If you’ve waltzed off the Tube escalator and determinably headed for Camden Market at lunchtime recently, chances are you’ve hit a little (or large) chunk of congestion. Not from the cars, no, but the swathes of people who all had the same idea, and all took the same route as you did.
It’s not uncommon, not always limited to lunchtime, and affects the flow of people heading through the pavements outside the station. Now, Camden Council has revealed there are plans to pedestrianise part of Camden High Street as part of an 18-month trial to provide more space for people to walk along rather than being held by the current restrictions.
Traffic would be diverted away from Camden High Street between the entrance to Camden Town Station at he junction of Parkway and Kentish Town Road up to Jamestown Road and Hawley Crescent, which sits just before the bridge over Camden Lock.
Should the plans for pedestrianisation on Camden High Street come into place, it would mean that a ban on vehicles would be imposed all day, every day (except for emergency responses and rubbish collection vehicles). This would mean buses switch routes through Kentish Town Road and Hawley Crescent along with the rest of the traffic flow.
There will also be a pop-up stand outlining the plans next week on July 16 from 9am – 5pm outside Buck Street Market. Buck Street would also have delivery spaces created to allow businesses to continue functioning when the pedestrianisation begins.
Should the plan go through, they will be in place for a fixed trial period of 18 months – though a decision on whether it remains in place or reverts to the current system will come around one year into the trial. There is an online consultation open where views and feedback can be shared on the plans, and Camden Council will keep it open until August 30, 2024.