Inadequate proposals for the 'New River' City Road Crossing

The local 'Living Streets' organiser received this amazing letter from the Council:-

Dear etc Thank you for your letter dated the 12th March 2004.

The present proposed scheme for Colebrook (sic) Row is, as you point out in your letter, for the upgrade of route 8 of the London Cycle Network (LCN) at thls location. The present layout as it stands is both more dangerous to cyclists and more importantly pedestrians trying to cross Colebrook Row. The reason for this is that the current Traffic signals are contradicting the one way cycle lane, and that pedestrians have no reason other than to look up Colebrook Row for approaching cyclists, not to look across City Road as there should be no cyclist approaching from that direction. It must be highlighted that there is a large number of vehicles making the illegal turn from City Road into Colebrook Row, which as I'm sure you will agree is extremely dangerous to pedestrians as well as cyclists.

The proposed scheme is a two way segregated cycle lane, which will provide a safe environment for cyclists as well as pedestrians. One of the main benefits of this proposal is that it will be self-enforcing in regard to vehicles turning left into Colebrook Row. Your comments with regard to the scheme taking away part of the footway are unfounded. This should deter pedestrians from crossing at point, which has no pedestrian facilities. I am sure that an organisation with a reputation for promoting pedestrian safety would agree to discouraging pedestrians to cross at a point, which is known to be dangerous and a point which is dedicated for cyclists only.

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you that Transport for London (TfL) will be carrying out a feasibility study into the possibility of introducing a pedestrian phase at that location and across to Owens Row, which as I'm sure you are aware is wholly the responsibility of TQ.

This seemed so incomrepensible that we called a meeting with the Council officers on Wednesday 21st April. No Ward Councillors were 'available'.

The officers were quite amenable but their brief was only to do something about the exit from Colebrooke Row. We had been on to London Assembly Member Meg Hillier, who was actually driving this necessary improvement from the Transport for London end. Our team were Avis Saltsman from 'Living Streets', Gillian Comins from the 'Angel Association' & Ken Baldry from CCC. To get results, organisations need to gang up in this way. However, the council did not seem to think it necessary to view the route from Chadwell Street right through to Colebrooke Row as a whole!

Good news on 26/4/4. Thanks to the pressure from the CCC team...

We received this e-mail from the Council Officer (not the councillors, note):-

Thankyou for your comments. We have re-assessed our designs and will look into having a segregated cycle lane to negate any cycle / pedestrian conflict. This will be our preference for the deigns. Once I have a draft
design ready I will notify you for your comments.

This is is really hopeful.... Soon after, they put in this 'ring of water' barrier to stop cars turning left...

So, who is it who is too mean to pay for the proper scheme agreed by the Council Officers & our team of community activists above? Why, Cllr. Bridget Fox, of course. Implementation of the scheme below was meant to start on October 25th 2004. What Happened? NOTHING