Healthy School Streets Consultation - Islip Street (Kentish Town Primary) Permanent Proposals

Overview

Healthy School Streets Consultation – Kentish Town Primary School (Islip Street) Permanent Proposals

Overview

Proposals to make the trial Healthy School Street changes to Islip Street, Hammond Street and Wolsey Mews permanent and to install two cycle hangars on Islip Street

The Covid-19 pandemic changed how people in Camden live, travel and work. Many people have spent more time closer to home, making our neighbourhoods more important than ever. We want our streets to be safe spaces for you to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely and healthily, for businesses to be able to flourish and for you to be breathing cleaner air. We want to ensure that our streets support in both continuing recovery from the pandemic and by providing a lasting legacy of greener, safer, healthier travel, helping us to deliver our wider Transport Strategy objectives.

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 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 interact. The schemes help to discourage car trips, particularly amongst parents and carers, by providing a safe and inviting space for more walking, cycling, and scooting.

Seventeen Healthy School Street schemes have been rolled out across Camden since March 2020. This brings the total number of Healthy School Street schemes in the borough to 20, with 27 schools having timed or permanent road closures. The monitoring data that we have collected on these schemes, which can be accessed on our website, has shown that they have had a significant impact on reducing traffic levels outside schools, contributed to improved air quality and are strongly supported by pupils who want us to do more to improve their journey to school.

The information below sets out our proposals to make the current, trial scheme on Islip Street permanent with some changes which are detailed further below.

About the Kentish Town Primary School Healthy School Street scheme

The Kentish Town Primary School Healthy School Street scheme consists of a timed road closure on Islip Street outside the school. The closure for motor vehicles has been in place for an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to coincide with the opening and closing times of the school, from 8.15am to 9.15am and 3pm to 4.00pm Monday to Friday during school term time only. The pavement was also widened outside the school.

Photo of the widened footway on Islip Street outside the school

In addition to the timed restriction, an ‘at all times’ restriction for vehicles travelling northbound on Hammond Street was introduced using planters and relevant signage. Year-round weekday waiting restrictions with the same times as the Healthy School Street were also introduced on Wolsey Mews between Islip Street and Caversham Road, with double yellow lines also introduced at those junctions as part of the Council’s Safer Junctions Programme.

Photograph of northbound ‘at all times’ motor vehicle restriction introduced on Hammond Street

We implemented the scheme as a trial in September 2021, under an Experimental Traffic Order which came into force on 17^th June 2021, as part of Phase 4 of our Healthy School Streets programme. The decision report related to this Experimental Traffic Order (and others) was approved on 22^nd April 2021. Further changes to the original plans for Hammond Street were approved on 29^th July 2021 and the changes to Wolsey Mews were approved on 15^th December 2021 as amendments to the decision report and Experimental Traffic Order.

This decision report noted that a further consultation, after approximately 12 months of the trial scheme, would take place. During the trial period, the scheme has been monitored and comments from local residents and stakeholders have been received.

This consultation now asks local residents and stakeholders to give their views on whether the scheme should be made permanent after the end of the 18-month trial period. If approved, the proposed permanent scheme would have some changes which are outlined in more detail further down this page.

Monitoring information

During the trial period of the scheme, we have been collecting monitoring data which can be viewed in detail in the monitoring factsheet provided in the Related section at the bottom of this page. Headlines include:

• Islip Street saw significant decreases in average traffic levels on both the section with Healthy School Street restrictions and the unrestricted section. During the morning restriction times there were 83% and 66% reductions respectively, and during the afternoon restriction times there were 80% and 60% reductions.
• Hammond Street had decreases in average traffic levels of 77% (40 vehicles) during the morning restriction times and 80% (47 vehicles) during the afternoon restriction times
• Wolsey Mews had increases in average traffic levels of 20% during the morning restriction times and 70% during the afternoon restriction times. You can read more about proposals to address these increases if the scheme is made permanent below.
• Analysis of average traffic speed data on Islip Street and surrounding roads showed a reduction in speeds of between 1mph-5mph,all of the roads had average speeds under 20mph during the restriction times.
• Levels of cycling on the section of Islip Street with Healthy School Street restrictions doubled during the restriction times. Caversham Road also saw a notable increase in cycling during the morning.

What are we now consulting on?

Based on the monitoring data and the feedback received from residents and stakeholders during the trial period, and in line with 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 changes permanent with some changes as outlined below.

