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What about Picadilly, eastbound, descending from Hyde Park Corner Roundabout. The whole road, particularly the left hand/bus lane, is cratered like the moon.

There is huge local support for this. Plenty of people have tried before and given up, but they have left mailing lists, networks of contacts, and a sense of a desire for change intact. So, the first part of this, engaging local residents, is going well.

Now, I need to draw a sketch map of what changes would look like. This is your chance to influence this. Do you have a good idea of what you would want to see in this area? If so, say so here. A general sense of ''cycle lanes" isn't good enough. Where do you want them? What sort of intervention? Think about anywhere on this one way system, not just earls court. I'm still thinking of campaigning seeking its return to two way use, but if you've a better idea, such as a limited one way system with separated cycle lanes, say what you would like to see now.

Also, if anyone has software to draw road layout well, or fancies doing drawing for beer, wine or gin, please get in touch.

Please do help me make this a safer area of town for cycling.
Thanks.

Tealemma,
I may be interested in some of the other parts, if still available, do you have any rod brake parts / 28" rear mudguard?

I should add that I've had a detailed hard-copy letter from Cllr Linda Wade in response to my e-mails to her. This showed an interest in the problems along these roads, and a desire either to support the solution I proposed, or to find another solution for cyclists. So far, the other proposals have been quite unspecific, or related to other parts of RBKC, but this is a more encouraging response than the local councilors. This was started by my supporting the 'space for cycling' campaign, so I'd urge other local residents to support that campaign too, even though it is sparse on specific requests for the Earl's Court Ward.

To those who are campaigning locally - a cycle lane west-east along Cromwell Road between ECR and WR is a good idea - and this might be gaining traction in RBKC. There is an existing quietway just south of Cromwell Road which this would supplement. In my view, the major problem in the Ward is that of Earl's Court Road and Warwick Road.

Meanwhile, I've met a few more local residents, and started some e-mail exchange with some residents associations, and have been trying to find out more local opinion.

Does anyone on here live further south, towards Redcliffe Square or Edith Grove, or further north, towards Shepherd's Bush? I'd be interested to know your experience of this one-way system in your part of town.

Charlie, that's a really good image to counter the argument that tunnels reduce congestion and make the street-scape less daunting!

I agree - nothing worse than an isolated website with only one view and little content! - but then again it's difficult to start off without being able to say "show your support/ find out more here", or something similar - just wish to be ready to go when there is support, and I know this takes time to create.

I've had positive replies from the two nearest residents' associations already, who have provided further contacts, including in the local business association. Essentially "We'd support it but we're not doing anything about it ourselves".

Blogspot is a good idea. Do you have experience in naming this sort of thing?
Is "Restore Earls Court Roads" or something similar better than "stop the Gyratory!" The name for a campaign is important in setting the tone, and I didn't ask you about your experience earlier.

Thank you for the public support and PMs so far, in particular to Oliver.

It seems as if RBKC are starting to consider this, in a vague sort of way.
The March 2014 Local Infrastructure Delivery Plan contains a reference at p.76.
http://www.rbkc.gov.uk/pdf/LDF%20IDP%20March%202014.pdf
(Thanks to Oliver for the pointer)

This is, in my view, a realistic and achievable campaign to return these roads to two-way use.

This campaign needs a web presence as a matter of urgency, given the timescale of elections and the redevelopment consultations in the area. This needs graphics, and it needs a website. Can anyone help with either? I've no experience in these things. I think something very simple would suffice at first.

• a single page website setting out the aim of the campaign
  
• a few 'doodles' of a couple of sites in the area showing two-way use restored (e.g. Earl's Court Road/Warwick Road/ Lillie Road).
  
• a 'graphic' for the campaign
  (I can draw passably, but I've no kit for transposing anything online - and i've never worked in marketing so my ideas might not be popular...).
  
  

I don't even think an e-petition is suitable at this stage - It's easy to set up another e-mail account for this - unless some sort of petition and 'counter' is easy to create?

