Transport for London (TfL) has started construction work on changes to junctions along Edgware Road, which will reduce road danger and make it easier and safer to walk in the area.
The section of Edgware Road between Marylebone Flyover and Marble Arch is a busy residential, shopping and dining area and a key transport route linking three Tube stations and Paddington National Rail station. Despite large numbers of people using the road every day, the existing crossing facilities are poor.
The changes in the area, which were supported by a majority of people in consultation, include:
- Reducing the speed limit from 30mph to 20mph along Edgware Road, between Marble Arch and Penfold Place
- New signalised pedestrian crossings at key junctions along the road, making the area more accessible for people on foot
- Installation of advanced stop lines for cyclists, reducing the risk of collisions between people cycling and motor vehicles
- Widening pedestrian crossings and pavements to make hostile junctions more welcoming to pedestrians and less dominated by motor vehicles
The upgraded walking and cycling facilities will also make it easier for people walking to the four nurseries, two primary schools and three secondary schools in the area.
Work began at the Harrow / Edgware Road junction on 6 January and is expected to be complete by April.
London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said: “We’re working to make roads across London safer for walking and cycling, and these changes along Edgware Road will make a real difference to the thousands of people who travel through this busy area every day. We look forward to work beginning on 6 January and thank people in the area for their patience while the work takes place.”
Kay Buxton, Chief Executive of Marble Arch London Business Improvement District, said: “It is exciting to see work begin on this incredibly important programme of junction improvements. The new green man crossings run the length of Edgware Road, from the Marylebone Flyover to Marble Arch. They will significantly improve pedestrian connectivity and the experience for visitors, residents, the local workforce and children on their way to school.
“Safer pedestrian movement was identified by our business members as being one of their top priorities when we established Marble Arch London BID back in 2016. Since the outset, from design through to consultation, we have worked closely with TfL and are enormously grateful for their work and to everyone who wrote in support of the proposals. Seeing the junctions enhanced with pedestrian phases means that one of our major goals has been accomplished and we are extremely proud of this.”
The changes form part of TfL’s Safer Junctions programme, which is reducing road danger at 73 dangerous junctions across London. All locations in the Safer Junctions programme had higher than average collision rates and this improvement work is a vital part of the Vision Zero ambition to eliminate death and serious injury on London’s roads.
