Elsworthy Road Healthy School Streets Consultation - Permanent Proposals

Overview

We want our streets to have more safe space for everyone to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely and healthily, for you to be breathing cleaner air, to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles and for businesses to flourish.

69% of households in Camden do not own a car, and around 85% of all trips by Camden residents are made on foot, by bike or on public transport. Supporting and encouraging those who can walk and cycle, by creating safer, healthier streets, will also help ensure that there is more space available on public transport and on our roads for those who need it the most.

In line with our Camden Transport Strategy and Climate Action Plan, and to continue supporting safe, active travel following the pandemic, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme.

Healthy School Streets help to discourage car trips, particularly amongst parents and carers, by temporarily closing roads to motor traffic outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times in order to provide a safer and more inviting space to walk, cycle and scoot. This enables more children to walk, cycle or scoot to school, with less air pollution, road danger, congestion, and more space for people to interact.

Several Healthy School Streets have been rolled out across Camden since March 2020. The data we have collected shows that they have had a significant impact on reducing traffic levels outside schools, helping to improve air quality, and are strongly supported by pupils who want us to do more to improve their journey to school.

About the Elsworthy Road Healthy School Street

The Elsworthy Road Healthy School Street consists of a timed motor vehicle restriction on Elsworthy Road outside St Paul's CE Primary School and several pedestrian improvements on Primrose Hill Road. The motor vehicle restriction on Elsworthy Road operates Mondays to Fridays between 8.30 and 9.30 am and between 3 and 4 pm, during St. Paul’s C of E Primary School term times. The pedestrian improvements on Primrose Hill Road consist of pavement widening outside the school, a new zebra crossing, removal of pedestrian refuge islands and traffic calming measures.

We implemented the timed motor vehicle restriction on Elsworthy Road as a trial, under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) which came into force on 7 July 2022, as part of Phase 5 of our Healthy School Streets programme. The decision report related to this ETO was approved on 17 August 2021. The decision report noted that a further consultation, after approximately 12 months of the trial scheme, would take place.

What are we now consulting on?

During the trial period, the scheme has been monitored and comments from local residents and stakeholders have been reviewed. Based on the monitoring data and the feedback received, and in line with the policies and objectives set out in our Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan and Clean Air Action Plan, we are now consulting on making the trial timed motor vehicle restriction on Elsworthy Road permanent. We also want to hear your views on the pedestrian improvements introduced on Primrose Hill Road.

More information on the scheme, including monitoring data collected during the trial and the scheme plans are contained in the 'Related' section at the bottom of this page.

Why your views matter

The existing timed motor vehicle restriction on Elsworthy Road was implemented as a trial under an Experimental Traffic Order for 18 months. We committed to undertake a public consultation after around 12 months to seek the views of local residents and stakeholders on making the scheme permanent after the 18-month trial period. 

Your views are important in providing feedback both on the scheme as a whole and elements of it, and we would therefore welcome your responses on the pages that follow. We will be pleased to hear your views on the proposals as well as any alternative suggestions or objections you may have to any aspect of what we are proposing.

More information on the proposals, including monitoring data collected during the trial and the scheme plans is contained in the 'Related' section at the bottom of this page.

What happens next?

After the consultation, a decision report will be produced and published online via our website. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome. The report will consider a broad range of information including consultation responses, feedback received during the trial period, relevant policies, and other data/information including monitoring information collected during the trial period.

All of this information will be considered in making a recommendation in the report about whether, at the end of the trial period, the experimental scheme should be made permanent with some changes, modified, or allowed to lapse.

What happens next

As the consultation is now closed, your views, and those of everyone who contributed to this consultation, will be analysed and considered, alongside relevant data available on the scheme and in light of how the scheme aligns with our current policy objectives, in order to put forward recommendations on whether to proceed with the proposals. A summary of this analysis will be provided in the decision report and will be made available on the Camden Council website in due course.

If you have any other ideas for improvements to make travel safer and healthier in this area, please go to Safe Travel Camden Map to make some suggestions.