New provisions hit Kentish Town Road

• MY letter about Kentish Town Road proved to be incorrect in a key respect, (Our bus services have gone to hell, May 9).

While only pavement work had happened for the previous month, finally, on May 9 workmen started digging up bits of the central concrete divider.

And so I investigated and I found that there are three new provisions: cyclists from Castle Road will in future be able to cross to southbound Kentish Town Road (actually, they’re better off coming out from Kelly Street).

There’ll be a new pedestrian crossing in Kentish Town Road outside the new Ringley’s offices immediately south of Castle Road and a new set of traffic lights for vehicles exiting Castle Road to join northbound Kentish Town Road.

While this all sounds OK, closer examination reveals likely flaws.

First the additional traffic lights for Castle Road will permanently add about 45 seconds to the overall lights timing for every sequence at the Royal College Street junction, which is exactly what has been causing all the extra delays on Kentish Town Road. Residents probably believe these to be temporary but it looks like they may actually be permanent.

The second flaw is the location of the new pedestrian crossing. I’d venture that weeks from now, if one counts the number of pedestrians using this new crossing by the pawn shop, it’ll prove to be far fewer than the dozens who risk life and limb daily jaywalking across Kentish Town Road by the Abbey Tavern to get to and from Bartholomew Villas to the northbound bus stop. That’s where a new crossing is really needed.

Of course, my conjecture may be proved wrong.

PAUL BRAITHWAITE
Bartholomew Villas, NW5