Central London Cycle Grid Queensbridge Road Section I between Hackney Road and Whiston Road

Overview

Help us improve cycling on Queensbridge Road between Hackney Road and Whiston Road

We are seeking your views on proposals that will create a protected cycling route along Queensbridge Road to form part of a network of safe cycling routes between the Quietway link at Whiston Road and Quietway 13 at Columbia Road.

Hackney Council is working in partnership with Tower Hamlets and Transport for London (TfL) to make cycle accessibility improvements on Queensbridge Road from Hackney Road to Dalston Lane as part of the Central London Cycle Grid (CLCG) from Bethnal Green to Dalston Lane. The improvements at Queensbridge Road are being developed in three sections:

• Section I: Hackney Road – Whiston Road
• Section II: Whiston Road – Middleton Road
• Section III: Middleton Road – Dalston Lane

Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and TfL are committed to making our streets safer for everyone. These changes aim to encourage more walking and cycling, improve air quality and reduce emissions within the local area. Hackney and Tower Hamlets recognise that streets are not just places to park vehicles or drive, but to walk and cycle on too. They are the places where we socialise and live our lives. An aspiration of both boroughs is to reclaim streets from motor traffic and congestion and transform them into attractive and liveable neighbourhoods.

Queensbridge Road is one such street. Although it is a relatively wide road (about 10.5 metres wide), it was designed for the rapid transit of motorised vehicles and parking. The traffic islands and hatched road markings leave little room for other road users such as pedal cyclists and pedestrians. Between Hackney Road and Whiston Road, 28 collisions were recorded between 2013 and 2017. Sixteen of them involved pedal cyclists.

The proposed improvements would change the nature of Queensbridge Road to make it a healthier, safer and more pleasant environment for walking and cycling, reflecting the needs of the local area, including its residential estates, Haggerston Park and Haggerston School.

What are the proposals?

The following measures are proposed:

Queensbridge Road raised cycle tracks

• Installing two metre wide raised cycle tracks between Hackney Road and Whiston Road. These will be next to the existing pavements on both sides of the road. The raised cycle tracks will be separated from motorised traffic by a kerb and from pedestrians by a pedestrian/cycle separator (see example of a separator on page 11 in the FAQs section).

• Installing a mandatory cycle lane on the carriageway next to the cycle hire scheme at Kent Street.

Dunloe Street shared zebra crossing

• Installing a raised table with a parallel pedestrian/cycle crossing (shared zebra crossing for pedestrians and cyclists) at the junction of Dunloe Street and Queensbridge Road. The parallel crossing will allow cyclists and pedestrians to cross Queensbridge Road under the controlled conditions of a zebra crossing. The raised junction table will provide a step-free pedestrian crossing and help with encouraging drivers to keep to the 20mph speed limit.

• Closing Dunloe Street on both arms with Queensbridge Road to motor traffic to reduce the potential conflict between turning traffic and pedal cyclists and reduce rat running.

Hackney Road junction improvements

• Installing a raised entry table at the junction of Hackney Road and Horatio Street to provide pedestrians with step-free crossing facilities.

• Replacing the existing traffic islands on Hackney Road with wider pedestrian-friendly traffic islands.

• Refurbishing the road and pavements around the junction.

• Removing clutter such as redundant guard railings and signs at the junction. Installing double yellow lines between the pedestrian crossings at the junction.

• Installing low level cycle signals with early release crossing facilities for cyclists at Queensbridge Road and Horatio Street, subject to junction capacity.

Kent Street raised entry table and zebra crossing

• Installing a raised entry table at the junction of Kent Street and Queensbridge Road for a step-free pedestrian/cycle crossing at this location.

• Installing a raised table for the existing zebra crossing at Edith Street to provide controlled step-free crossing facilities for pedestrians when crossing Queensbridge Road. Due to the nature of the road at this location, a parallel pedestrian/ cycle crossing was considered unsuitable.

