Highgate West Hill proposals – good but could be better

Camden has launched a consultation about changes to Highgate West Hill. The details are here  https://consultations.wearecamden.org/supporting-communities/highgatewesthill/ You are encouraged to respond, by the deadline of 17 March. Our draft comments are below and we will be submitting a final response by the deadline. Do let us know your thoughts and make sure you send your own comments and response to the questionnaire.

Camden’s proposals are welcome in many respects but in others do not go far enough and are unlikely to solve the (admittedly difficult) traffic problems of West Hill. The three new raised zebra crossings may make it easier to cross when traffic is heavy, but we are concerned about the removal of traffic islands. Cyclists on this hill can reach high speeds and are likely to be reluctant to stop at a zebra crossing. Traffic islands make crossing more manageable for pedestrians.

At the top of West Hill near Holly Terrace, we welcome the proposal to widen the pavement on the western side north of the Merton Lane junction. Moving the bus stop further south to make boarding and alighting easier seems sensible. Pedestrians walking to Holly Terrace or the village have a new zebra crossing a short way up the hill. However, at the junction with Merton Lane the proposals should in our view bring the pavement round the corner of Merton Lane, where there are informal muddy paths across the grass. Surely these demonstrate clearly the need? Please see the image.

South of the Merton Lane junction a second new raised zebra crossing links a pedestrian route from Merton Lane and the Heath with Holly Lodge estate. At present this crossing point is a raised section of road with a traffic island. Traffic islands have the effect of forcing vehicles and cyclists back into lane, and we have some concerns that a raised zebra crossing at this location will be less effective at safely slowing and regulating traffic. 

Further south there is a new “sinusoidal” speed hump which seems quite well located as descending vehicles and cyclists tend to speed up at this point. (Sinusoidal road bumps, or speed humps, feature a gentle, sine-wave profile designed to reduce vehicle speeds (typically to 15–20 mph) while providing a smoother ride for cyclists, emergency vehicles, and buses compared to traditional flat-top or round-top humps. They offer similar speed reduction benefits as conventional humps but with less noise and lower ground-borne vibration.)

Continuing further south there is the entrance to Hill Court at 34 Highgate West Hill. Sadly, because of the narrow (constrained) pavement both uphill and downhill, these flats are not safely accessible on foot, and for wheelchair users (we know of one) the pavements are impassable because of lampposts obstructing even the narrow existing width. This needs to be addressed by widening the pavement north from the entrance of the flats to the new raised zebra crossing. There should be adequate road width and there is no loss of parking.

Continuing south again, just north of the entrance to Robin Grove, there is an existing traffic island, but this is not mentioned in the plans and we welcome its retention.

Just north of Oakeshott Avenue the traffic island will be converted into a raised zebra crossing. We think it would be better to retain the traffic island and incorporate a two-stage zebra crossing into it.

South of Oakeshott Avenue there is a long section of parking on the west side, which given the limited road width results in regular snarl ups as wide vehicles attempt to pass each other. Residents park partly on the pavement, but in Camden’s proposals, there is no mention of whether pavement parking will continue to be permitted here. In the absence of another good solution (and none is proposed) we think this pavement parking must continue to be permitted. Parked cars here also provide some protection for pedestrians using the narrow pavement. 

There are other issues in this section. Due to the limited width, vehicles sometimes mount the pavement on the east side, and cyclists avoid the hold ups on the road entirely by using the pavement. So unfortunately, here the proposals do not provide a solution. The vehicle activated speed limit signs are all that is proposed, and these may help when traffic is light but not at other times, when speeding is not the issue.