Fitzjohn’s Avenue Area Safe and Healthy Streets Consultation

Overview

We want to transform our streets, so they have more safe space for everyone to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely, for you to breathe cleaner air, to reduce carbon emissions from road transport, and for businesses to flourish. We want to ensure that our streets provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer, healthier travel, helping us to deliver our wider Transport Strategy objectives.

In line with our Camden Transport Strategy, Climate Action Plan, and Clean Air Action Plan, and to continue supporting safe, healthy, and active travel, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme. In addition, the 2025-2028 CTS Delivery Plan outlines the Council’s commitment to continue to deliver Healthy School Streets with the vast majority of projects aimed to be delivered by 2026.

The Fitzjohn’s Avenue corridor is a busy route in the north of the borough, linking Swiss Cottage to Hampstead Village. It is used by a high number of people travelling to and from the local area, including Hampstead Heath and to the many schools in the area. The road has long been dominated by motor traffic, which can make the street challenging to travel through and across for many road users. The Fitzjohn’s Avenue corridor has been identified in the Camden Transport Strategy (CTS) Road Safety Action Plan and Cycling Action Plan, as a priority for road safety changes and improving and adding cycling facilities. The southernmost section of these proposals includes College Crescent, which links Fitzjohn’s Avenue to Swiss Cottage, and the northernmost section includes a part of Heath Street.

Over the past 12 months (May 24 to May 25), Fitzjohn’s Avenue has had a weekday average of 279 cyclists per day, with 177 cyclists travelling north. Cycle counts collected over the last ten years show a consistent number of cyclists using Fitzjohn’s Avenue with a daily average of 200 cyclists using the route between 7am and 7pm, with 2024 having the highest counts for this same time period at 309. There were 19 recorded collisions involving pedestrians (8 collisions) and cyclists (11 collisions) on Fitzjohn’s Avenue between 1^st January 2017 and 30^th September 2024 (most recent data), with 4 of these collisions being classified as serious.

The provision of the proposed walking and wheeling, and cycling and improvements aims to increase the mode share of trips done on foot and by bike, in line with Camden’s Walking and Cycling Action plans. The proposed measures also support the Mayor’s London-wide ambition to reach ‘Vision Zero’, by having no Killed or Seriously Injured (KSI) casualties on Camden’s roads by 2041, as well and our own ambition to reduce all casualty types (KSIs and ‘slight’ injuries).

Fitzjohn’s Avenue, College Crescent and Heath Street are covered by two Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs), CA-B (Monday to Friday 9:00am – 6:30pm and Saturday 9:30am – 1:30pm) and CA-H(b) (Monday to Friday 9:00am – 8:00pm and Saturday 9:00am – 8:00pm). The scheme area is also within three wards: Belsize, Frognal and Hampstead Town.

Additionally, Fitzjohn’s Avenue and the northern extent, at Heath Street, have been identified by Transport for London (TfL) and the Council as having very poor and variable bus speeds and are therefore key locations for bus journey time and reliability improvements.

Based on the above, we are proposing changes to make it safer and easier to walk and cycle and improve bus journey time and reliability for bus numbers 46 and 603.

The proposed changes would introduce around 900m of new segregated cycle infrastructure (cycle lanes separated from traffic) contributing to the Council’s target of 45km of segregated cycle infrastructure by 2028, as part of our primary cycle network in the Borough. The proposed cycling facilities would link with existing secondary cycle routes to the west of Fitzjohn’s Avenue on Maresfield Gardens, Nutley Terrace, Netherhall Gardens and Frognal, as well as the future proposed secondary cycle route on Belsize Lane to the east of Fitzjohn’s Avenue. We are also continuing to work with TfL to seek improvements to the Swiss Cottage gyratory at the southern end of the scheme.

Proposals for changes to the junction of Fitzjohn’s Avenue and Arkwright Road, and the section of Fitzjohn’s Avenue between Arkwright Road and Prince Arthur Road, will be proposed and consulted on separately as part of a later phase of the project.

We are also proposing a trial Healthy School Street (HSS), which is timed motor vehicle restriction, on College Crescent outside University College Pre-Prep School as part of our programme of rolling out such measures at all feasible schools by 2026.

To view the plans and to find out more about what the proposal would achieve, click on the links in the Related sectionat the bottom of this page. 

Below are two visualisations of what the proposals could look like, if approved following consultation.

