Shared spaces for cyclists, wheelers and walkers are not always popular. Talking to people in #DowgateWard and environs it seems that the shared space of Queen Street (running from Queen Victoria St to Upper Thames St) is a tricky location to navigate. The space is also used by patrons of The Sugar Loaf on sunny days and coffee drinkers at Pret.
I have just joined the City Corporation’s Planning and Transportation Committee and the Streets and Walkways Subcommittee and raised this issue immediately. I was pleased to get a positive response. There have been no reported collisions between people walking and cycling on Queen Street between 2019 and 2023 where there is verified data and also (unpublished) to November 2024. So led by data there is no real problem but the perception is also important and people need to feel safe and there may also be near misses and non-injury or minor collisions between people walking and cycling that go unreported.
So the City of London Corporation will be conducting video surveys of the shared areas on Queen Street (and on Moorfields) over Summer 2025 with an expected report back in Autumn. This will be scrutinised by me and other members for action at that time. #RoadSafety #ActiveTravel