• A timed road closure for motor vehicles on Islip Street outside Kentish Town Primary School between the hours of 8.15am – 9.15am and 3pm - 4pm, Monday to Friday during school term time only, enforced by signage and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. It is proposed to extend the restricted area on Islip Street west to the junction with Kentish Town Road if the scheme is made permanent. This is in response to officer observations and feedback of parents continuing to drive to Frideswide Place to drop off and pick up their children. Traffic count data also shows that a number of vehicles are recorded on this street at these times. In addition, as noted above, traffic levels have increased on Wolsey Mews, which is a narrow street not designed for large numbers of motor vehicles and is a key route for people walking and cycling to school.
• Keeping the widened pavement outside Kentish Town Primary School and extending this by 10.7 metres to the east. This would result in the permanent removal of the two residents/paid for parking bays on Islip Street that were suspended as part of the trial, and relocation of two car club bays from Islip Street onto two pay for parking bays outside 1-3 Caversham Road (these car club bays were temporarily relocated to Frideswide Place during the trial, and these would be replaced with double yellow lines). The extension of the footway widening would require a further removal of two shared paid for parking/resident parking bays. If made permanent, trees or other street greening could be planted and street furniture (e.g. cycle stands) installed on the widened pavement. The guard railing outside the school could also be removed to provide further space for such improvements.
• Extending the eastern pavement at the junction of Hammond Street and Islip Street to provide a shorter pedestrian crossing distance and provide space for the Healthy School Street signage.
• Keeping the ‘at all times’ northbound motor vehicle restriction on Hammond Street. This would result in the permanent removal of the 16 metres of resident/paid for parking that was suspended as part of the trial. If made permanent, the double yellow lines installed at the junction of Hammond Street and Islip Street would remain and the planters would be replaced with pavement build outs with space for tree planting or other street greening.
• Keeping the year-round weekday timed waiting restrictions on the section of Wolsey Mews between Islip Street and Caversham Road between the hours of 8.15am - 9.15am and 3pm - 4pm, and double yellow lines installed during the trial to remain on both of these junctions, in order to ensure that this key walking route to the school remains clear during peak times of the day.

You can view the drawing of the proposed permanent scheme in the Related section at the bottom of this page.

The ANPR cameras used for the scheme only record vehicles travelling into the zone during the hours of operation so if a vehicle is already parked within the restricted area, it can be driven out of the area without incurring a fine. These features are proposed to be retained in the permanent scheme, if approved following consultation.

The following vehicles are exempt from the restrictions:

• Vehicles registered to properties and businesses on the roads with restrictions, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council. If the above extension of the scheme is approved, residents and businesses of the section of Wolsey Mews between Islip Street and Caversham Road and the whole of Frideswide Place would also be eligible to apply for an exemption.
• Any vehicle being used for ambulance, fire brigade or policing purposes.
• Refuse collection vehicles.
• Blue Disabled Badge holders that require access, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council.
• Services such as Dial-A-Ride and PlusBus Door to Door.
• Vehicles belonging to parents or carers of pupils of the school that have a disability that prevents them from walking, cycling, or scooting to school, where exemptions have been agreed with the Council.
• Other exemptions agreed with the Council on a case-by-case basis.

Taxis and deliveries would continue to not be exempt, and these would need to be scheduled outside of the restricted times or by parking outside the restricted area and continuing onto the restricted section of Islip Street on foot. However, exemptions can be applied for in exceptional circumstances, such as when people with mobility issues may need essential taxis during the restricted hours. 

Based on the overall positive traffic and cycling data during the times of the restrictions, we are now consulting on making the scheme permanent with the above changes.

About the proposed cycle hangar installations on Islip Street

Residents in Camden have told us that they would like to have more lockable cycle parking, for hire, close to where they live. We know that a lack of somewhere to keep a bike safely can put people off taking up cycling. As a result, we are rolling out a programme of installing cycle hangars across the borough.

Cycle hangars also help to deliver our own Transport Strategy priorities, which were strongly supported when we consulted on them, including increasing cycling, improving air quality, and making our streets and transport networks safe, accessible, and inclusive for all.

Cycle hangars offer local residents the opportunity to hire secure on-street cycle parking spaces close to where they live. This is particularly beneficial to residents where storage space is limited within properties.

Therefore, we are also consulting on introducing the following proposal on a permanent basis:

• To install two cycle hangars on the road outside 19 Islip Street, which would provide secure cycle parking for up to 12 standard bikes for local residents. This would require the removal of 5.2 metres of parking permit space.

The above proposal would help us to provide new secure cycle parking space for local residents. There are currently 60 residents on the waiting list for the existing cycle hangars on Islip Street.

Cycle hangars are installed and maintained by Cyclehoop, the Council’s approved supplier. Further details are available on their website: https://www.cyclehoop.com/product/shelters-canopies/bikehangar/

Each hangar is 1.33m high with a curved profile roof (see image below). Maintenance is covered by the annual membership fee which is currently £36 per year.

Are you eligible?

The criteria for being able to hire a space in a cycle hangar prioritises residents who:

• Live on the street (or an adjacent one) where hangars are proposed; and,
• Do not have suitable outside space for keeping a cycle.

Photo of cycle hangars, which are proposed to be installed on Islip Street

Why your views matter

The previous changes were implemented as a trial under an Experimental Traffic Order for 18 months. We committed to undertaking a public consultation after around 12 months of the trial scheme to seek the views of local residents and stakeholders on making the trial scheme permanent after the 18-month trial period. We are also seeking your views on whether to install 2 cycle hangars on a permanent basis.

Your views are important in providing feedback both on the proposed scheme as a whole and elements of it, and we would therefore welcome your responses on the pages that follow. To view the plans and find out more about the proposals, click on the links in the Related section at the bottom of this page.

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.

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 and whether the cycle hangars should be installed.

What happens next

 As the consultation is now closed,your views, and those of everyone who contributes 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.