Fitzjohn’s Avenue south of the junction with Nutley Terrace, looking northbound. Image shows the segregated northbound cycle track, improved raised “parallel” zebra crossing and continuous pavements.

Outside no.23 Fitzjohn’s Avenue, looking northbound showing floating parking bays and the segregated northbound cycle track.

We are now consulting on the following proposed permanent changes:

1. Fitzjohn’s Avenue corridor Planting and Greening, Walking, Cycling and Bus Priority Improvements

Planting and greening proposals

• Creating rain gardens on sections along Fitzjohn’s Avenue (subject to ground condition surveys). Adding new plants would create more areas which could soak up water during heavy rainfall, improve local biodiversity by adding new habitats for nature and improve how the area looks and feels. Rain gardens also help to soften hard landscapes and help to make walking more enjoyable. This would also support key objectives and measures set out in the Council’s Flood Risk Management Strategy 2022-2027 and Climate Adaptation and Resilience Plan, helping to tackle the climate crisis.

Walking and wheeling proposals

• Adding new continuous pavements/crossings (see photo guide for example) across the junctions of Fitzjohn’s Avenue with Belsize Park, College Crescent, Belsize Lane, Maresfield Gardens, Nutley Terrace, Akenside Road and Netherhall Gardens, and the junction of Akenside Road and Lyndhurst Road to reduce vehicle speeds and provide pedestrian priority.
• Adding a new raised table – a raised area of road (see photo guide for example) across Buckland Crescent to reduce vehicle speeds and make it safer and easier for pedestrians to cross.
• Installing new raised “parallel” zebra crossings south of Nutley Terrace and outside St Mary's School, and creating a short section of pedestrian and cycles shared use area on either side, to provide improved crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Installing a new raised zebra crossing on Lyndhurst Road east of the junction with Akenside Road, to reduce vehicle speeds and make it safer and easier for pedestrians to cross.
• Converting the existing zebra crossings on Fitzjohn’s Avenue, south of Belsize Park, south of Maresfield Gardens, and north of Nutley Terrace into raised parallel (walking and cycling) zebra crossings, and creating a pedestrian and cycles shared use area on either side, to provide improved crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.
• Relocating the zebra crossing north of Akenside Road approximately 27 metres north and upgrading to a raised parallel crossing, to provide improved crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.

Cycling proposals

• Introducing segregated cycle lanes (1.5-2m wide) on the west side of Fitzjohn’s Avenue (north bound, uphill) between Belsize Park and Arkwright Road. The cycle lane is proposed to be segregated from moving traffic by a mix of floating parking, kerbs and raised cycle tracks. This is to create a safer environment by physically separating cyclists from motor vehicles.
• Installing new dockless bike hire bays on Fitzjohn’s Avenue near Bus Stop T (north of Belsize Lane) and Akenside Road. This is to create a designated parking area to accommodate the growing demand for dockless bike usage.
• Installing a total of 10 new cycle hangars on Belsize Park, Nutley Terrace, Netherhall Gardens, and Akenside Road. This is to provide local residents with safe and secure cycle storage.

The following photo shows an example of cycle hangars that provide covered, secure and lockable cycle parking on streets.

Bus Priority proposals

The existing and proposed bus stop locations are detailed on the Bus Stop plan in the Related section at the bottom of this page. Having multiple bus stops in close proximity can slow down bus services and reduce reliability. While the proposed changes would result in an increase in distances between some of the stops, the proposals are aimed at reaching a balance between bus stop accessibility and improving bus journey times and reliability in the area. The proposed changes include:

• Consolidating the existing northbound Bus Stops J (St Mary’s School) and K (Lyndhurst Road / Akenside Road) outside no.65 on Fitzjohn’s Avenue, into a single northbound Bus Stop K (outside no.65) and upgrading it to a bus stop bypass (see photo guide for example). This would protect bus journey times and provide safe continuous cycling.
• Relocating the existing northbound Bus Stop R (Belsize Lane) from outside no.11 Fitzjohn’s Avenue to no. 27 Fitzjohn’s Avenue and upgrading it to a bus stop bypass. This would protect bus journey times as buses will stop within the traffic lane, and avoid delays associated with merging back into traffic. The proposals will also ensure the bus stops are equally spaced apart and as well as providing safe continuous cycling past the bus stop.
• Consolidating the existing southbound Bus Stops H (St Mary’s School) outside no.66 and S (Nutley Terrace) outside no.32 Fitzjohn’s Avenue, into a single southbound Bus Stop H. This consolidated Bus Stop H would be relocated to outside no. 50 on Fitzjohn’s Avenue and constructed with a bus boarder build-out. Bus boarders are areas of widened pavement which provide an accessible platform for passengers, and also allow buses to stop within the traffic lane, protecting bus journey times by eliminating delays caused by pulling in and out of a stop and merging back into traffic.
• Relocating the existing southbound Bus Stop G (Lyndhurst Road / Akenside Road) south of Spring Walk on Fitzjohn’s Avenue approximately 10 metres south. This would enable buses to align better with the kerb, thereby enhancing accessibility for passengers.

