Karen Sullivan – Head of Spatial Planning and Transport

Martijn Cooijmans – Team Leader Transport Planning

West Area Committee – 15 September 2009

King’s Cross Pedestrian and Cycle Access

Background

• King’s Cross Central

• King’s Cross Transport Interchange

• Closure cab road

Wharfdale Road Bridge

• Longstanding aspiration but no funding

• Connect the junction of York Way and Wharfdale Road with the Boulevard at King’s Cross Central

• The requirement for passive provision for the bridge by Argent expires in 2012

• Council sought Transport for London funding to develop a business case for the bridge

Business Case

• Standard methodology used by Department for Transport and Transport for London to prioritise transport projects with a value of £2m or more

• Assesses costs and benefits of a transport project over a 30-year period

• Informs the decision, but it is not the decision

Business Case• Benefits to pedestrians• Benefits to cyclists• Cost of bridge• Benefit-Cost Ratio• Sensitivity tests on ambience and cost

Benefits to Pedestrians• Bridge catchment area of 800 metres

• Movement between:– Pentonville area in Islington– King’s Cross Transport Interchange– King’s Cross Central

• Growth assumptions of pedestrian numbers in King’s Cross Central and Pentonville

• Time savings of the bridge

Benefits to Cyclists• One-way traffic only as Wharfdale Road is eastbound

only and York Way northbound only

• St Pancras Station blocks east-west cycle movement

• Inconvenience of dismounting and loss of time savings

Bridge Costs• Network Rail Bridge to King’s Cross Station platforms

used for comparison: £8m– No gate line needed– Wharfdale Road Bridge is longer

• Comparison with other similar pedestrian bridges over railway (between £4.7m and £9.7m)

• Comparison with standard construction cost for bridges (between £4.5m and £11.7m)

• Outline bridge design (RIBA stage C) would cost between £40,000 and £120,000

Bridge Costs – Design Quality• Need for high quality design:

– Along King’s Cross Station: listed building– Near St Pancras International– Long span over busy railway tracks– Needs to be fully accessible (lifts or ramps)– Needs to be safe and secure (especially at night)– Connect to Europe’s largest new development

Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR)• BCR for the Wharfdale Road Bridge is 0.52 : 1

• DfT ‘pass-mark’ is BCR 2 : 1

• TfL ‘pass mark’ is BCR 1.5 : 1

• Unfunded projects in Islington:– Archway roundabout: BCR 8 : 1– Highbury Corner Roundabout: BCR 10 : 1

King’s Cross Station S106• Camden Council has secured £1m for improvements to York

Way

• Pedestrian improvements south of Goods Way

• New pedestrian crossings on York Way at the junctions with Pentonville Road and Wharfdale Road

• Although the council supports the new crossings, it is lobbying for two-way working on York Way to be investigated

• The council has asked for implementation of these improvements to be delayed by a few months until feasibility of two-way working has been investigated

• Council motion supporting the removal of the King’s Cross gyratory

Benefits of York Way Two-way• Reduction of traffic speeds making the street safer and

more attractive for pedestrians• Reduction of vehicle traffic on Wharfdale Road,

Caledonian Road and Goods Way• Introduction of two-way cycle flow on York Way• Reduced journey times for bus route 390, and better

interchange with King’s Cross Station

• However TfL is concerned about the impact on the junction with Pentonville Road and York Way and impact on the inner ring road

Conclusion• Business Case for the Wharfdale Road Bridge is poor• Current economic climate and budget pressures within

TfL and the LDA• Projects with a much better business case are not

funded, including Archway and Highbury Corner• The council is lobbying for York Way two-way

Questions and Comments

Background

• King’s Cross Central – Over 450,000 m2 for businesses and employment– 1,700 residential units– Over 45,000 m2 for retail and food and drink outlets– Over 71,000 m2 for community use– Over 28,000 m2 for leisure

• King’s Cross Transport Interchange

• Closure cab road

Background

• King’s Cross Transport Interchange– New Northern Ticket Hall (2010)– High-speed domestic rail services to Kent (end 2009)– New Western Concourse King’s Cross Station (before 2012)

• Public space improvements– Pedestrian improvements to York Way– Southern Square (post 2012)

• Closure cab road

Other Projects

• Improved pedestrian crossing on York Way at junction with Pentonville Road/Euston Road

• York Way two-way traffic

• Movement and Public Space Strategy

• Masterplan King’s Cross Islington

• Wharfdale Road Bridge

Sensitivity Tests• Ambience

– Lighting and CCTV could make the bridge a more attractive alternative than the main roads

– Ramps and lifts may lead to discomfort which could off-set these benefits

– Economic benefits would be minimal– BCR would increase to 0.73 : 1

• Cost– Cost would need to reduce with 65% (BCR 1.5 : 1) or

74% (BCR 2 : 1)– This is unrealistic given the cost of other bridges, the standard unit

cost and required design quality