Monsell Road, Islington
Introducing the street
Monsell Road is a long, wide road in the London borough of Islington. It is bounded on three sides by the busy shopping streets of Blackstock Road, Seven Sisters Road and Gillespie Road. It also lies very close to the old Arsenal football stadium (which is being converted into an exclusive, gated housing development), as well as the new football ground.
Despite being situated in the middle of this busy area, Monsell Road and the adjacent streets are well kept and reasonably quiet except on match days when it gets busier. Monsell Road itself has most of its housing concentrated at one end and this is made up of small Victorian terraces, a low rise block of flats and older modernised houses.
Though speed bumps have been put in at one end of the street as traffic calming measures there are concerns about the noise and vibration caused by large vehicles passing over them. The residents of Monsell Road are also concerned by the speeding traffic caused by avoiding the main road to get to Finsbury Park.
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| Before | After |
Facts and background:
- Capital (build and materials) cost - £100,00
- Type - Mostly terraced housing and a block of flats
- No. of dwellings - 63 properties
- Length of street - 475 Metres
- Project partnership between - Sustrans, London Borough of Islington and the residents of Monsell Road and some surrounding streets
- Funded by - Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Islington Borough Council and Transport for London
Timeline:
Project kick off: September 2007
Design process: November 2007 - June 2009
Construction: December 2009 - March 2010
Project end date: March 2010
Street issues:
- Lack of space for children to play
- Present speed bumps cause disturbance to residents
- Dangerous junctions
- Speeding traffic
- Lack of greenery
Solutions found:
- Narrowed with build-outs - The entrance to Monsell Road from Blackstock Road and from several of the side streets have been narrowed with build-outs on either side to encourage drivers to slow down.
- Several planters have been placed on the many build-outs to break up the grey tarmac and add some colour to the street. The planters further help to introduce the notion of uncertainty to this long straight street by slightly obscuring drivers sightlines, this encouraging them to reduce their speed and drive carefully. The planters which are placed at the street junctions act as gateways to the street, welcoming others in to a cared for space.
- Removing the speed bumps which many residents greatly disliked has also been carried out.
A car club parking bay has been added to the street to give residents an alternative to owning their own vehicle.
Monsell Road key evaluation results coming soon!