Verdict – Better Overall

Cyclists overall think the new peninsula layout is an improvement.  The A3 route, the one with the highest cycle flows, is clearly safer now and more cyclists are using it.  The route to St George’s Circus via London Road remains popular with cyclists, but is compromised by a poorly-designed junction.  The southeast-northwest route between New Kent Rd and St George’s Rd has not become widely used.

How could things be improved? 

First we need better signage and we need the promised cycle link from the New Kent Road to the Link Road implemented.  These are both quick wins.  In the medium term we need the London Road junction redesigned and a cycle path on the east side of the Link Rd as good as the one on the west side.  And the southern junction should be made safer.

Commentary

In December 2015 the Elephant and Castle Northern roundabout was consigned to history and a new 2-way road layout was introduced.  This followed many months of road works and several years of consultation.  Cyclists have now had time to get used to the new layout and so Southwark Cyclists, the local London Cycling Campaign group, decided to do an audit.  We spent 2 days in late March observing, counting and asking questions.

We found some good things and some not so good.  The main A3 route between Newington Butts and Newington Causeway is heavily used with a more than 50% increase in cyclists compared with 2013-15.  The poorly designed London Road/St George’s Rd route has not seen a similar increase.  The long pavement cycle path on the Link Rd is heavily used by cyclists, something that we had not expected.  In consequence the left hook risk heading north at St George’s Rd is much lower than we had feared.  A few cyclists complain that it is slower to get across the northern junction now, but overall a large majority (81%) of cyclists think it is better now.

Copy of the audit report can be downloaded here.Audit_E&C_draft03