Refurbishment of pavements and carriageways

• The existing pavements adjacent to the raised cycle tracks will be refurbished using standard paving materials. Blended pedestrian crossings will be installed at Kent Street and Dunloe Street side road junctions to highlight the priority of pedestrians over pedal cycles and motorised traffic from the side roads (see example of a blended crossing on page 11 in the FAQs section).

Whiston Road junction

• Installing ‘advanced stop lines’ (ASLs) for cyclists at the southern arm of Queensbridge Road connected to the raised cycle track with road markings.

• Low level cycle signals with early release crossing facilities for cyclists will be considered as part of Section II between Whiston Road and Middleton Road.

Please download the plans below for more details

Layout plans from Hackney Road to Whiston Road

Location plan

Layout plans from Hackney Road to Whiston Road

Detail 1: Dunloe Street junction

Detail 2: Hackney Road junction

Detail 3: Kent Road junction

What are the potential impacts of the proposals?

• If approved, these proposals would provide safe, protected cycling facilities for cyclists between Hackney Road and Whiston Road. Six collisions resulting in slight personal injuries were recorded in 2017 between Hackney Road and Whiston Road, three of which involved pedal cyclists.

• They would also provide step free crossing facilities for pedestrians at side roads and at controlled pedestrian crossing points.

• The reduced road width would help reduce the average traffic speeds (outside Haggerston School) to under 20mph.

• The proposals would help improve accessibility for pedal cyclists and pedestrians at major junctions such as at Hackney Road.

• Schemes of this nature are expected to contribute to improved air quality as they both regulate private motor vehicle traffic and reduce capacity. The introduction of cycle lanes also increases the distance between polluting vehicles and pedestrians and residents, reducing the effects of pollution.

Parking

• The proposals would affect all the parking on Queensbridge Road between Hackney Road and Whiston Road where the existing parking bays will be removed.

• The existing car club and loading bay at Queensbridge Road will be relocated to Dunloe Street (east). A new electric charging point will also be installed on the same bay.

• A parking stress survey confirmed that the existing parking bays on the side roads are able to absorb the impact of displaced cars from Queensbridge Road.

• The existing residents parking bay on Horatio Street would be changed slightly to create space for passing cyclists.

• The single yellow line between pedestrian crossings at the Hackney Road junction would be converted to double yellow lines.

• Parking for visitors to the Columbia Road Flower Market would still be available at the ‘pay and display’ parking bays on Yorkton Street, Scawfell Street and Thurtle Road.

Future schemes

The rest of the cycle grid to the north of Whiston Road will be consulted on and developed as follows:

• Section II: Whiston Road to Middleton Road (2020–2021)
• Section III: Middleton Road to Dalston Lane (2021–2022)

What happens next?

Your views will be taken into account as part of the detailed design process. We will publish the consultation responses as well as the decisions made at consultations.hackney.gov.uk  

To keep up to date with this and other plans, please visit hackney.gov.uk/street-consultations

Permanent works

If the scheme goes ahead, following consultation, we expect construction works to start in January 2020.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a raised cycle track? Can pedestrians and motorised traffic use the cycle track?

A. A raised cycle track is a section of highway where pedal cyclists have right of way. It is vertically separated from motorised traffic by a kerb and from pedestrians by a raised pedestrian/cycle separator.

Q. What is a parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossing? Who has priority when crossing the road on this type of crossing?

A. A parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossing works like a zebra crossing that allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross the road, giving priority over motorised traffic. Vehicles should stop at the ‘Give Way’ road markings, as in conventional zebra crossings.

Q. What are blended pedestrian crossings and will traffic give way to pedestrians at them?

A. Blended crossings are pedestrian crossing points designed to slow down vehicles when entering or exiting side roads, encouraging vehicles to give way to pedestrians crossing the road.

Q. What is a parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossing? Who has priority when crossing the road on this type of crossing?

A. A parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossing works like a zebra crossing that allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross the road, giving priority over motorised traffic. Vehicles should stop at the ‘Give Way’ road markings, as in conventional zebra crossings