Vauxhall Cross has always been a bit of a mess, and it's got worse in recent years.
A rational, if eccentric layout was changed to a preposterous gyratory system at the same time as Shoreditch went from gyratory to 'high street'. Some bright spark came up with the idea of a bus station which involves buses doing up to three 180 degree turns to make their way across the junction, and, having placed this in the centre of the new gyratory/racetrack, they then completed the modal segregation by putting (unused) cycle lanes around the gyratory. Grimshaw probably thought that Christmas had come early.
This has left us with the kind of place that is perfect for S+M fetish clubs (seriously) but lacks any kind of conviviality. It is a traffic scheme, and only a traffic scheme; if you wanted to make the case that traffic 'engineers' are the very last people one would want to design a junction, then this is the bunny.
Ten years on, and TfL have revisited it. They commissioned a report from Burns and Nice who came up with about seven alternatives - link here, [url="http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx%20but"]http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspxhttp://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx buthttp://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx but [/url] but please bear in mind that this is a 78Mb pdf. The first four options were for two way streets. Ah-ha! I hear you say! Wonderful stuff! Making a street do what streets are supposed to do. Sadly, Burns and Nice neglected the obvious and didn't consider selling off the bus station for development, which would, by my not entirely inexpert calculations, have paid for any of the seven options.
Be that as it may - TfL ignored three of the four options that involved two-way streets and are, apparently about to plump for one of the three options that keep the gyratory (and the bus station) in place. http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/Copy-of-LBL-Members-presentation---Gyratory.aspx Not good news.
I'm told that the reason is that the Mayor is intent on maintaining traffic flow. Johnson has revealed himself as the Everett Dirksen of our times. Forget the 'Boris Bikes' and the Cycling Superhighways which would have happened anyway. What really floats his boat is transport as an end in itself. All the two-way options reduced capacity. Clearly 'traffic evaporation' is still a banned subject at TfL (http://www.onestreet.org/resources-for-increasing-bicycling/115-traffic-evaporation for those of you who are interested). I'm not joking about the 'banned' thing, by the way........
Enter stage right, CS8. The two way working schemes with traditional junctions and no left filters were pretty good, but TfL is now proposing to keep left filter lanes for vehicles that ask cyclists carrying straight on to go in to the second or even third lane. 'Just a minute' I hear you say 'this stuff got offed after Vicky McCreery was killed!' You're right and you're wrong - Blackfriars Bridge was redesigned, and greatly improved after the tragic death of Vicky McCreery, but now the Mayor is insisting on vehicle carrying capacity above all else TfL are obediently proposing to revert to the killer design.
We live in interesting times. I hope that Johnson is offed in next year's elections for any number of reasons, but the first reason on a long list would be that he's attempting to reverse thirty years of progress on transport. Blackfriars Bridge now carries more bicycles than cars (hooray) but that is clearly at risk. Worse, Vauxhall Bridge could be carrying more bikes than cars - it serves that part of London that sees the greatest number of cyclists - but that's clearly never going to happen under this mayor.
On the bright side, Val Shawcross, Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark is in favour of two way streets and against filter lanes. Even if the contract was signed tomorrow, I doubt work would start before the election. If nothing else, support for Val Shawcross now makes a re-think more likely after the Return of Ken.
So - what can you do? Well, in a sense, nothing. I don't think that Johnson is going to change his mind, and I don't think TfL is going to step out of line. You could, if you wanted to let off steam, have a crack at Johnson via mayor@london.gov.uk . You might get in touch with Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's Transport Adviser and scourge of bus lanes if he let his e-mail address be published. laura.warren@london.gov.uk takes you to Laura Warren, who is the 'Scrutiny Manager' and valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk takes you to Val Shawcross, who'd doubtless love to hear from you, as would Jenny Jones at jenny.jones@london.gov.uk . As for TfL - whatever. They're keeping their heads down until next May, and, given that nobody't putting their names to this crap, enquire@tfl.gov.uk is as good as anything.
Finally you might want to copy your e-mail to Charlie Holland and Clare Neely of Lambeth LCC who can be found at charlie@palaceofvariety.co.uk and clneely@kemerton.f9.co.uk Charlie's blog is at http://kenningtonpob.blogspot.com/2011/05/vauxhall-gyratory-set-to-remain-foul.html
In summary - on the 'onwards and upwards' front, Vauxhall has been a cycling backwater, and will remain a cycling backwater until the log-jam that is Johnson is ejected from City Hall. What we're really about is setting the agenda post 2012. When I say 'in a sense, nothing' what I really mean is 'actually, quite a lot'. Just not yet..........
