By Tessa Larcher
TFL’s plan aims to improve the Old Street roundabout to make the station area easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists, and make the use of public transport more convenient for everyone. But many locals and residents living around or near the station say the project is problematic.
Since the project started in 2019, the roundabout has been changed into a two-way traffic system, due to the northwestern arm of the junction being permanently closed. According to TFL, these traffic management measures will stay in place at the junction until the work is done, hopefully this winter.
Many locals have expressed their concern about the roadworks, although some people still believe it is a good initiative for the Old Street area.
“The concept of the new roundabout works visually and maybe on paper, but it’s creating a lot of traffic problems, especially around 3 o’clock all the way until rush hour,” declared Tchad Amadeu, 30, who lives next to Old Street station.
“Everyone tries to use a shortcut behind Moorfields Eye Hospital now, but they all fall for the same trap around busy times every day,” he said.
While the roundabout is still being built, the replacement with the two-way traffic is intended to relieve the traffic flow in the area. However, this temporary solution tends to affect traffic severely, by creating critical congestion during rush hours around the station.
“It hasn’t been a roundabout for quite a while now, and it certainly can’t carry the traffic flow that Old Street roundabout could,” Amadeu said.
TFL has said that “right turns from Old Street west into City Road South and from Mallow Street into Old Street east are permanently banned”. But it also said that the road work should be finished by the end of 2022.
Because of this important traffic, local drivers have had to plan their journeys going from work to and coming back home in advance. The result? Chaos.
“It’s just long – we have to choose chaos every morning,” said Connor Foren, 37, from Old Street, who travels to St Pancras every morning for work.
“They added this small two-way road wide enough for one lane, so when it’s busy we all get stuck there for a long time,” Foren said.
Many locals using this road claim that while the roundabout has four exits, only one of these lanes gets to move, while the other three wait at the traffic light.
“I don’t really remember if the previous Old Street roundabout had the same waiting system, but it was much faster than it was it is now,” said Amadeu,
“We all hope the final results will be convenient for all of us because these traffic problems cannot last forever.”
Contributing to poor quality air
These congestions could be the cause of a rise in air pollution in the city that has been observed since last week as Mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged Londoners to look after each other by choosing to walk, cycle or take public transport, avoiding unnecessary car journeys”.
The promise established by spring 2023, is the construction project focusing on a new main entrance to Old Street with a green roof that will complete the public space and environment. Actually, this entrance from Cowper Street will replace three of the four subway entrances.
On TFL’s website, the initiatives planned for next year are available for travellers or anyone who seeks information regarding the construction journey. For example, it explains that a new lift will be available, from street level into St. Agnes Well shopping retail concourse, and also the refurbishment of its shops. They also assure many improvements such as lighting, paving and street furniture will be completed.
Tania Daniels, a 25-year-old bar worker in Shoreditch, tried to understand the concept. As she would always travel through the tube and walk inside the station, she became a recurrent customer from some shops in St. Agnes, and passes on to her colleagues the evolution of the construction.
“I am just curious and wanted to understand these changes as I believe it is affecting all of us living, travelling or working in this area,” explain Daniels.
“From what I observed so far about this new entrance project, its aim is to provide direct access for customers to the station. While exit 1 is permanently closed, exit 3 remains open for now, also they reopened the City road North exit to allow access to the staircase, but closed the ramps.”
Improving pedestrian crossings
These changes to station access are the result of the removal of the existing roundabout. The importance of creating a new public space is to improve pedestrian crossings, and also add a segregating cycle lane in Old Street.
However, this project could be considered a vital part of TFL’s work to clean up the capital’s toxic air, by enabling more people to walk, cycle and use public transport in this busy area. Currently, many locals and travellers consider this construction as a major inconvenience raising problematic issues every day in this traffic area.
“I ride Euston road every week and it’s really pretty good because I very rarely have any issues. Unlike the new Old Street Roundabout, which is just shambolic and dangerous,” says Charles Aubryn, a regular cyclist living in Camden.
“No one knows where to go and it has been going on for years and changed all the time. Terribly sign-posted too, provoking incidents and more traffic at the same time.”
Helen Cansick, TfL’s Head of Healthy Streets Investment, confirmed that “the transformation of Old Street roundabout is a major project which is creating new segregated cycle lanes, pedestrian crossings and public space as well as upgrades to the Underground station.”
In a statement she said: “There have been a number of challenges with the project, including undiscovered utilities that need to be moved, as well as the impact of the pandemic.
“We’re working hard to complete the project as quickly as possible and aim to finish this by the spring of 2023. We’re sorry for any disruption caused and would like to thank people in the area for their patience during construction work.”
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