St Pancras International
A campaign to get adequate cycle parking, carriage of a bike on the same Eurostar and safe and convenient access by cycle to the Station.
This campaign was launched by a demonstration at St Pancras International on 14th November 2007. For background of the campaign, see
| Background to the campaign. | News item on even of demo. | News item reporting demo. |
Cycle Parking
Just in time for the demo, parking for 100 bikes was installed in the Car Park at St Pancras International. After a short period, the entry was closed to cyclists and access is still problematical. Officially, cyclist enter via the coach road, but how would they know that? News item describing access when Thames link Station opened (Dec 2007).
Quite regular email exchanges have taken place between CCC and NCP but no progress has been made. In April 2008, at the entrance to the Car Park, the only sign is a paper one (two of them) saying: "No Pedestrian or Cycle Access", so we contacted NCP again asking for proper signage to the cycle parking via the Coach Road starting from the vehicle entrance to the Car Park, but little has changed. However on 26th June, the latest pair of signs say "All Cyclists are to dismount when entering the car park". No signs are shown on entry to the Coach park.
Eurostar and Cycle Carriage
Since 7th April 2008, it has been possible to take Bikes on Eurostar with you Unfortunatley, you can't do a single integrated booking with Eurostar and Euro Dispatch (who load the bikes on the trains), but,to reserve your bike on a Eurostar service choose the train time(s) which would be suitable for your journey and then phone Eurostar Dispatch to check on available space. When you’ve identified a particular train with free space, book your ticket and then call back with your reference number to make the reservation. See See Eurostar Bicycles page.
After a meeting with two Eurostar managers, they agreed to put a link to a map showing how to cycle to the station. So we designed a spider map with help of membersOur Version. Following that, the Eurostar web managers produce their own version Map on Eurostar Website.
Safety Audit
February 2000, Camden Council commissioned a cycle safety audit on the roads around the station: News item describing safety audit site visit (Feb 2008).
The Safety Audit was published in April 2008. But remedial work has been slow to take off. Seventeen items were recommended for doing within three months. The following have been carried out:
Pancras Rd/Goodsway: remove the "except taxis" sign and replace with "except taxis and cyclists"
Camley Street ASL. resurfacing 5m ASL with a nearside lead-in gate done as well as replacing sign with "except taxis and cyclists"
Pancras Road south of German Gym - centre line has been moved east a little but there is still a pinch point on approach to Euston Road
Pancras Road north of German Gym - centre line has not been moved, just changed to a line that can be crossed. Meeting to discuss safety in Pancras Road (7 August 2008)
Bollard in Cycle Gap Argyle Street. Removed June 2008.
Link between St Pancras and the SSL
There has aleays been a rough and ready way to cycle between SSL and the stations, but we made a Specification of requirements for missing link at the time of the demo and Camden Council has already implemented most of it.
They had designed the scheme for the link by march. News item about missing link to SSL (Mar 2008).
Progress
1) Directional signage in both directions between Pancras Road and Regent Square. Completed April 2008.
2) Provide two-way cycling on the west side of Regent Square and in the short section of Argyle Street between Belgrove Street and Whidborne Street, for example, as a "false" one-way street.
3) Indicate that cyclists can cycle southbound through Whidborne Street. Completed April 2008.
4) Remove the bollard in the Argyle Street cycle gap. Carried out June 2008.
5) Improve the surfaces at the entry to the Regent Square - Harrison Street cycle gap. Surfaces finished June 2000. Green surface and lines still outstanding.
6) Replace the anti-vehicle surfacing at the junction of Cromer and Harrison Street with normal paving and changing the "no entry" to a "no motor vehicles" sign. Under Way June 2008.