I've just spotted a consultation on changes to the road and pavement
layout at Highbury Corner

Some interesting options for improving what is one heck of a busy corner
- especially on match days.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/proj...nges/6359.aspx

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Paul C


Admits to working for London Underground!

On Fri, 16 Nov 2007, Paul Corfield wrote:

I've just spotted a consultation on changes to the road and pavement
layout at Highbury Corner

Good spot! Highbury Corner winds me up no end - there's this lovely wooded
square, and no way to get to it!

Looking at those proposals, i think the northern closure is marginally the
better option. The buildings on the west side of the roundabout are pretty
dull (council offices?), so the new pedestrian space created would be
dead. Putting it on the north, as the paper says, would create a
piazza-like space, which would be much better. Plus, it leaves the A1 from
Upper Street to Holloway Road less mucked about with (i'm assuming this
axis is more heavily used than the other ways through).

However, they propose having buses run through this space, which is an
absolute non-starter - buses and people don't mix well, and even though
the paved piazza bit would be to the north, it would still keep the wooded
area cut off. Not so much as now, but still more than is ideal. I don't
see any reason why there couldn't be a stop for eastbound buses (and a
taxi stand) to the south of the trees, opposite the westbound stop. You
might need to shave off some of the wooded area to make room for it, but
since you're effectively extending that bit of the public realm north over
the current roadway, that's not a net loss. You'd probably want to add yet
another pedestrian crossing, on the west side halfway between Highbury
Station Road and Hampton Court, so people could get to the stop easily,
without having to go up to the station and then walk round the trees.

What would you do with Station Square? Just have benches and a newspaper
kiosk or something? Need to dig out Christopher Alexander and see what he
says about it ...

Next step would be to cover the remaining bits of road in sand in the
summer, just for John .

Some interesting options for improving what is one heck of a busy corner
- especially on match days.

Hadn't thought of that angle. I don't suppose any of the suggestions
really improve flows from the north into the station, do they?

tom

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/proj...nges/6359.aspx

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Throw bricks at lawyers if you can!