Cycling campaigners ‘deeply disappointed’ as council rejects alternative Pembury Circus design

Cyclists cross Pembury Circus junction. Photograph: Action for Pembury Circus

Hackney Council has rejected cyclists’ alternative designs for a revamped Pembury Circus in a move campaigners have called “unbelievable”.

In recent weeks, the local branch of London Cycling Campaign has lobbied the Town Hall to change its plan for the junction intersecting Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus.

Hackney Cycling Campaign (HCC) proposed an alternative design, which would include protected cycle paths installed on the heavily trafficked junction.

On Friday, the council released its point-by-point response to objections from the campaign group, citing “significant shortcomings” of HCC’s proposal.

It also stated the alternative had already been “conceptualised” by the Town Hall, “albeit with slight variations”.

An HCC spokesperson said the decision to reject its design option was “deeply disappointing”.

“The council has approved a design for Pembury Junction that unnecessarily removes a vital pedestrian crossing across a busy road, is slower than necessary for bus passengers, and relegates cyclist safety to a mere afterthought.

“Last year, following the deaths of three cyclists on Hackney’s roads, [Hackney] Mayor Caroline Woodley tweeted, ‘We can do so much more to make Hackney’s streets safer’.

“Yet, one year on—almost to the day—she has approved a design that falls far short of that promise. Just nine months ago, a female cyclist was left for dead by a hit-and-run driver at this very junction.

“Unbelievably, Hackney Council will completely redesign the junction but fail to include measures to prevent the exact same incident from repeating.”

A spokesperson also claimed the council’s response had mislabelled their option as a ‘CYCLOPS’ design. 

“Our preferred design is also substantially different from the ‘CYCLOPS’ design the council commissioned and then rejected. 

“It would be more accurately called a ‘Circulating Cycle Stage Junction’, similar to several already in operation around London. The approach resolves the issues which led the council to reject their ‘CYCLOPS’ design.”

The spokesperson also said the group is calling on the incoming cabinet member for transport, Cllr Sarah Young, to invite Active Travel England to independently assess the council’s proposals alongside the alternative design.

The woman injured in the incident last December also criticised the Town Hall’s proposed redesign in an interview with the Standard last week.

Claudia Schergna, 25, was knocked off her bike by a car and left unconscious for five hours and treated for a head wound.

She said the council’s plans were a “missed opportunity” and has written to Mayor Caroline Woodley urging her to reconsider.

She told the Standard: “They’re going to close a major junction in Hackney, which thousands of people use on a daily basis, just to paint a cycle lane that is not going to protect cyclists at all. I just think it’s a massive wasted opportunity. It’s a massive waste of money.

“Once the work is done, they’re not going to change the road layout again for another 40 years. I think they could make much more effort to protect cyclists.”

Mayor Woodley’s reply to Schergna emphasised the council’s plans for ‘banned turns’ to stop cyclists and vehicles from clashing, and “new crossings installed to also decrease the risk of vehicle collisions with pedestrians”.

“We are also proposing advanced stop lines for cyclists to be able to wait ahead of other traffic, as well as an early green light for cyclists on the Dalston Lane (south) and Pembury Road arms of the junction,” she said.

Claudia’s intervention follows several others voices who have joined debate around the junction, including the parents of Harry Webb, a student who was tragically struck and killed on his bike in Homerton last September.

Pat and Mike Webb said the plans would see a “once-in-a-generation opportunity being squandered”.

Jon Stone, a reporter for Politico who also runs a YouTube channel devoted to London’s cycle routes, criticised the council’s current plans on X, formerly Twitter.

He posted: “Personally agree Amhurst Rd itself will be much improved but the junction will remain pretty grim. that bit is a very weird way to spend so much money when a much better design is available from @hackney_cycling and they just shouldn’t be building junctions like that in 2024.”

Mayor Caroline Woodley told the Citizen that the approved plans involved “extensive engagement” with residents and were informed by the need to reduce pedestrian crossings.

“The plans will result in a complete redesign of the junction, with ‘banned turns’ to prevent cyclists and vehicles from clashing, more space for pedestrians and new crossings installed to also decrease the risk of vehicle collisions with pedestrians.

“We are also proposing advanced stop lines for cyclists to be able to wait ahead of other traffic, as well as an early green light for cyclists on the Dalston Lane (south) and Pembury Road arms of the junction.

“While the proposals put forward by Hackney Cycling Campaign do have benefits for cyclists, they would mean pedestrians would continue to need to use multiple crossings across roads and cycle lanes.

“In developing our plans, the council has sought to provide benefits for everyone using the junction.”

Since 2020, the junction has seen 44 people injured in traffic collisions in the immediate area.

In March, the council said there were 229 road traffic collisions between Mare Street and Pembury Circus since 2017, with two fatalities.

Update: this article was amended at 11am on 16 October 2024 to include comment from HCC on the council’s description of the campaign’s design as a ‘CYCLOPS’ roundabout.