The proposed distances between each stop are approximately:

• • 450m between northbound Bus Stop K (Lyndhurst Road / Akenside Road) outside no.65 and Bus Stop R (Belsize Lane) proposed to be outside no.27 Fitzjohn’s Avenue.
  • 450m between northbound Bus Stop R (proposed to be outside no.27) and existing Bus Stop F (College Crescent).
  • 295m between southbound Bus Stop G (Lyndhurst Road / Akenside Road) near Spring Walk and Bus Stop H (St Mary’s School) outside no.54 Fitzjohn's Avenue.
  • 390m between southbound Bus Stop H (St Mary’s School) and existing Bus Stop T (Belsize Lane).

Parking and Loading Changes to facilitate the above proposals

• Converting some of the parking bays on the west side (northbound) of Fitzjohn’s Avenue into ‘floating’ bays. 'Floating' bays are parking bays located between the cycle lane and the vehicle traffic lane. This is to provide safe continuous cycling.
• To enable the above changes, several adjustments to parking, waiting and loading on Fitzjohn’s Avenue and side streets are proposed. These changes are detailed in the table below, showing the total net loss/gain of parking spaces, cycle hangars and dockless hire bays within the scheme area. The CA-B and CA-H CPZs currently have a parking stress ratio (number of active residents permits to the number of residents permit spaces) of 96% and 97% respectively. The proposed changes would result in a slight increase to this ratio, of less than 1% for each CPZ.

Table 1- the net gain/loss of parking bays, dockless hire bays and cycle hangars within the scheme area

2. Heath Street Walking and Bus Priority Improvement

We are proposing the following measures to make it safer and easier for pedestrians to move around Heath Street and to help improve bus journey times.

Walking proposals

• Adding new continuous pavements/crossings (see photo guide for example) across Prince Arthur Road, Ellerdale Road, Perrins Walk, Church Row, and Holly Bush Vale to reduce vehicle speeds and provide pedestrian priority.

Bus Priority and Associated Parking and Loading Proposals

• Heath Street outside of Tesco currently suffers from a significant traffic pinch point, particularly impacting buses. When large vehicles occupy the loading bay outside Tesco (west side) while vehicles are parked or stopped on the opposite side, the remaining road width restricts traffic flow, often preventing vehicles, including buses, from passing. To alleviate this issue, we are proposing to relocate the existing loading bay outside 28 Heath Street (east side) approximately 13 metres north. Additionally, the loading bay outside Tesco (west side) would be extended to 10 metres in length and 2.5 metres in width. This would protect bus journey times as there would be sufficient space for buses to pass by the loading bay safely, even when it is occupied.

In addition to the above permanent Safe and Healthy Streets proposals, we are also proposing the following trial changes:

3. College Crescent Healthy School Street Proposals

We propose to introduce a trial Healthy School Street (HSS) timed motor vehicle restriction on College Crescent, outside of University College Pre-Prep School. HSSs create a safer and healthier environment by temporarily closing roads to motor traffic outside schools during drop-off and pick-up times. This enables more children to walk, cycle or scoot to school, with less air pollution, road danger, congestion, and more space for people to stop and chat. HSS help to discourage car trips, particularly amongst parents and carers, by providing a safe and inviting space for more walking, cycling, and scooting.

There are now 32 HSSs covering 36 schools in the borough, including 5 schools in the vicinity of College Crescent, covered by the Neighbourhoods of the Future HSS scheme. The data that we have collected on HSS schemes throughout Camden can be accessed on our website and has shown that they can have a positive impact on reducing traffic levels outside schools, contribute to improved air quality and are often supported by pupils who want us to do more to improve their journey to school.

