A107 Lower Clapton Road Bus Priority

I and others disapprove of this scheme.

By removing the loading bay outside 101-103 Lower Clapton Road you will create unnecessary trouble and grief to businesses and residents.

Brilliant - anything to reduce car dominance in the area, increase use of buses and encourage walking and cycling is to be welcomed, I fully support the proposals.
What i would also like to see is increase use of SUDS and tree planting - opposite Tesco on the wide pavement would be suitable for increase planting and create a barrier from car fumes to those living on that side of the road.

If bus lanes, existing and proposed, are meant to operate at all times - as they should - then it makes no sense for legacy single red lines [from the '90s?] to remain within them, especially when those along this section of the TLRN do not apply to Sundays at all; congestion does not cease as if by magic at 7pm on Saturday and not re-appear until 8am Monday! A 24/7 bus lane must have 24/7 double red lines to match, with all kerbside activity properly managed by being confined to designated short-stay off-peak bays only.
The proposed 38m southbound bus lane between Glenarm Road and Median Road will not only not be used by most southbound buses as they position themselves to turn right at the Urswick Road junction, it will also exacerbate general congestion approaching that junction by neutralising approach capacity. Compare and contrast with the southbound bus lane on Rectory Road approaching Evering Road, intended for route 149 and other Dalston-bound services but only used by the 276 as again bus drivers habitually position their Dalston-bound services offside ready for the right turn into Manse Road. There was even a bus pre-signal installed on Dalston Lane eastbound approaching Graham Road, at the end of a bus lane intended for route 38 and other Graham Road services but not used by them for the same reason yet again; only the left-turning 30 and 56 used the bus lane and pre-signal, both of which have been removed through non-use. Please learn from others' hard-won experience about what works, or doesn't, not slavishly follow targets and textbooks!

Removed by moderator.

As a resident of Lower Clapton Road I have a number of comments.

Adding a southbound bus lane outside the pond will cause problems for traffic continuing south at the junction with Downs Road as it is common for the right lane to be filled with right-turners waiting to turn right. This includes busses. The result will be tailbacks to the roundabout, and unnecessary difficult to those going south.

Narrowing the footpath outside the Tesco is concerning as it is an informal meeting place, acting as a sort of town square. Reducing the area will be detrimental to this use.

The southbound bus lane near the junction with Median Road will have a similar effect as the bus lane by the pond, vehicles continuing south will be blocked by vehicles queuing to turn right. This is especially acute here as there are a number of bus routes that turn right, and they will be trying to move from the left hand lane into the right, and queueing back, blocking other vehicles access into the left hand lane. I think a better solution would be to have lane markings drawn, and allowing all vehicles to use both lanes, giving a larger space for alignment based on their intended direction of travel.

Moving the bus stop on the northbound carriage way opposite to opposite the Round Chapel could cause problems for vehicles continuing north. The hashed area on the approach to the zebra crossing regularly has a queue of vehicles turning right into Powerscroft Road, this includes buses. The repositioned bus stop would block the left lane, and stop the flow of the majority of traffic.

Removal of the loading bay on the northbound carriage way by the petrol pump will mean there are no loading bays on that section of road. You may not be aware, but the petrol station is to be demolished and replaced with a Lidl supermarket. They have no loading provision on their premises so that bay would be the only loading area they could use.

I have a personal concern with the start of the proposed northbound bus lane between Goulton Road and Rowhill Road. I regularly need to turn right into Maitland Place on my bike. Currently oncoming traffic will give me ample room while I wait in the centre of the road. But if the bus lane is installed as described, vehicles will be forced to drive at me in the middle of the road. Maybe this could be avoided by starting the bus lane further north by say 10 metres?

The proposed bus lane on the north bound carriageway approaching Downs Road, I think would be better served by just making lane markings for all vehicles to use. It is common for vehicles to queue to turn right into Millfields Road, and this would block all traffic north as they wouldn't have the option to drive around them due to the bus lane.

Regarding the northbound bus lane after Downs Road, of all the changes proposed, I think that will be the only one that will actually benefit buses in a significant way, but I do have a concern regarding bike safety. Cyclists turning from Downs Road north into Lower Clapton Road do not respect the traffic lights. Almost daily I see cyclists jumping the lights and turning into the left lane, narrowly avoiding vehicles, especially buses, who are continuing north. Currently traffic tends to treat the northern part of that junction as a single lane and will move slowly with the intention to merge. With the addition of a bus lane, it will be clear that there are two lanes, and subsequently the speed of traffic will increase, especially buses making use of the upcoming bus lane. I feel this is a disaster waiting to happen with the disrespect cyclists show to the traffic lights at this junction. I don't have a proposed solution to this problem. The bus lane here would be a genuine benefit, but cyclist safety here is also a major concern.

One final comment regarding the proposed northbound bus lane after Downs Road, can you please put the northern end a little further south so that parking in the parking bay at the end doesn't require entering the bus lane.

Please retain the single red lines in all the places they currently are, including outside Maitland Place (the currently painted double-reds is a mistake, they are supposed to be single-reds. And no change to the restriction times.

