HomeRing of Steel - Traffic or Environment Zone?
The official name of the new security cordon is in fact the "Western Traffic & Environment Zone" ('WTEZ' - official leaflet). It has this title as there are no legal powers to restrict traffic specifically for security as opposed to environmental reasons. However from the fact that such major changes to the traffic flow have been planned and implemented in under half a year it is clear that the overriding purpose has been to counter and deter terrorism.
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The zone has experimental status during its first six months of operation and it will become permanent in May 2004. Fortunately following our lobbying, all road closures now have a cycle gap in. Originally many didn't as some reactionary Corporation staff (others sided with us) felt they were already "doing enough" for cyclists despite it not costing anymore to do so. Unfortunately spaces in the temporary concrete blocks are 1.2m rather than 1.5m wide (the official standard) meaning disabled cyclists and those on tri- and quadcycles cannot get through while others have to slow down and steer carefully. Most of the new signage is wrong and all fail to include the necessary exemptions for cycles that are supposed to be there, leaving a risk of lawful cyclists being fined. |
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City Cyclists hope that the new zone can be the basis for major environmental improvements in the Fleet Street and Temple area but our first priority is to ensure that the safety of cyclists is not compromised by the scheme. After all, despite the scares, you are far more likely to be killed in London by a motor vehicle than a terrorist...
Safety improvements needed urgently
The entry points to the WTEZ are dangerous and scary for cyclists as the kerb suddenly juts out forcing them into the way of large vehicles. Yet again, the Corporation has completely ignored DfT guidelines in its traffic management: this is starting to look like institutional incompetence. DfT Traffic Advisory Leaflet 01/97 "Cyclists at Road Narrowings" states in the summary on page 2 that at narrowings without cycle bypasses cyclists feel threatened particularly by the feeling of being squeezed.
This will be even more likely at the entry points in the City as the narrowings are not part of a series of speed reducing features (usually part of 20mph zones), there are significant flows of large vehicles such as buses and as the drivers are more pushy (particularly taxis) than in rural or residential areas. In the summary of design principles on page 7 it states that in a 30mph zone a cycle bypass should be the first option and a cycle lane the second. We have asked the Corporation to make the following urgent changes to improve safety but still have not had any reply at all to this urgent request seven weeks later. It seems they have also failed to carry out a proper safety audit of the scheme.
- Marking the entry points with hatching as shown in the picture below to encourage cycles to stay away from the kerb
- Slight speed tables before the entry points to slow down motor traffic which could double as pedestrian crossings, particularly useful between Fleet Street and Chancery Lane (east side)
- Improvements to cycle lanes feeding into ASLs (cycle reservoirs) at Fleet St (Chancery Lane junction and Ludgate Circus) and Holborn Circus (St Andrew's Street, Charterhouse Street and Fetter Lane) by widening the cycle lanes to 1.5m and making them mandatory. These would enable cycles to get and stay in front of large vehicles before the narrowings.
Future environmental improvements
The original City security security won a Clear Zone award as it reduced motor traffic by almost a third. It was rushed in during 1993 and then improved in 1997 with Automatic Number Plate Reader cameras. The cycle gaps through road closures were put in not because the Corporation was pro-cycling - it certainly wasn't - but to help justify the scheme in legal terms as environmental. There are still key cycle links missing from the original security cordon which we are campaigning to remedy.
- Entire zone to become a 20mph zone (now supported by Deputy Mayor Jenny Jones) in 2005/6
- Landscaped areas around the end of St Bride's Street by the junction of Ludgate Circus, New Fetter Lane and Fetter Lane and around Holborn Circus (see our plan here)
- Reduction of through motor traffic in Fleet Street to allow wider pavements, removal of guard rails and proper cycle lanes
- Removal of one way streets in Whitefriars area (south of Tudor Street)
As soon as possible the zone should be extended westwards into LB Westminster so that Aldwych and Holborn form the boundary. This would protect the Royal Courts of Justice and other sensitive locations while allowing much needed improvements on the eastern part of the Strand, particularly widening the pavements. The difficulties are that this would need major traffic measures to be agreed by a neighbouring local authority, that the checkpoints would be operated by the Met rather than City Police and that there are major plans for Aldwych including a bus contra-flow and tram line.