About the proposed University College Pre-Prep School Healthy School Street

The section of College Crescent between Finchley Road and Fitzjohn’s Avenue, where the entrance to University College Pre-Prep School is located, is a one-way street with vehicles able to enter from Finchley Road to the west and exit onto Fitzjohn’s Avenue.  We have collected traffic count data on this section of College Crescent across an average week during school term time, which shows that traffic levels are at their peak around school run times on some days.  Figure 1 below outlines data collected on College Crescent.

Figure 1 –College Crescent average Weekday Daily Traffic Levels, week commencing 10/09/2024

Traffic data for the one way section of College Crescent where UCS pre-prep school is located (in Figure 1) shows that traffic volumes increase during school drop off times in the morning and at school pick up times in the afternoon.

Having carried out the above monitoring, and in line with our ambition to roll out HSS to all feasible schools by 2026, we are proposing a trial timed HSS scheme with motor vehicle restrictions on the one-way section of College Crescent, between Finchley Road and Fitzjohn’s Avenue, which would operate between 7:45am – 8:45am and 2:45pm – 4:15pm, Monday to Friday during school term times only.

The drawings showing the HSS restrictions can be found in the Related section of this page.

The proposed trial scheme would include relevant signage alerting all road users to the restrictions and ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras for traffic enforcement at the start of restricted section of the street. The trial HSS signage would state the times of the road closures and would be closed during school holidays.

We propose to trial the changes using an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for a period of up to 18 months, at which point a decision would be made whether to make the scheme permanent, remove it entirely, or keep it with some changes.

To enable the proposed HSS we are also proposing to reverse the direction of traffic flow on the one way section of College Crescent, so that vehicles enter from Fitzjohn’s Avenue and exit onto Finchley Road. It is envisaged that reversing the direction of traffic flow on the one-way section of College Crescent would reduce traffic volumes at all times with benefits for air quality and road safety throughout the day. Two-way cycling on the one-way section of College Crescent is proposed to improve cycle connectivity.  Reversing the direction of traffic flow on the one-way section of College Crescent, between Finchley Road and Fitzjohn’s Avenue, and the proposed cycle contraflow would also be introduced as a trial.

If the trial proposals are approved for implementation following this consultation, we would carefully monitor the impacts of the scheme through traffic volume monitoring on the restricted road and nearby. We would also monitor road traffic incidents and air quality in the vicinity.

The following vehicles would be exempt from the timed HSS restrictions by applying for an exemption.

• Vehicles registered to properties and businesses on the sections of the street within the timed restriction area (exemptions would need to be applied for and agreed with the Council)
• Vehicles belonging to parents with a Blue Badge who have a pupil attending University College Pre-Prep School, or parents/carers of pupils of the school that have a disability that prevents them from walking, cycling, or scooting to school (exemptions would need to be agreed with the Council)
• Emergency services such as ambulance, fire brigade or police, Door to door services such as Plus Bus and Dial A Ride and refuse collection vehicles and other statutory services will be automatically exempt.

School staff and visitors to the schools would not be exempt. Taxis and delivery vehicles would not be exempt, and such trips would need to be scheduled outside of the restricted times, or the vehicles would need to be parked outside of the restricted area. However, exemptions can be applied for in exceptional circumstances, such as when elderly or disabled people may need essential taxi journeys during the restricted hours. All the requests for exemptions can be applied for by contacting the HSS team over the phone or via email. If the project goes ahead, details of how to apply for an exemption will be posted to residents and businesses in the consultation area. 

The following photo shows an example of an existing HSS showing how the proposal could look. Similar signage is proposed to be installed as a part of this scheme. 

Photo of a Healthy School Street:

Why your views matter

Your views matter in helping us shape streets around Fitzjohn's Avenue, College Crescent, Heath Street and the surrounding area to help people to walk, wheel, cycle or scoot safely while also improving bus journey times and reliability and the attractiveness of the local area, helping reduce and mitigate the impacts of climate change, poor air quality and road danger.

To view the plans and to find out more about what the proposal would achieve, click on the links in the Related Section at the bottom of this page.

How would these changes be made?

After the consultation, we will carefully consider the responses, alongside other information including relevant data, safety audits and policy context, to help us in deciding on whether or not to progress the scheme.

A decision report will be produced and published online via our website. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome.
Should a decision be made to proceed, we would implement the trial changes under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) and the permanent changes under a Traffic Management Order (TMO).

This is your opportunity to comment.

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