TfL has unveiled radical plans to pedestrianise Highbury Corner.
The authority has said it wants to make the roundabout safer for cyclists and those on foot.
its plans would see part of the road blocked off and replaced by a public space linking Highbury & Islington station to Upper Street.
The rest of the road would become two-way while crossings would be improved and new segregated cycle lanes built.
A consultation is now under way with members of the public invited to have their say on the TfL website until March 20.
Two options are offered in the consultation document, with one option suggesting the addition of a pedestrian crossing to provide a more direct route to Highbury and Islington station.
The improvement work is part of TfL’s £4bn Road Modernisation Plan and comes just days after the start of the controversial removal of the Archway gyratory.
Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who himself lives nearby, described the plans for Highbury Corner as a “vast improvement”.
“Highbury Corner heaves with hundreds of thousands of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians every day,” he said.
“It is a challenging area to navigate but the changes we are proposing will be a vast improvement, particularly for the many thousands of passengers who disgorge onto the pavement from Highbury & Islington station, and also for the cyclists who will find new segregated cycle lanes and signalised crossings that will make the area far safer for them.”
According to TfL, the plans would let more people get around Highbury Corner safely and directly, thanks to widened crossings at the junctions of Holloway Road, Canonbury Road and Upper Street.
Leon Daniels, TfL’s managing director of surface transport, said the plans would make the area safer.
“Our proposed improvements at Highbury Corner would radically change this area from a traffic thoroughfare to a place to visit, and provide safer routes for those who do,” he said.
“The improvements would help us deliver our aim of eradicating death and serious injury from London’s roads and encouraging more people to walk and cycle. We look forward to hearing people’s views on our proposals.”
It would also make the area more attractive to visitors, according to Islington Council’s transport boss Cllr Claudia Webbe.
“This scheme will transform an area that is currently congested for pedestrians and difficult to navigate for cyclists,” she said.
“We aim to create an open, attractive and pleasant area that reclaims the enclosed trees from the traffic island for people to enjoy.”
Click here to reply to the consultation.
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