A rational, if eccentric layout was changed to a preposterous gyratory system at the same time as Shoreditch went from gyratory to 'high street'. Some bright spark came up with the idea of a bus station which involves buses doing up to three 180 degree turns to make their way across the junction, and, having placed this in the centre of the new gyratory/racetrack, they then completed the modal segregation by putting (unused) cycle lanes around the gyratory. Grimshaw probably thought that Christmas had come early.
This has left us with the kind of place that is perfect for S+M fetish clubs (seriously) but lacks any kind of conviviality. It is a traffic scheme, and only a traffic scheme; if you wanted to make the case that traffic 'engineers' are the very last people one would want to design a junction, then this is the bunny.
Ten years on, and TfL have revisited it. They commissioned a report from Burns and Nice who came up with about seven alternatives - link here, [url="http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx%20but"]http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspxhttp://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx buthttp://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/VNEB-PR-HM-Study-Final-Report__Final-V4.aspx but [/url] but please bear in mind that this is a 78Mb pdf. The first four options were for two way streets. Ah-ha! I hear you say! Wonderful stuff! Making a street do what streets are supposed to do. Sadly, Burns and Nice neglected the obvious and didn't consider selling off the bus station for development, which would, by my not entirely inexpert calculations, have paid for any of the seven options.
Be that as it may - TfL ignored three of the four options that involved two-way streets and are, apparently about to plump for one of the three options that keep the gyratory (and the bus station) in place. http://urbandesign.tfl.gov.uk/Content/Copy-of-LBL-Members-presentation---Gyratory.aspx Not good news.
I'm told that the reason is that the Mayor is intent on maintaining traffic flow. Johnson has revealed himself as the Everett Dirksen of our times. Forget the 'Boris Bikes' and the Cycling Superhighways which would have happened anyway. What really floats his boat is transport as an end in itself. All the two-way options reduced capacity. Clearly 'traffic evaporation' is still a banned subject at TfL (http://www.onestreet.org/resources-for-increasing-bicycling/115-traffic-evaporation for those of you who are interested). I'm not joking about the 'banned' thing, by the way........
Enter stage right, CS8. The two way working schemes with traditional junctions and no left filters were pretty good, but TfL is now proposing to keep left filter lanes for vehicles that ask cyclists carrying straight on to go in to the second or even third lane. 'Just a minute' I hear you say 'this stuff got offed after Vicky McCreery was killed!' You're right and you're wrong - Blackfriars Bridge was redesigned, and greatly improved after the tragic death of Vicky McCreery, but now the Mayor is insisting on vehicle carrying capacity above all else TfL are obediently proposing to revert to the killer design.
We live in interesting times. I hope that Johnson is offed in next year's elections for any number of reasons, but the first reason on a long list would be that he's attempting to reverse thirty years of progress on transport. Blackfriars Bridge now carries more bicycles than cars (hooray) but that is clearly at risk. Worse, Vauxhall Bridge could be carrying more bikes than cars - it serves that part of London that sees the greatest number of cyclists - but that's clearly never going to happen under this mayor.
On the bright side, Val Shawcross, Assembly Member for Lambeth and Southwark is in favour of two way streets and against filter lanes. Even if the contract was signed tomorrow, I doubt work would start before the election. If nothing else, support for Val Shawcross now makes a re-think more likely after the Return of Ken.
So - what can you do? Well, in a sense, nothing. I don't think that Johnson is going to change his mind, and I don't think TfL is going to step out of line. You could, if you wanted to let off steam, have a crack at Johnson via mayor@london.gov.uk . You might get in touch with Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's Transport Adviser and scourge of bus lanes if he let his e-mail address be published. laura.warren@london.gov.uk takes you to Laura Warren, who is the 'Scrutiny Manager' and valerie.shawcross@london.gov.uk takes you to Val Shawcross, who'd doubtless love to hear from you, as would Jenny Jones at jenny.jones@london.gov.uk . As for TfL - whatever. They're keeping their heads down until next May, and, given that nobody't putting their names to this crap, enquire@tfl.gov.uk is as good as anything.
Finally you might want to copy your e-mail to Charlie Holland and Clare Neely of Lambeth LCC who can be found at charlie@palaceofvariety.co.uk and clneely@kemerton.f9.co.uk Charlie's blog is at http://kenningtonpob.blogspot.com/2011/05/vauxhall-gyratory-set-to-remain-foul.html
In summary - on the 'onwards and upwards' front, Vauxhall has been a cycling backwater, and will remain a cycling backwater until the log-jam that is Johnson is ejected from City Hall. What we're really about is setting the agenda post 2012. When I say 'in a sense, nothing' what I really mean is 'actually, quite a lot'. Just not yet..........