So, any creative people on here able to offer a few hours to time to help make this part of London a better place for cycling? I've no sponsorship for this, so the consideration might well have to be in beer...! Please PM me if you feel able to help!

Yes, I see that, except Warwick road is already part two way by Cromwell road and many junctions are already restricted turns. Looking forward to discussing this in more depth.

Can anyone techy help with drawing a presentable map of these roads?

I've just drawn one by hand, and double checked all the roads on google-maps to see if I'm right, and the TFL case for the one-way system appears much weaker than I'd thought.

The scheme runs North/South, and it's very interesting to look at the access points to the one-way system. As these very roughly form a grid, I'll look at North/South and then East/West.

At the Northern end, the scheme starts where the A3220 connects to the Shepherd's Bush Roundabout. This is a single carriageway in two-way operation for the first stretch heading south.

At the Southern End is Cremorne Road. This is also a single carriageway in two-way operation.

So, North/South, there are already bottlenecks where the road is single carriageway.

Looking at the East/West points:
High Street Kensington may be a double carriageway on the eastern side, but on the western, towards Hammersmith, it goes down to a single carriageway.

The A4/Cromwell Road may be a 6-lane monster, but on the Warwick Road side, only one lane turns off into it.

The Old Brompton Road is a single carriageway.

The Fulham Road is a mix between a single and dual carriageway, albeit that there is plenty of space for 'stacking' at junctions, and it goes into 3 lanes to allow this.

King's Road, equally, is a single carriageway in most places, with short stretches of dual carriageway.

So, with the exception of the A4/Cromwell Road, and HSK going east, every single road is a single carriageway in two-way operation before it reaches the next significant junction. That must be fairly significant.

The one-way system is 2-lane for almost the whole length, save for along WR between OBR and the A4, and as 'stacking' on the junctions before Fulham Road and the KR.

Factoring in stop/start for traffic lights, what benefits, then, does this scheme offer over having these roads in two-way use, if 'stacking' were preserved?

Now, at the moment, this is on a sketch map, and isn't very presentable. Can anyone offer any suggestions/help with drawing a road layout diagram. Is there software that's out there that people use for this?

Oliver,

No, both roads have to be returned to two-way at the same time. There is a small campaign on Earl's Court Road to pedestrianise it, and have ALL traffic on WR! This is clearly unworkable, but shows the support for some change.

It would have to be all the way from Cromwell Road down to the River, (the part just above Cromwell Road might be possible to keep separate, but would probably function better in any case as a two way road)

I mentioned WR turn to Cromwell Road as that is the only point on the entire system, where there is a three-lane patch of road that is used as such.

I agree, it's the whole one-way system, or nothing at all.

I'd considered contraflow on Warwick Road, and the idea fills me with dread. The lanes are narrow, so putting a cycle lane would return it to two lanes in any event - and then it would actually function much better as a two-way street...

Charlie,
Thank you - I will try and contact LCC again in this area, if you could put me in touch with anyone you know to be active here, either that live locally, or that are interested in or have experience in organising this sort of campaign, that would be great. I'm keen to support LCC in this area if they are keen to look at the overall problems in RBKC and not just focus on HSK.

I have seen that website, and that was the final tipping point in going to meet the councilors personally! It's a very good way of generating numbers, but in this ward, it's not specific enough. I got back the standard reply of "yes, we're interested, and we care about cyclist safety', but no specifics. When I asked what they might do - absolutely no ideas came back to me. That's why we need to present a workable scheme. So they can say 'that looks like a good idea, I'll back that', and to save them from having to think for themselves. It's much easier to present someone with an idea, than to ask them to come up with a solution. TheSpace4Cycling campaign is great for publicity, but in this ward at least, short on ideas. The developers, in any case, will say that they have undertaken a safety review on the and limited the number of HGV movements per day on Warwick Road, so they have already factored cycle safety into their project management (I've already spoken at length to their transport consultant at the last public consultation about this).

