Islington gyratories - one on the way out - the rest should go

After years of consultation, much traffic modelling and many stakeholder meetings I'd understood that the Highbury Corner gyratory removal had been shelved.  So I was delighted to learn in this week's Islington Gazette that Transport for London (TfL) have just announced that they've set aside £2 million to "revamp the roundabout".

This is great news for Highbury, as it will mean a hugely upgraded public realm with transport interchanges between bus, rail and tube rationalised and pedestrians properly catered for.  I suspect that we may soon learn that cyclists have a blue painted, cycle super highway (Route 12 Muswell Hill to Angel) right through the middle.  The Superhighway had been going to take an expensive diversion down Liverpool Road until the gyratory removal at Highbury Corner went ahead.  In the current financial climate, wasteful and unnecessary expenditure on temporary arrangements would be completely unjustifiable.

Meanwhile Archway, blighted by a gyratory also has some money to spend on the streetscape.  Sadly not enough according to Council Officers to tackle the massive one-way system.  I spent the first half of this evening in an Archway stakeholder meeting looking at elaborate plans for Archway Close and Flowers Mews.  Sensibly, the community seemed to favour rationalisation of the parking, simple upgraded paving with a generous line of  trees over a rather seductive and elaborate system of screens, taut wires and planting.

Gyratory removal at the northern end of the Holloway Rd is still a very distant prospect - they've not even started the traffic modelling yet.  One glimmer of hope though - Transport planning officers talked us through their negotiations with TfL over introduction of a new pedestrian crossing from the soon-to-be-upgraded island to the tube.  While most of the options have been ruled out on the grounds of Boris' desire to "smooth the flow"of motorised traffic, one option is deemed "car-friendly" enough to undergo traffic modelling with a view to implementation.

Incremental change is helpful and hopefully the delivery of Cycle Super Highway Route 12 will act as a further lever for improvements.  I look forward to seeing how TfL arrange a blue painted cycle lane that safely negotiates the motorway-like chaos that is Archway roundabout.