Bad Gyrations

Kings Cross Town Centre, largely known for the King's Cross Traffic Gyratory System, is composed of a mix of transport, commercial, residential and other uses with public spaces and highways. The town centre straddles two boroughs and contains public highways (streets for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport) which are part of strategic Transport for London motor transport routes (TfL Red Routes and TLRN roads) also used by greatly increased numbers of pedestrians. King's Cross town centre is made up of streets with an important public realm function, where local and travelling people (from across London, UK Europe and the world) all use streets to walk, live, shop, access amenities and entertainments, and to access and interchange between transport modes.

The Mayor says 'his' TfL gyratory system cannot feasibly be improved without major investment, and yet some of the largest redevelopment projects in London - like King's Cross and St Pancras International stations, King's Cross St. Pancras Underground Northern Ticket Hall, Regent's Quarter, and even the recent Gaylord's proposed Hotel at 1-11 Euston Road - all directly face these streets. The developers of King's Cross Railway Lands have built a huge private boulevarde. To date, investment in the public realm has been in the form of consultant reports, (including an ignored 2008 pedestrian safety audit), and some minor changes to three road junctions, still in construction. The public bridge across the station has become private. Tenants in the town centre on the gyratory seem disenfranchised or disinterested - how could the centre be regenerated to better suit the needs of the people who use this area?

GC

Bikes Alive 9 January 2012
Bikes Alive 23 January 2012

Reclaim-Street

Update December 2012:
see http://kingscrossenvironment.com/2013/10/26/islington-council-consults-on-return-to-two-way-working-for-the-cally-south/