I agree population turnover is a problem. However, there are a lot of hotels in this area, and many on the main roads. The one-way system hurts their business too. A campaign that involved cyclists, but that also engaged local business and residents would be, in my view, much more likely to be successful. Limiting this campaign to cyclist only is surely short-sighted?

I'll join this group, and repost there, thank you for pointing this out.

Oliver,
Thank you very much again for the summaries. I hadn't found that yahoo group, only a fairly inactive board on LCC.

That's a very interesting point about 'nodes'. In that case, looking at a map, couldn't Warwick Road be two-way - a cycle lane could be on the right hand side of the road up until the turning into Nevern Square, and then the extra space could be used to have a turn left lane, so at the very top by Cromwell Road, two lanes heading north, and one heading south? There is already a short stretch of two-way just north of the junction. If the issue is primarily about 'stacking space' for motor vehicles just before the junction, this problem is really easy to solve.

Thank you all for your replies (and to the private messages so far). I know there is an element of reposting in this thread, but I'd like to pick the successful elements from each as part of this presentation, and it's too much for one person to both search for and read through all the other consultations. The more detail you can help me with, the better.

ap8006, I use those routes when appropriate, and there is some 'contraflow' already in between Earl's Court Road and Warwick Road. However, the main issue in using these is reaching them in the first place. It involves crossing the main roads to enter or leave them. There are few direct cross-overs, and most involve, on Warwick Road, e.g. coming from Eardley Crescent, holding the right-hand lane on a 3-lane road, for a significant distance, where vehicle speed is highest, or even holding that position from the bottom of Warwick Road. The tube station cuts off the north/south routes, except on the main roads. Crossing three lanes on a bike (1st-3rd lane to make the turn off) is a stressful evolution. Similarly on Earl's Court Road, there isn't a 'straight' crossover. In fact, coming from Earl's Court Gardens - to go North - you have to either get off and walk, or go round the one-way system with the traffic and go through Earl's Court Square, then join Warwick Road, and go through Nevern Square! Two-way operation would allow these quietways to be used more logically - yes, there would still be a wait for cyclists, but it would be to cross only one lane of traffic, which has to be an improvement.

Oliver Schick:

First, thank you for setting out the successful campaigns, I'll look for the consultation documents supporting these.

yes, I have seen that response in countless answers during the development consultation. What it doesn't explain is how 2 lanes in each direction for the majority of the one way system (only 3 on Warwick Road), with regular traffic lights to negotiate, is faster for the motorist than 2 x two-way streets. The one-way system doesn't create an extra lane. On Warwick Road, the 1st lane is mainly used by buses. Cars just don't use it, except for the short stretch by Philbeach Gardens.

I agree - new lights would help - and the council have to look at this issue - a pedestrian was killed in February crossing Earl's Court Road, and the number of crossings are already inadequate for the pedestrian density here, even before the development.

That's why I'm looking for someone qualified in urban planning/transport to have a look at this, because I think the motorist's/TFL's case for the one-way system is a weak one. However, TFL need to be presented with the facts.

I've been in touch in the sense that I've e-mailed them a few times. I haven't yet have a reply to any. So far, they appear focused on HSK in what they publish, and they meet infrequently. I'd be happy to coordinate, but I don't think anyone is actively taking an interest in this area. Even the current councilors, who all live just off this one-way system, haven't done a thing about it.

Thank you, I'm not as familiar with Aldgate, and I'm searching for the consultation documents. Has this already happened?

Picadilly is the most obvious example I can think of.

So local elections are coming up soon, and I've been to meet the candidates, principally in response to the lack of progress on "The Grid" in K&C. All appeared sympathetic to improving road safety in the west end of Ken and Chelsea, but none had any ideas of their own, and are essentially passive - they are waiting for instructions on the red routes from TFL. Clearly, that isn't going to happen without outside influence.

