If you haven’t heard already, Tfl is proposing to completely transform Old Street roundabout. The proposal was launched on 11 November, and is open for public comment until 11 January. After that point, Tfl will review everyone’s opinions and decide from there how to proceed. Work could begin by late 2015.
So what are the changes and why is this happening? For starters, it’s known as being dangerous, especially among cyclists. From February 2010 to January 2013, out of the 44 collisions that resulted in injury, 80% involved a pedestrian or cyclist – and the changes are aimed at “dramatically improving” this.
The new design cuts off the north-west arm, introduces cycle lanes with cycle-only signals and a new station entrance, as well as wider bus lanes and new pedestrian crossings. The rest of the changes can be seen on the diagram below.
One of the other major aesthetic changes is the ‘peninsula’. Currently, in the middle of the roundabout there are some sad hedges, dilapidated concrete surfaces and advertising boards, a nothing space. But this could potentially be home to the new station entrance, some retail units and, perhaps, a development at a much later date.
The subway’s already undergone an uplift this year, and the businesses downstairs, while expensive, are at least a bit more interesting than the Starbucks and Pret type places so ubiquitous everywhere else – so hopefully the same happens above deck.
Between the major building work happening on the south-west side and these proposed changes, who knows what the place will look like in a few years’ time. Make sure you have your say on Tfl’s online survey before the closing date, where you can also request paper copies of the plans.
Photos: Tfl
