Gateways
We have identified quick, cheap interventions to link up low-traffic areas with safe cycling crossings on main roads. We’ve termed these quick interventions ‘Gateways’ as we believe that improving the links between the low-traffic areas will open up bigger areas for cycling and help knit the low-traffic routes into coherent networks.
These networks of low-traffic routes are just as important as longer clearly signed and segregated routes. They can include low-traffic streets as well as off-road paths and routes through parks, and enable local door-to-door journeys, such as children cycling to school, the local shop run, and local visits.
The gateways involve little or no work on the side roads themselves, as these will already be low traffic or no traffic. Some of the interventions may require short sections of wands, and some may involve making the side roads one way for general traffic or cycle-only.
Identify your own gateways
Explore the map below for the crossings we have identified. We’re sure that you have your own particular routes where an improved crossing would make all the difference to your route, and perhaps make you more confident in allowing children to undertake their own journey. Email or tweet to let us know your priority from the ones we’ve identified, or suggest your own!
What does a good gateway look like?
To a large extent the design of each gateway will be determined by external factors such as traffic flow, as set out in the official guidance for cycle infrastructure design, LTN 1/20. So rather than offer suggestions for each location, we call on Hackney Council to follow these general guidelines:
- A lot of the hard work of junction design has been done already: follow LTN 1/20 guidelines for crossing type selection with regard to traffic flows, traffic speed, number of lanes to be crossed, etc.
- As well as using signalised/unsignalised cycle crossings as appropriate, consider creating gateways by switching priority to the minor arms at a junction, or adding a separate cycle phase to traffic lights
- Danger decreases with the number of ways motor traffic can move across a junction, so restrict as many motor traffic movements on side roads as possible, in descending order of preference:
- Filter all motor traffic
- One-way plus banned turn
- One-way
- Banned turn
- Where restrictions on side-road traffic are not immediately possible, establish the best option in theory, and make sure any intervention is compatible with a future upgrade
- Also ensure any intervention is compatible with other future improvements, such as main-road cycle tracks, road narrowing, filtering, etc.
- Cycle crossings aren’t as well-established as pedestrian crossings, so combine them with humps to ensure drivers slow down
- Building a new crossing for cycling is the perfect opportunity to add a crossing for pedestrians too – use it!
Examples of existing Hackney Gateways
- Chatsworth Rd – signalised, parallel crossing between shared space on pavement, and shared path in park
- Lower Clapton Rd – unsignalised parallel crossing between filtered road, and shared path
- Morning Ln – unsignalised parallel crossing between shared path, and one-way road with banned left turn
- Mare St – protected central reservation between two offset roads with banned turns
- Queensbridge Rd – unsignalised parallel crossing between two filtered roads, across cycle tracks.