I'd like to propose unwinding the gyratory system in Earl's Court to TFL. I'd like to propose adding a cycle lane on Warwick Road as part of that, as it is wider than Earl's Court Road between Old Brompton Road and Cromwell Road (where there are cycle lanes for the cyclist to pick up). This would link to the Hammersmith and Fulham cycle routes, and would improve road safety greatly in this area. I'd like to present a coherent, fully reasoned scheme to K&C, local councilors, and TFL, which includes an impact assessment on the traffic.

High Street Kensington gets a lot of attention on here and elsewhere, and CTC have been successful here, but I'd like to raise awareness of the problems elsewhere in this area. Interestingly, the candidates I spoke to were pushing for a cycle lane on HSK, but the opposition was currently from residents along HSK.

I need help in coming up with a feasible and realistic proposal, and hope that some of you are in a position, and willing, to help with this.

First of all, a return to two-way use would be overwhelmingly popular with local residents here. Secondly, if done in the next few years, it could integrate with the transport plans for the new development on the Exhibition Centre site, and with the Hammersmith 'fly-under'. Thirdly, it would make cycling in this part of town so much safer. It isn't popular here, because it is so difficult for novice cyclists. Fourthly, looking at the system overall, a return to two-way use wouldn't necessarily slow down average traffic speeds (detailed discussion will surely follow).

The first step must be to obtain data from TFL which justified the imposition of it in 1963. This was part of the plan for the inner circular, so presumably has different aims to the current road system, and it's unclear whether the system has been reviewed systematically since then. Secondly, to obtain the study which resulted in goods vehicles being banned from this area in the early 1970s. This I can do.

Where I would like help is in two areas:
1) Could you help me understand where (and I'm thinking of East London) one-way systems have been unwound. Where have successful interventions been? What has been done? Do any of you have involvement in the campaign.
2) Does anyone know anyone who works in town planning or as a traffic engineer, who could help with asking for a consultation on this from TFL, or even better, who could help conduct an analysis of whether this is possible? I'd imagine presenting a large map with proposed changes, positions of a new cycle lane, and some estimate of the effect on traffic in the area.

The reason I am keen to do this is that the local councilors will not come up with a scheme on their own to improve road safety. There is little political will from inside RBKC employees to change this, and none from TFL. However, the candidates were clear that if presented with a feasible idea, they would back it.

So, is anyone willing to offer any help? If so, reply here or send me a PM. I'd be very grateful, as would local residents, and people commuting through K&C to areas further west, and even more so, those commuting north/south.

I know the instant reaction is along the lines of 'you don't simply unwind the Earl's Court One-Way System', or make cycling in this area safer, but I wouldn't want that to be for lack of trying or lobbying.

Thank you.
EC

So, at 10am this morning, I had a call back from a manager at TFL, saying that my complaint was being investigated, and CCTV footage from the bus has been requested, and the subcontracted operating company obviously made aware. I'm impressed with the response from TFL so far.

Light drizzle while going west by King's College/Somerset House. I was clearly established in the right-hand lane, and had a BMW trying to overtake, so no room to my right. Que the driver of stationary number 521 to wait until I'm passing his bus before pulling out sharply to the right (wheels over but no indicator on) - and he had clearly seen me in the mirror. Rod brakes on the 1930 roadster ineffective to me slow down significantly in time (I doubt anything would have been), and the BMW continued to overtake. Managed to miss the front corner of the bus by about an inch, and was missed by the BMW by the about the same. Bus driver responded to cry of (in the circs., quite mild) "Hey, what are you doing" with a tirade of swearing with associated gestures.

On the plus side, I had a very helpful call to TFL, who took a careful note of my complaint. Only a 1 minute wait to speak to an operator, and every chance is the chap will be identified. Clearly enough for a careless driving charge, and I expect his reaction will be on the internal CCTV. Too optimistic for a TFL complaint to result in any sanction for him?

