8.12.2020
A Road Safety Audit (RSA) was carried out on Prince of Wales Road by Colin Buchanan, Highway Safety Group in January 2007. Although Buchanan's had been employed as designer by the then Developer (TRAC Properties), they assured Camden that they would act independently of the design department of the firm. It was a "Stage 1" report. Stage 1 audits are carried out at an early time - later come Stages 2, 3 and 4.
This RSA was very limited. The Public Inquiry in January 2008 was told that it did not include either of the access routes ie New Dalby Street and its turning circle or the pedestrian walkway. Its report which is here, was included in the documents presented to the Inquiry at the back of Core Document 9 "Highway Works & Parking Replacement".
The reason given for there being no RSA on the Access Routes was that it was not mandatory as they would be privately owned. RSAs are understood to be carried out on all Camden roads in similar circumstances either because it is the law or good practice.
At the Public Inquiry, Camden and the Developer agreed that a Road Safety Audit of the access routes would be carried out. This was talked about as being a concession to the "obJectors". Not as one would have expected, something essential in any event. The Inspector noted this decision in his report.
Following the Inquiry, Camden were frequently asked to provide the terms of reference for this RSA and for information as to when it would be carried out. Also for an assurance that it would be carried out before work started on the development.
The reply received was that it would be a "Stage Two" audit carried out alongside the Stage 2 audit of Prince of Wales Road which of course, was regarded as having had its Stage One in January 2007. This meant a substantial reduction in the ability to cause changes to be made to these private access routes. For example, had a Stage One audit on these routes been carried out and its report said that the scheme was highly dangerous unless some changes were made, and they couldn't be made, then it would be unlikely that any authority having an ability to veto the scheme would do otherwise.
An FoI request someone submitted using the Whatdotheyknow site included the following-
"Further to your form, received on 16 November 2009, we are pleased to enclosed the requested information.
(a) Whether the Road Safety Auditors who reported on the safety of the Prince of Wales Road “improvements” were provided with the statistics for potential demand to enter and exit New Dalby Street indicated by the statistics referred to at the public inquiry of 63 vehicles an hour in the late afternoon?
A stage 1 Road Safety Audit is a preliminary design stage audit. It was carried out against the preliminary design drawing, which was the drawing prepared for the public consultation on the highway works. The traffic data was not required for the audit or provided to the auditors."
Another Freedom of Information request which was made by Nick Harding on the subject and the response received was as follows:
Background
At the public inquiry ....., Camden and the developer agreed that a road safety audit would be carried out covering the new road and pedestrian accesses. That fact is evidenced in the inspector’s report where he described the decision as being a positive result of the inquiry.
In response to my question 9 months later, on 8.10.08 Bob West wrote “The Stage 2 Road Safety Audit will be undertaken at such time as the detailed design of the Highway scheme for Prince of Wales Road is complete. It will include the design of the new access road and pedestrian arrangements, as agreed to previously …”
Since then Stage 1 of the development ie the demolition of 52 Prince of Wales Road appears to have been completed.
Request
With regard to the Road Safety Audit of the new access routes promised at the public inquiry, please
(a) provide a copy
(b) provide the terms of reference to the extent not set out in (a)
If the audit has not yet been carried out, please
(i) inform me when it is expected to be
(ii) provide to me the terms of reference
(iii) inform me as to where an obligation exists preventing the developer from starting work on stage 2 prior to the carrying out of this Audit and the remedying of any issues resulting from it.
(iv) if there is no signed obligation per (iii) above, inform me as to what mechanism exists to prevent the developer commencing stage 2 and the building of the new road.
(v) inform we whether the road safety access situation at the junction of New Dalby Street and Prince of Wales Road during the period of construction will be included and if not, what consideration has been given to its exclusion.
Response
In accordance with Section 1(1) (a) of the Freedom of Information Act I am obliged to inform you that the information you requested is not held by Camden Council. The Road Safety Audit (RSA) has not yet been undertaken, nor have the terms of reference been set out. The RSA would take place at such time as the detailed design of the Highway works is complete, prior to carrying out the highway works. This detailed design has not yet commenced, as we have not had a programme from the developer for their implementation. The Highway works would not commence until the RSA report has been considered and the design altered as appropriate, if necessary. Without the highway works in place the developer would be unable to move from stage 2 to stage 3 of construction, as the highway works include constructing the new access road junction onto Prince of Wales Road. A RSA does not include temporary situations during construction, if is effectively a ‘double check’ of the design, from the dual perspectives of compliance with the relevant guidance and regulations and from the point of view of the user."
UPDATE NOVEMBER and DECEMBER 2011
The Council received several strong requests for a Road Safety Audit of the new access routes that is as stringent as one that would have been carried out had they continued to be owned by Camden. It should not merely be a "Stage 2" RSA which basically can only comment on aspects of the detailed design and would not be able to draw attention to lack of safety in the basic design. Frank Dobson MP was one of those who wrote. The linked reply here dated 28.9.11 is what he received from Councillor Sue Vincent the Cabinet Member for Environment. It said, in rather oblique terms, that the RSA which she said was about to be commissioned would be the equivalent of both a Stage 1 and Stage 2 audit.
Shortly after Cllr Sue Vincent's letter to Frank Dobson a Stage 2 RSA report was issued and is linked here. As can be seen, it did not report on matters that would be covered in a Stage 1 audit. An email sent by Haverstock Ward Councillor Matt Sanders to Councillor Sue Vincent on 9.11.11 is linked here. It effectively demolishes the credibility of the document. In her reply to Matt Sanders, Ms Vincent included an email dated 18.11.11 she had received in reply to Matt Sanders which is linked here
On 2.12.11. A revised version of the Stage 2 RSA was issued and is linked here
One notable feature of this Stage 2 RSA is that the width restricting bollard at the Prince of Wales Road junction end of the new access road is no longer shown on the detailed design drawing. No explanation has been given for this. It would mean that the new road would be open at all times to vehicles of any size without any constraint. Since the first 60m of the road is between 4.8 and 5.5m with no pavements but a building on one side and a metal fence on the other, it only needs one large vehicle to be unable to pass another vehicle for there to be chaos - exacerbated when more vehicles enter the road. At present, at busy times one vehicle a minute enters and leaves the existing road. Since all the approvals given to the scheme such as the public enquiry, the Mayor of London, the Executive (Environment) Sub-Group have been to plans that show that in order to overcome the narrowness of the new road, there would be a restriction controlled by marshals, an explanation is urgently sought.
See in particular email of 13.12.11 from the Chair of Talacre Town Green (Peter Cuming) to Sue Vincent linked here
ADDED 2.12.14
Stage 2, Designer and Project Sponsor Responses are linked here. Shown as dated October 2011 which is earlier than #6 which is the 2nd version of the Stage 2 RSA issued 2.12.11.
Stage 3 Rev B audit dated October 2014, shown as signed 28.11.14 is linked here.