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UCL pledges support for Tavistock Place and Torrington Place cycle lanes

18 October 2016

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The President and Provost of UCL, Professor Michael Arthur, has offered support on behalf of UCL for the road improvements currently being trialled along the Tavistock Place – Torrington Place route.

In a letter to Camden Council, reproduced below, he sets out the benefits that UCL students and staff have experienced during the trial, including greater safety for cyclists and pedestrians and higher air quality in the green spaces around the campus.

Last chance to have your say

The consultation on whether to make the changes permanent closes on Friday 21st October, so there is still time to add your support by responding here

For more information click here.


17th October 2016

Dear Councillor Jones

I am writing on behalf of University College London (UCL) to support the trial road improvements on Tavistock Place and Torrington Place being made permanent.

UCL is one of the largest institutions in the Borough of Camden. Our community of over fifty thousand students and staff has benefited greatly from the increased ease and safety of cycling and walking along the new route. Evidence from the trial period has shown a 15% increase in the number of cycle journeys being made, including at weekends and outside of morning and evening commuting peaks. Cyclists highlight the extra space and protection offered by the new road layout as a key reason for choosing to travel on this route.

UCL believes that the further improvements to the route, which are proposed if the scheme is made permanent, will continue to encourage people to choose sustainable methods of travel, improving health and fitness and tackling congestion and pollution in central London.

During the trial there has also been a substantial reduction in motor vehicle traffic, leading to a significant improvement in the air quality along the route, in particular around Gordon, Russell and Tavistock squares. In these vital green spaces at the heart of our campus the levels of NO2 pollution have fallen by up to 20%, creating a healthier and more pleasant environment in which UCL students, staff and the wider community can work, study and relax.

As an institution and as a community, UCL strongly supports the improvements made during the trial and welcomes the evidence of its positive outcomes. Returning to the previous road layout would decrease the numbers and safety of cyclists, worsen pollution in the borough and be completely out of step with the drive for sustainable travel and better air quality at the highest levels in London.

UCL will continue to work closely with the council to encourage more people to travel by bike and on foot and to create the infrastructure and environment that helps to promotes this. The successful trial deserves to become permanent and I hope that it will encourage similar initiatives in the future.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Arthur