Sadly, a police sign has just appeared recording a fatal accident on Earl's Court road by the tube station - (I've seen two accidents in the past week there and on Old Brompton Road junction)- but there doesn't seem to be any attempt to make cycling safer in this area. Nothing on this important road on The Grid plans. Are there any active members of this forum actively campaigning in K&C? I know there are much more cyclists in East London, but there must be some members who live in or cycle through this area?

One of the really annoying things about the Grid is that nothing much is going to improve in Kensington and Chelsea. If you're starting from, say, West Brompton Cemetery and you'd like to head north, you've no choice but to use Warwick Road, which just isn't safe for cyclists, given that you're forced to be in the right-hand lane (either to turn right onto Cromwell Road - another 3 lane road, or use any of the existing, ill-thought-out cycle lanes) which almost all motorists think is for overtaking/going as fast as humanly possible before the inevitable red light. Southbound along Earl's Court Road is just as bad, although there are a few alternatives available. Ken High Street is often on this forum for being unsafe. K&C is awful for cycling - in particular the Earl's Court One Way System, and The Grid doesn't make any meaningful change here. As a resident, I really don't see nearly as many cyclists around K&C, than I do almost anywhere else in this city, and the way K&C and TFL manage the roads here, ignoring the real needs of cyclists, must be the cause. A bold decision for a proper cycle lane on Warwick Rd and Earl's Court Road would have been welcome, and The Grid misses the chance to do so.
As posted above, pointing out (at great expense) that side streets exist, and sometimes the (primarily intended for motor vehicles' needs) one-way system may allow you to go vaguely in the direction you want, really isn't doing enough. Seriously, anyone with either a map or a mobile telephone could have worked that much out on their own...

Didn't seem any different at 5.30 this morning. However, King's Cross and all Holborn at 8.30 this evening was something else. I've never seen such inconsiderate driving. It was as if stop lines and lanes meant nothing. Almost tempting not to cycle tomorrow. If HoKe sets the tone, my shout of "feckless moron" to a van driver overtaking with mm to spare (before I promptly overtook him for good at a red light a matter of seconds later) probably didn't bother him too much.

I'm after a Brooks B33 (in reasonable condition) - I have a B17 - second-hand from this forum - unused by me - good condition. Anyone interested in a part exchange?

Thanks.

I'm an old building purist, but so long as you don't do anything irreversible to the Victorian fabric of the house, I think it's great to make use of all the space. I wouldn't have done concrete, but I hope it doesn't cause you problems now it's been done.

Floor-wise, arguably it's more practical to have something soft for this sort of workshop. Not only will you drop things on it, but you wouldn't want, for example, to damage a frame if you dropped that on something unforgiving. If you've sorted out the drainage, what about cork? It's really cheap, so can be replaced when shabby. Also, you can get it in white, which satisfies the 'simple' criterion.

Not Concrete! At a guess, the house looks about 1870ish. That means that it should just be earth/crushed stone mix in the cellar, though I can't see from the pictures. Concrete poured into the cellar beneath a house on London clay isn't always the best idea, despite it being a popular move during the 60s and 70s, as it creates problems with condensation and damp. If there is a slight slope to the site, there may also have been a small drain to remove water, which you should look for before you do more drastic work. Wooden floor recommended slightly suspended above the earth floor, (if it isn't concrete already).

Great project - can't wait to see more pictures.

I've lost the dust cap on my left pedal, which is from a 1930 Raleigh Roadster. Does anyone have a spare that will fit, or know where I can source one from? The pedal is fairly standard for that period - the sort with two black rubber grips in a metal frame.

Parts sale:

1) unused 28 inch wheels. That is 28x1.5 for an old roadster frame and for rod brakes. Currently, a single speed rear hub. Delta cruiser cream tires. For collection SW5. All unused. Cost me £75.

ALSO

2) Vintage Raleigh crankset - with the cranes. Some pitting to the chrome. In usable condition with new cotter pins.

AND

3) Brooks B14 Black - Cost me £40 on this forum - will pass on for that.

PM me if interested with a reasonable offer for wheels and crankset. Pictures on request if you supply your e-mail address.