The original scheme (in January 2006) for College Crescent was under a Safer Routes to School for Phoenix School.

Orignial Consultation on Phoenix School (and our original response)

In that scheme, a one-way downhill was proposed (which would reduce up hill rat-runs and make the road quieter). But no contraflow facilities for cyclists. CCC objected on the grounds that one-way streets are a bad thing; and in any case requesting contraflow facilities. But the proposal was agreed by the executive environment committee in March. However, local residents groups subsequently complained that they had not been adequately consulted.

The scheme was reconsidered by council officers and went before the executive environment committee on November 21st. Deputations from local residents and CCC were there to oppose the scheme again. We learned only at the last minute that the proposed scheme had been altered so as to have one-way uphill. This information was not available on the Camden website until the last minute. Nobody was consulted about the new proposal. In spite of all those considerations, the executive environment committee accepted the proposal to implement the uphill scheme as a six month trial. The uphill scheme is inferior to the original in that it provides the rat-run past the school. Once again, no contraflow facilities are available for cyclists who need to use the downhill route.

The three Belsize ward councillors, Alexis Rowell, Christopher Basson and Arthur Graves together with councillors Paul Braithwaite and Maya de Souza signed a "call in" request. The proposal is now to go before a scrutiny panel on 16th January.