Proposed Improvements to Prince of Wales Road/ Kentish Town Road junction, along Kentish Town Road and at Anglers Lane

Overview

We are writing to seek your views on making changes at the Prince of Wales Road junction with Kentish Town Road, along Kentish Town Road and at Anglers Lane.

Concerns have been expressed by residents in the residential area of Anglers Lane about an ongoing problem with the volume, speed and size of traffic using Angler's Lane as a cut through to avoid the congestion on Kentish Town Road. This route is taken due to the left turn ban at the junction of Prince of Wales with Kentish Town Road.

A traffic survey of Anglers lane indicated that Anglers Lane sees the highest volume of through traffic in the morning and evening peak hours. Most of this traffic was observed to not stop but travel through the road to access Kentish Town Road in order to continue their journey.

Council officers have met with concerned local residents and with ward members to seek ways to address these concerns.  Officers agreed to assess whether the left turn ban could be lifted which would allow direct access for motor traffic from Prince of Wales Road into Kentish Town Road. Traffic counts were commissioned to understand the volume and type of traffic using Anglers Lane and what impact would be felt on Kentish Town Road if the left turn ban was removed.

Traffic modelling of Kentish Town Road has been undertaken to assess how the busy high street is operating now and how the various signal junctions and crossings along the length of the street are impacting on its operation. This has taken into account measures already approved at Highgate Road/ Fortess Road and Kentish Town Road/Royal College Street/ Castle Road junction as these will be delivered early next year.

Allowing this left turn means that the pedestrian crossing on Kentish Town Road on the north side of the junction, which is less used, would need to be moved back to allow for this turn. Officers therefore considered whether this crossing could be removed and a new one provided in a location which might be more beneficial to pedestrians, whilst helping ease congestion along the high street. As there are a number of crossings quite close to each other, officers considered the possibility of removing two crossings and replacing with one at a location that would suit most pedestrians.

A number of options were considered and modelled for this junction and discussed with Transport for London (TfL) as they are responsible for traffic signals across London but because Kentish Town Road is a strategic road network therefore impact on general traffic and buses had to be considered. The options considered included making the pedestrian crossings on Prince of Wales Road and Kentish Town (south side) into a single stage crossing which would allow pedestrians to cross the full width of the road in one stage.  This unfortunately is not possible without adding more congestion to the roads concerned as currently it allows traffic movements on one half of the road whilst pedestrians cross the other half. Following further discussions with TfL officers, an agreement was reached on a signal option, which allowed the left turn but minimised the delay to buses. 

In addition, measures were also considered for Anglers Lane to ensure it is not available to be used as a through route. 

We are therefore proposing changes at the main signal junction at Prince of Wales Road/ Kentish Town Road junction, and along Kentish Town Road itself to help facilitate the left turn at the signal junction.  In addition we are proposing changes at Anglers Lane to remove this as a through route being used by motor traffic. The latter will result in some local residents having to undertake slightly longer journeys to access Kentish Town Road, however the benefit will be Anglers Lane becoming a quieter street. 

The consultation document can be found HERE and proposed layout plan can be found HERE

PROPOSALS

The proposed changes are outlined below and illustrated in detail on the drawing:

Prince of Wales Road/Kentish Town Road junction and along Kentish Town Road

1. Allow motor traffic to turn left from Prince of Wales Road into Kentish Town Road northbound.  This will mean providing a left turn lane which will result in the loss of the cycle feeder lane. The pedestrian crossing on Kentish Town Road on the north side of the junction will be removed to allow for the left turn. Pedestrian countdown timers will be added to the signal junction making it easier for pedestrians to cross knowing how long they have left to complete their crossing.
2. Remove pedestrian crossing outside no. 225 (outside Lidl) and provide a new one outside no. 205 (outside Tesco Express). This is to ensure crossings are spaced out to allow for traffic movement in between and at the same time provide it in a location where it will still benefit pedestrians accessing all the shops in the vicinity. The new location of the pedestrian crossing is still close the one proposed to be removed.
3. The new location of the pedestrian crossing will result in a relocation of four (20m) ‘Pay by phone’ bays from outside 162 - 172 Kentish Town Road to 5 – 7 Patshull Road ( two bays - 10m) and outside 3 Gaisford Street (two bays - 10m). 

Anglers Lane

4. Make Anglers Lane one way southbound between Alma Street and Willes Road. Cyclists will be able to travel both ways.  The section between Raglan Street and Alma Street will be retained two way for motor traffic.
5. Close the section between Kentish Town Road and Raglan Street to motor traffic.  This will allow for the narrow footway on the south side to be widened.  Cycle access will be allowed in both directions.  In the future we will be consulting on allowing cycle access into Gaisford Street from Kentish Town Road.