holloway Road and Hornsey Road
- May to June – Seven Sisters Road between Hornsey Road and Coleridge Road
- June to October – Seven Sisters Road between Coleridge Road and Fonthill Road
Southbound phases
- January to March – Isledon Road
- March to April – Medina Road and Parkside Crescent junction with Isledon Road
- April to July – Tollington Road between Iseldon Road and Hornsey Road
- July to Oct – Tollington Road between Hornsey Road and Holloway Road
- August to Oct – Camden Road and Camden Road/Caledonian Road junction
Once the cycle lane and pedestrian routes are completed, a consultation will open on whether they should then become permanent. They have to run the consultation afterwards, as there could be unexpected impacts on road traffic which can’t be predicted unless they test it first.
The route will be in place for 18 months using an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO), which could be extended or amended once the experiment is concluded.
Not a fan of the wand barriers, they haven’t worked well on the experimental lane up Haverstock hill.
Height separation using a low curb is a better approach in my opinion (as seen on C47 around Bow St/Endell St); this still allows cars to get out of the way of emergency vehicles (mounting the curb at dead slow speed) but provides similar physical protection as the wands would.
(I have cycled on both Haverstock hill through the wands and on C47, and C47 “feels” like a better experience.).
Complete waste of money unsafe for my elderly mother to go out we have hire bikes dumped all over the road
I don’t understand this prioritisation- The Trunk Road Authority (or whoever is in charge today) should spent this money widening pavements or reconstructing the failed road surfaces at Finsbury park (JW Holloway Rd to JW Stroud Green Road NB) to reduce bicycle and motor vehicle conflicts with pedestrians at the most dangerous footway pinch points on the road. But it’s close to a borough boundary so no politician gives a damn.