Work continues at a snail’s pace on the deadly junction….
What people are saying
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Pollution levels on Euston Road- King’s Cross weather (BBC)
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Kings Cross Environment 
From: Albert Beale, 5 Caledonian Road (020-7278 4474; worldpeace@gn.apc.org)
The delay might be worthwhile if it meant that the introduction of new pinch-points for cyclists, where fast-moving converging lanes of traffic will end up squeezing cyclists as they come out of a bend, was being re-thought.
But the road lay-out in the photograph shows that both of the new death-traps are still part of the design. Two north-bound lanes will converge into one as they come out of the half-turn (a blind bend) into York Way; and three east-bound lanes [because the “left turn into York Way” lane will be available to east-bound buses] will be pushed into two as they come out of the bend into Pentonville Road past the newly-aligned northern pavement outside MuckDonald’s.
That’s why some of us feel the need to actively resist the TfL planners who give the throughput of motor vehicles a higher priority than the health, safety and sanity of road-users as a whole (see http://bikesalive.wordpress.com).
Albert Beale
They’re still tidying up but at last it’s more or less finished. I cycled it twice today and several things have certainly improved:
– traffic entering York Way from Gray’s Inn Road can now (just about) stay in two lanes
– this and the change to the phasing of the lights means there are no longer vehicles in the way when pedestrians get the signal to cross York Way
– vehicles have to slow down much more to turn left into York Way from Euston Road, so there are should be fewer near misses with pedestrians
– there is no longer the problem of the overcrowded central island
So it feels a bit safer but mainly for pedestrians, and there hasn’t been any change in the balance of power between motorists and cyclists.
It would also help if the taxi set-down was removed now that the new King’s Cross rank is open. Is this possible? Any cabbies care to comment?