FAQs

Experimental Traffic Regulation Orders (ETRO) make it legally possible for us to make temporary changes to the road network on an experimental basis, so that we can better understand the effects the scheme will have.    

The route will be in place temporarily for 18 months, during this time we will gather views and feedback from residents, businesses, local community groups and   representatives. In partnership with Islington council, we will monitor all responses and carry out observations to see how the route may be helping to increase walking and cycling. 

The ETRO process allows for us to conduct a consultation after the scheme has been installed, which is what we are now doing. The feedback from the current consultation process will help us to decide if:

• it is necessary to make any changes to the temporary scheme once it is in place, and if so, what these changes might be 
• the scheme should remain in place permanently, or if it should be withdrawn at the end of the experimental period 

The pre-election period for the London elections prevented TfL from launching a public consultation at the start of the C50 Experimental Traffic Order (ETO), which began in February 2024 once construction of the new cycleway was completed. 

The objection period to the C50 scheme runs for the first 6-months of the ETO. Launching a three-month public consultation as soon as possible following the election, in May 2024, will still ensure sufficient time for local people and stakeholders to share feedback and views.

It also allows sufficient time for assessment and analysis of all the data collected during the ETO to inform a decision by July 2025 as to whether to amend, retain or remove the experimental scheme. 

Cycling in London has grown significantly over the past 15 years. There are now more than 670,000 cycle trips a day in London, an increase of over 130 per cent since 2000.  

In 2017, TfL published its latest Strategic Cycling Analysis (SCA) – the latest datasets, forecasts and models showing potential locations across London where cycling demand, current and future, would justify investment.  

The SCA identified the area of Camden to Finsbury Park as being in the top 5-10 per cent of most popular cycle routes in London and among the top five per cent of routes in London with the greatest potential for additional cycling, but only if we provide new facilities to help and encourage people to cycle.  

Cycleway 50 was originally proposed as a permanent route, running for 7km between Tottenham Hale and Camden with the route split into three phases. Work on the permanent scheme had reached an advanced stage in design when it was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID emergency.   

In May 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) issued statutory guidance to local authorities on how to reallocate road space following the pandemic. 

Designs for Cycleway 50 were bought forward again to be implemented as a temporary, experimental scheme.  

We have placed the cycle track on this side of SSR for a number of safety-related reasons including:

• it avoids all interaction with the existing bus lane and bus stops removing the possibility of conflict between cyclists and bus passengers 
• there are less side roads so therefore less locations where vehicles would need to turn across the cycle lane  
• it links well at the eastern end as cyclists join the lane in Parkhurst Road from Warlters Road  
• there is far more traffic turning left onto Holloway Road from Parkhurst Road than right towards the City – which means the lane will impact less on junction movement  

We have analysed and considered many factors when designing this experimental scheme – including current and future cycle demand; road collision data; road safety concerns raised by boroughs and local communities; bus journey times and bus passenger demand in this area; connectivity of current cycle routes and looked at the social and community hubs at Nags Head and Finsbury Park and how we can improve space for walking and cycling in this area.

Cycleway 50, once constructed, will connect into an existing cycle network at York Way that runs through to Royal College Street in Camden.  

Yes, we continue to develop plans for this route subject to funding being available, although as yet we do not have confirmed timescales for when this work will be delivered. Delivery of further sections of Cycleway 50 will be subject to further engagement with the public and stakeholders in the area.

Transport for London are concerned by the collision record around Nag’s Head gyratory. In the three years up to June 2020 there were 210 collisions across all road user groups around the gyratory.  Vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) have been found to be disproportionately likely to be affected. Of the total collisions:

• 54 were pedestrians, of whom 14 were seriously injured, including a fatality
• 48 were motorcyclists, of whom six were seriously injured
• 31 were cyclists, of whom seven were seriously injured

It is hoped that the scheme will improve safety for cyclists by providing cycling facilities which are separate from general traffic, it will also move pedestrians further away from general traffic lanes. The scheme is also intended to improve the perception of safety in the area for all road users.

TfL will monitor safety and collisions in the area as part of our evaluation of the scheme and decision making process about its future.

Keeping everyone travelling in the capital safe is our top priority and the needs of disabled people are always taken into consideration when designing cycle lanes. 

Protected cycle infrastructure is key to reducing the risk of injury for people cycling and enabling more cycling in London. TfL and the London boroughs, like in many cities across the country, have integrated bus stop bypasses into the Cycleway programme, in line with TfL’s best practice and central government guidance, which has helped to increase the number of people cycling in the capital. 

TfL are currently undertaking a safety review of Bus Stop Bypasses which we will be publishing later this year. The designs in this scheme would have to comply to any findings in the review.