Update 24 October 2022
Between 14 February and 27 March 2020, we consulted on proposals for improvements to bus priority and for pedestrians on the A41 Finchley Road, Hendon Way to Hilgrove Road.
We proposed to:
- Ban the left turn from Finchley Road into Fortune Green Road and remove the left turn slip road, allowing the northbound bus lane to be extended
- Convert the existing staggered crossing on Finchley Road at the junction with Hendon Way into a ‘straight-across’ crossing with a pedestrian countdown display
- Extend the bus lane hours on Finchley Road to Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 22:00 and extend the parking bay and loading bay restrictions to Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:00
We asked respondents about how safe they feel travelling in the area, how the changes we propose will affect them and for any further comments. We received 88 responses to the consultation.
We found that respondents were in favour of improved crossing points to improve safety for pedestrians and improved journey times on buses.
Concerns were raised about cyclist safety, parking for local businesses as well as the impacts on blue badge users and those with limited mobility.
A number of responses also raised concerns about the impacts on surrounding roads and whether speed limits could be enforced to aid this.
Following the consultation, and after careful consideration, we have decided to proceed with the changes to the Finchley Road junction with Fortune Green Road, Platts Lane and Ardwick Road. This will improve journey times and reliability for buses on this route and create more space for pedestrians with a shorter crossing.
Our original plans to make changes to the operational hours of the bus lanes and operational hours of parking/loading bays have been superseded by changes made across the Transport for London Road Network as part of the 24-hour Bus Lane Scheme which was made permanent in December 2021 following reduced journey times and improved reliability.
We do not plan to go ahead with the proposed changes to the crossing at the Finchley Road/Hendon Way junction.
Subject to funding, we aim to be on site to start the works in early 2023 and will be in touch with more details closer to the time.
Our consultation report, which includes our response to the main issues raised during consultation can be found in the ‘Documents’ section of this web page.
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Overview
The A41 Finchley Road is a busy road dominated by motorised vehicles. We have been working with Camden and Barnet Councils on improvements between Hendon Way and Hilgrove Road. The proposed changes will improve journey times and reliability of northbound buses on Finchley Road, encouraging more people to use buses. They will also make the Finchley Road/Hendon Way and Finchley Road/Fortune Green Road junctions safer, with further improvements for people walking at the Finchley Road/Fortune Green Road junction.
This is part of our long-term vision to encourage more Londoners to walk, cycle and use public transport, by making London’s streets healthier, safer and more welcoming.
What we are proposing
We are proposing to:
- Convert the existing staggered crossing on Finchley Road at the junction with Hendon Way into a straight across crossing with a pedestrian countdown display
- Ban the left turn from Finchley Road into Fortune Green Road and remove the left-turn slip road. This will allow the northbound bus lane to be extended to the main junction. The slip road will be filled-in and the new space re-allocated to and made more welcoming for people walking
- Extend the bus lane hours on Finchley Road to Monday to Saturday 07:00 to 10:00 and 16:00 to 22:00
- Extend the parking bay and loading bay restrictions to Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 16:00
Please see the drawing in the Documents section for more information.
How these proposals would affect journey times
The proposals would benefit thousands of bus passengers who use this route every day. It would mean shorter journey times, with the biggest improvements in the northbound evening rush hour (pm peak). The bus lane changes will also benefit other bus lane users - people cycling, using taxis and coaches, and people on powered two wheelers (motorbikes, scooters, mopeds). There is not expected to be a noticeable impact on journey times for anyone else as a result of the proposals.
Equality Impact Assessment
We are subject to the general public sector equality duty set-out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, which requires us to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.
In considering changes to the design of our streets we closely consider the needs of all users throughout the design process and complete a draft Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA). We would like to hear your views about any impacts on those with protected characteristics and how any negative impacts could be addressed. The EqIA can be found in the 'Documents' section.
