How Will Cycle Superhighway Route 1 Affect De Beauvoir Town?
And me in particular?
Transport for London have published their plans for Cycle Superhighway Route 1, The good news is that I’m only a hundred metres away from where it runs between Liverpool Street and White Hart Lane. So at least it won’t have a negative effect on the value of my house.
It will affect my walking routes significantly.
1. My doctor’s Surgery is on the Superhighway and as he is a keen cyclist I think he’ll be pleased too. I might actually get a replacement bike to avoid the walk. Or I could lobby for a Boris Bike station close to my house? I’d actually prefer the latter, as then if the bike got nicked, it’s not my problem.
2. One of the problems walking round here, is that drivers treat the turn out of Southgate Road into Ardleigh Road as a chicane that should be taken at speed. As many don’t bother to signal someone is going to get flattened on that junction in the future. Hopefully, as Ardleigh Road is being blocked at the southern end, fewer drivers will use it as a rat run. So it looks the Superhighway will have a collateral benefit for pedestrians here.
3. The arrangements where the Superhighway crosses the Balls Pond Road will make walking to Dalston High Street easier as a new pedestrian crossing will be in a better place than the current one. At least for me!
4. Some of the other changes to cycle and pedestrian routes just to the north of the Balls Pond Road will also make it easier to walk to and from Dalston Kingsland station, the Rio Cinema and the northern part of the High Street. The route is quieter and you avoid the narow pavements round Dalston Junction.
Other residents of the area, may have different views on how it will affect pedestrians. But hopefully, the large number of cyclists on Southgate Road will swap to the Superhighway, easing the traffic on that road and making it easier to coss.
So you can understand, why I’m pretty much in favour of the scheme.
A few Boris Bike stations along the Superhighway would probably get me cycling again!
The Anonymous Widower 
That Southgate Road/Ardleigh Road turning is dreadful. I always assume cyclists and car and van drivers are turning if they’re not indicating and I’m usually correct. I’m there in the morning with 2 young children. Cyclists and car drivers can see us clearly from a distance, very obviously waiting to cross and yet simply cannot be bothered to do us the courtesy of letting us know they are heading in our direction!
And you’re right; they spin off onto Ardleigh at great speed. The worst I saw was the non-indicating van driver who I guessed was going to turn, which he did at high speed, whilst looking at his mobile. If I’d decided to cross I’d have been toast. I’m afraid I do a fair bit of shouting at people on that turning
Comment by R | March 12, 2015 |
If you get into an argument tell them to read article 170 of the Highway Code.
https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183
As you walk that way, we’ve probably seen each other.
I do think though the problem will get better when CS1 opens, as Ardleigh Road will be a dead end.
Comment by AnonW | March 14, 2015 |
[…] There are quite a few businesses in Tottenham Road, who might find movements of vehicles rather difficult. Especially, as the Cycle Superhighway will soon cross the road in the middle. […]
Pingback by I Like This TfL Proposal « The Anonymous Widower | June 5, 2015 |