Heath Street/East Heath Road/West Heath Road junction Proposed Improvements

Overview

We are consulting you on proposals to improve the public realm and reduce bus journey times through the junction of Heath Street, East Heath Road and West Heath Road in Hampstead.  This leaflet provides you with information on what the issues are and what changes we are proposing to address them.

The London Borough of Camden is working with Transport for London (TfL) to improve bus journey times and reliability across the borough.  Following a review of various bus routes the junction of Heath Street, East Heath Road and West Heath Road has been specifically identified by TfL as a location where bus journey times could be improved.

The staggered arrangement of East Heath Road and West Heath Road means that it is difficult to turn right or travel straight ahead when exiting West Heath Road.  This delays motor vehicles leaving the junction and causes unnesssary delays.  The geometry of the junction also means that West heath Road is too wide and pedestrians crossing the northern arm of the junction across Heath Street have to cross away from the their desire line.  

The phasing of the traffic signals also means that southbound traffic along Heath Street is held while pedestrians cross East Heath Road resulting in a loss of efficiency through the junction.

To improve the safety, efficiency and legibility of the junction the following improvements are proposed:

1. Reconfigure the layout of the junction.
   
   By realigning the junction drivers will be able to take a more direct path through the junction which will increase its capacity and reduce the risk of collisions while also reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians crossing Heath Street and West Heath Road.
   
   The size of the footway in the north-western corner of the junction will also be significantly increased providing a larger public space at Whitestone Pond.

2. Separate ahead and left turning movements on the southbound approach.
   
   Currently, when pedestrians cross East Heath Road all southbound traffic on Heath Street is held to prevent left turning traffic conflicting with pedestrians.  By separating the ahead and left turning movements, the heavier flow of traffic travelling straight towards Hampstead and beyond can continue with only the left turning traffic held to allow pedestrians to cross East Heath Road.
    

These proposals are being fully funded by TfL and are illustrated on the attached plan.

How the proposals will affect the area

Effect on Walking

• Shorter and more direct pedestrian crossings.
• Wider footways with less clutter which will make walking easier and more comfortable

Effect on Cycling

• Advanced cycle stop lines have been added to all arms of the junction except Heath Street southbound (to allow for safe exit from Whitestone Lane) which will help to reduce conflict between motorists and cyclists when pulling away from the stop line.

Effect on Buses

• The junction is used by routes 268, 603 and N5 heading north and south.
• Modelling of the proposed junction layout demonstrates that bus journey times are likely to decrease by between 11 and 19 seconds for southbound traffic and up to 7 seconds for northbound traffic.

Effect on General Traffic

• The junction currently represents a bottleneck in the network and operates close to capacity during both morning and evening rush hours. The proposed tightening of the junction increases capacity, which assists in reducing delays to general traffic.

• Realigning the exit from West Heath Road will result in vehicles no longer being able to access Whitestone Lane from West Heath Road but access will be maintained from East Heath Road and Heath Street.

These proposals are being fully funded by TfL and are illustrated on the below plan.