Savernake and Cressy Road Safe and Healthy Streets Consultation

Overview

Proposals to make the trial through-traffic restriction on Savernake Road permanent, new cycle permeability proposals on Cressy Road, and a proposal for a new Electric Vehicle Charging Point on Savernake Road

To help respond to the transport challenges on our streets caused by the pandemic, and in line with our Camden Transport Strategy and Climate Action Plan, we have been making changes across Camden as part of our Safe and Healthy Streets Programme.

This included making trial changes on Savernake Road, which prevented traffic using this residential street as a cut-through between main roads by installing a droppable bollard near to the entrance to Hampstead Heath in late May 2020.

This consultation now asks local residents and stakeholders to give their views on whether the trial scheme should be made permanent, with the introduction of increased space for pedestrians, greening and trees, after the end of the 18-month trial period.

We also want to capture your views on two additional proposals in the area – these are:

• Contraflow (two-way) cycling on Cressy Road, to the north of Agincourt Road. Contraflow cycling is when cyclists are allowed to ride in both directions on a one-way street. Contraflow cycling already exists on Cressy Road, south of Agincourt Road, and we want to continue this to the north to help provide a connected cycle network. The contraflow cycling scheme will require the loss of 15m of residents parking bays on Cressy Road. Data from the Controlled Parking Zone shows that the permit to space ratios on Cressy, Agincourt, Constantine, Mackeson and Lisburne Road have adequate capacity to cope with this reduction in resident parking spaces.
• An Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP) on Savernake Road, following multiple requests from local people over the last 12 months, for more EVCPs in Camden including in this area. The EVCP will be located outside 45-61 Estelle Road. The EVCP will require the conversion of 16.3m of resident parking bays. 12.7m of residents' parking space will be converted to two Electric Vehicle charging only bays, with a maximum charging stay of up to 3 hours and 3.5m of resident bays to be converted to double yellow lines.

About the Safe and Healthy Streets Scheme

We know from listening to local people and from conducting traffic counts in the area, that there was a high volume of motor vehicles using Constantine Road and Savernake Road as a cut-through to avoid the traffic lights at the junction of Agincourt Road and Mansfield Road. The high volume of cut-through traffic made local streets in the area unsafe for residents, school children and people walking and cycling. To respond to this issue, we added droppable bollards on Savernake Road outside the entrance to Hampstead Heath between Lisburne Road and Roderick Road to prevent through-motor traffic.

The details on the trial scheme can be viewed in the decision report which can be found here.

During the trial period of the scheme we have been collecting monitoring data which can be viewed in detail in the monitoring data sheet in the “Related Information” links at the end of this page. Headlines include:

• Average of 8% decrease of total traffic volumes across 11 sites 
• The results indicate lower traffic levels ‘After-Scheme’ on all roads monitored in both the unadjusted and adjusted scenarios, with the exception of Agincourt Road and Lisburne Road (adjusted case only) where traffic levels are higher.
• However in the case of Lisburne Road traffic volumes have increased from 334 to 384 (+15%) where as on Savernake Road traffic volumes have reduced from 1,405 to 15 (-99%)  near the entrance to the Heath and reduced from 1,029 to 307  (-70%)  Between Rona Road and Mansfield Road

What we are now consulting on

Based on the monitoring data and the feedback received from residents and stakeholders during the trial period, we are now consulting on making the trial schemes permanent as follows:

• Making permanent the current trial motor traffic restriction for motor vehicles on Savernake Road, At this location we are proposed to amend the layout to give pedestrians more space at the entrance to the heath, to reduce the crossing distance for pedestrians and add greening and trees

Access to all properties on both sides of the motor vehicle restrictions would be maintained so residents would still be able to reach their homes by car and receive home deliveries, but through-traffic would remain prevented. Pedestrians and cyclists could continue to travel through at all times. Emergency services and bin collection teams will remain able to lower the bollard for access in each location.

We also want to capture your views on two additional proposals in the area – these are:

• Contraflow (two-way) cycling on Cressy Road, to the north of Agincourt Road.
• An Electric Vehicle Charging Point (EVCP) on Savernake Road.

Full details can be found in the “Scheme Information Letter” and “Proposed  Plans” links in the Related Information section below.

Why your views matter

This consultation will help further inform, alongside monitoring data collected and relevant policies, the Council’s decision as to whether, at the end of the trial period, the experimental scheme should be made permanent, modified (and, if so, whether with or without changes) or allowed to lapse.

The previous changes were implemented as a trial under an Experimental Traffic Order (ETO) for 18 months. We committed to undertaking a public consultation after around 12 months of the trail scheme, which is now being carried out, to seek the views of  local residents and stakeholders  as to whether or not the schemes should be made permanent after the end of the 18-month trial period. 

The final decision on whether to implement the proposed permanent measures will be made based on the feedback received during the ETO period, the results of monitoring data, relevant policies and other information, and this public consultation.

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

This is your opportunity to comment.

The Council 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

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.