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TfL agrees Bow roundabout redesign

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The constant pressure on Transport for London (TfL) to make London more cycling safe over the last two to three months appears to have paid dividends with the news that TfL will redesign the roundabout at Bow in London where there has been two cycling fatalities in recent months.

TfL has today published two proposals as to how the junction could be made safer, and have promised to take into account feedback from the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) before implementing any changes.

Proposals

One proposal is for traffic lights to be installed that give cyclists a head start to get across the junction ahead of vehicles, while the other is to put cycle lanes across the Bow flyover with a set of traffic lights put in place to make it safer for cyclists to get on to it.

On the first proposal, a dedicated green phase for cyclists at the traffic signals on the eastbound and westbound entrance to the roundabout would allow cyclists to travel around it ahead of other traffic. On the second proposal, TfL would reduce the number of lanes on the flyover from two to one in both directions, with new dedicated cycle lanes being put in place instead. TfL estimates that 60% of cycle traffic on the Bow junction use the flyover at the moment to avoid using the roundabout.

Cautious response from LCC

The LCC and many other cycling campaigners have been putting pressure on Boris Johnson and TfL to make the junction safe and it appears a candlelit vigil attended by families of the two cyclists killed at Bow at the end of last year focussed TfL’s minds on cycling concerns over Bow.

LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said: “We’re delighted Transport for London has finally responded to cyclists’ calls for Bow roundabout to be redesigned, though it’s a tragedy two people had to die first.

“We welcome the fact that the two Bow proposals show a more innovative approach to cycling infrastructure than we’re used to seeing from Transport for London, including a willingness to use measures common on the Continent such as separate cyclist traffic lights.

“However, we’re still calling for a comprehensive redesign of the entire junction to bring it into line with the highest standards of street layout seen on the Continent, for the benefit of everyone.”

The issue of pedestrian safety remains a major concern, and the LCC said it would continue to liaise with pedestrian groups to ensure everyone can cross Bow junction in safety.


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