Cycle and pedestrian works improve key route to Finsbury Park

Work has just finished on an overhaul of cycle lanes and paths on a key approach to Finsbury Park station, improving safety for all and making it a more pleasant place to travel through.

Islington Council has this week completed work on the paths and cycle lanes along the busiest section of Stroud Green Road, outside the station between Station Place and Lennox Road.

Previously it was a congested area with parked cars causing traffic tailbacks, no marked cycle lanes and a narrow but busy walkway under the bridge, which was also a haven for pigeons.

The council drew up popular proposals to improve the area, and altered the plans to save a tree outside Sainsbury’s Local at the northern end of the scheme.

As part of the works under the railway bridge, the new cycle lane is segregated from the path with a striking light strip set into the pavement surface.

Here the pavement has been built out to accommodate the separated cycle lane and a wider path, and double yellow lines have been painted on the road to ensure a smoother traffic flow.

Cllr Claudia Webbe, executive member for environment and transport, saw the improvements first-hand this week.

She said: “The Finsbury Park area will undergo big changes in the coming years and the station will only become more popular as new homes are built and more jobs are created.

“These improvement works will make this busy interchange easier and safer to navigate for everyone travelling to and fro on foot and by bike – and those passing through.

“This is one of many schemes we have developed, and will continue to develop, to make Islington a more pleasant and safe place to walk and cycle.”

The 10-week project also included work to raise two junctions to pavement level to slow traffic and make them easier for cyclists and those with mobility difficulties to navigate, and creation of a buffer zone to avoid people opening their car doors into the paths of cyclists.