And one final question, why are the bus lanes in operation "at all times"? outside of the rush hours, there is little traffic on Lower Clapton Road. A 7-10am,4-7pm, or 7am-7pm restriction would make more sense.

It will be a positive to benefit bus users with faster journey times and although they are not protected cycle lanes, it will also make the roads a little safer for cyclists when they use these bus lanes

I feel anything done to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport while decreasing private automobile use in the area would be positive to the majority of residents. I too would like to see more provision made for cycling on the roads and further efforts made to reduce the speeding of private automobiles and motorcycles

I wish this scheme had greater provision for cycling, including a segregated cycle lane, but recognise there are challenges in amount of space available. It would also be good if the pedestrian countdown timers were increased as there is currently far too little time to cross Lower Clapton Road.

A strongly support this scheme - this can increase the speed of buses and make them more attractive. After a few weeks, the number of private cars on this road should also decrease.

As London is increasingly anti-car anyway, with the LTNs and increasing car road to cycle provision, this is a natural progression to encourage more public transport use.

In theory, all good and would support as more local bus provision is a good thing, especially the proposed 24hr service.

Traffic will increase for awhile until the scheme beds in, and hopefully improves traffic flow.

One wonders what the impact will be on local delivery of goods, and how they will adapt, and will that be an overall negative on the scheme.

I don't live on these roads, and I have various transport options, so, overall, for me, will be a positive if bus provision and convenience increases.

I live by the zebra crossing and Clapton School for girls. Cars regularly jump the lights at well over 20mph while children try to cross . Other times cars and bikes speed down at 60-80mph. Lots of people cycle on the pavements. Lower Clapton Rd is a mess and it is good news you are looking at it but will this slow traffic down and will it do enough for cycling. Walthomstow like cycle paths on pavements would be very well used here.

Can you close the road in between the two halves of Clapton Pond? It would be great if this park could be reunited. It would be transformational for walkers and cyclists.

These plans will encourage car use and pollution.
Instead, discourage car use by:
- add a cycle lane on each side
- rather than having 3 or 4 lanes of traffic, just have 1 going each way.
This may slow down car and bus traffic in the short-term, but will support the medium- and long-term shift so that people reduce non-essential use of private cars.


In general:
- Intersection with Downs Road needs a zebra crossing on the North side.
- Add a green divider down the middle to reduce speeding and increase tree cover
- Add speed humps for cars to reduce speeding and accidents.

Very much in favour of these proposals, the car traffic on lower clapton road is horrific. Thanks.

This is very welcome. This street is far too dominated by motor vehicles and bus passengers suffer delays due to the lack of a consistent bus lane. Also this will improve cycling conditions along here. Hope this happens soon.

Removal of loading bays and disabled bays? You will destroy the local shops and businesses whose taxes you rely on (modern monetary theory aside).

I am partially sighted with limited mobilty and dread crossing Lower Clapton Road, so Friends Pharmacy is a godsend; but it looks as though you are removing the loading bays that their wholesalers use every day. (The same applies to F A Strange and Safedale.)

A wrong (though right, if you were preparing for war) decision was made at the turn of the Twentieth Century to allow private ownership of motor cars; that decision cannot be unmade in one fell swoop without doing further harm. The whole rotten system needs debriding.

Brave Margot

I strongly support this scheme - bus users should get priority over the minority of Hackney residents who own a car and take up a disproportionate amount of road space

I am leaving this feedback on behalf of a collective of residents from Clapton.

We strongly oppose all plans.

The proposed plans are in no way, shape, or form a benefit to the area. Car traffic is already horrendous on Lower Clapton Road. Taking space away from private, trade and commercial vehicles would only add to this congestion. If the plans go ahead air quality would decrease causing health issues from all the idling vehicles, you would have streets of frustrated drivers causing danger to the local people. The children at BSix College would be at high risk from the increased health and road dangers. Currently, there are works happening on the Lea Bridge roundabout so we are getting a taster of the effects from narrower roads for private vehicles. Many residents cannot open their windows due to high pollution levels, there is incessant honking of horns, people shouting at one another, and road rage fights. I watch a college student get hit by a car trying to squeeze in front of another car earlier this week.

This cannot be allowed to become normal day-to-day happenings.

The current bus lane layout is more than adequate. If anything the bus lanes should only be operational between 7-10am and 4-7pm. We need to find solutions to the congestion seen on Lower Clapton Road NOT add to it.

For health and safety reasons for all residents and local students the Clapton Residents Collective STRONGLY opposes any and all plans to increase bus lane coverage in the area. We FULLY support the reduction of bus lanes in the area.

I am fully supportive of this scheme as it is important to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport. I wish this scheme had greater provision for cycling, including a segregated cycle lane, but recognise there are challenges in amount of space available. It would also be good if the pedestrian countdown timers were increased as there is currently far too little time to cross Lower Clapton Road.

I fully support this scheme to prioritise walking, cycling and public transport. As a resident of Lower Clapton for over 10 years I have seen the steady increase in traffic, with most of hackney becoming completely gridlocked in the afternoon. Anything that can be done to discourage the use of cars in the borough is crucial

I think this is an excellent proposal. Prioritising bus, walking and cycling would improve lower clapton road a great deal. This has my full support