King's Cross Development Forum (KXDF) has called for King's Cross to be treated as a discrete area within LB Camden's Transport strategy. The infamous King's Cross gyratory system falls across two London Boroughs – Camden and Islington – with Transport for London taking an overall strategic view and Argent and Network Rail heavily influencing traffic flow (pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular). Individual borough strategies, such as Camden's which was out for consultation until last Friday, are unable to cope with the intrinsic design failure and constant flow-management failures faced by the communities having to use this frustrating stretch of mangled road.
It seems that, at present, there is no hope for real improvement to the KX gyratory other than piecemeal patching of the bits easiest to deal with. The nightmare of consultations, feasibility studies and straegy development that is supposed to result in positive change seems to soak up public funds resulting in a confusing plethora of documents and a vast array of recommendations but very little strategic action and no-one willing – or able – to bite the bullet to remove the gyratory system and develop alternative east-west links.
