Harrow council is developing a cycle route between Harrow and Pinner, and held a consultation in December 2023 – see the Harrow council website.
What is being proposed?
The scheme includes new protected cycle lanes, new zebra crossings, wider footways and improvements to bus stop accessibility. Many parts of the scheme improve the streets for walking, cycling and using public transport, and will form useful parts of a future wider cycle network. A few sections are not well designed and need to be improved, which we have described in detail below.
There is already a signed cycle route called the ‘Metropolitan cycle route’ between Pinner and Harrow. This new scheme provides alternatives for some sections of the route but people can still use most of the old route if they prefer.
Our thoughts
Strategic relevance
In general, we support these improvements as they will contribute to an overall cycle network. Our strategy document shows what an overall cycle network for Harrow could look like. Whilst the Harrow to Pinner route is not the top priority route in terms of cycling demand, it will form a useful part of a future cycle network. The highest priority cycle route is the corridor between Wealdstone, Harrow town centre and Northwick Park, and Harrow Council recently passed an Active Travel motion which commits to developing this route.
The following extensions and branches to the Harrow to Pinner route will make it much more useful:
- Along Bridge Street to serve Pinner town centre shops
- Along Lowlands Road to serve the Northwick Park campus
- Along Imperial Drive to connect North Harrow to Rayners Lane
- Along Marsh Road / Pinner Road to serve Nower Hill School
Our intention is for Harrow to have a network of safe and inclusive cycling routes enabling every child to be able to cycle to school safely.
Suggested consultation response
Please support this scheme – it includes numerous improvements to make the streets safer and more convenient for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users. It will make Pinner and North Harrow high streets more attractive and pleasant for shoppers. However, the following aspects need improvement:
- Section 1 (West Harrow) – requires additional measures to reduce the volume of traffic and make it safe and accessible to a wide range of cyclists
- Section 2 (North Harrow town centre) – needs improvements for walking and cycling at the Pinner Road / Station Road junction and a zebra crossing near Canterbury Road, and cycling access to Argyle Road should be maintained
- Section 3 (North Harrow to Pinner) – requires protected cycle lanes along Marsh Road / Pinner Road (between Rayners Lane and Southfield Park) to serve Nower Hill school
- Section 4 (Pinner) – requires the service road in front of 185-205 Marsh Road to be converted to a cycle lane, and cycle lanes should be extended along Bridge Street at least as far as Waxwell Lane
These are described in more detail below. We have also suggested consultation survey responses.
Section 1 – West Harrow
The route runs along Vaughan Road, The Gardens and Blenheim Road. Most of this section is already signposted as the ‘Metropolitan’ cycle route. The new scheme will include improvements such as a new zebra crossing near Vaughan School, tighter junctions on side roads to make them easier to cross, trees and planting, and new speed humps.
However, it does not include any measures to reduce motor traffic in the area. Cyclists are frequently intimidated by motorists as there is parking on both sides with insufficient space for overtaking. To make this section suitable for cycling, it needs to be a low traffic neighbourhood with a ‘school street’ scheme to reduce traffic at school times and make it safe for children cycling to school. Also, some car parking on Vaughan Road needs to be removed to create space for drivers and cyclists to pass each other safely.
Section 2 – North Harrow town centre
This section includes the following useful improvements:
- A new zebra and cycle crossing of Imperial Drive near Blenheim Road
- Extension of the North Harrow cycle track from the station to the new crossing, with the intention of a future extension to Rayners Lane
- Refurbishment of the existing cycle track
- Removal of the bus stop laybys to reduce delays to buses and improve accessibility
Aspects that need improvement
Station Road / Pinner Road junction requires safe pedestrian and cycle facilities in all directions. A cyclist was killed there 2 years ago, and there is still no plan for improving safety at the junction.
Pinner Road requires a zebra crossing at the junction with Canterbury Road. There is a zebra proposed across the cycle lane but not the road.
The scheme also proposes to remove the shared use area on the footway opposite the station entrance, which allows people to cycle from Argyle Road to the station. We recommend that the footway near Argyle Road remains permissible for cycling.
The scheme also proposes new car parking spaces on side roads which will create risk to cyclists and pedestrians due to increased car movements into and out of the side roads. These parking spaces are unnecessary as there is a large car park just behind the shops. We recommend that new car parking spaces are not created on side roads.
The cycle track leading from North Harrow to Woodlands should have gentle curves so that it is usable by non-standard cycles.
The proposed cycle track along Imperial Drive should have a buffer between the cycle track and the road.
Section 3 – North Harrow to Pinner
This section includes improvements to Cecil Park to make it safer for people walking and cycling: raised tables at the end of the road, tighter junctions, speed humps and a 20mph speed limit. The path to Kingsley Road will be widened and resurfaced.
The existing route follows a path near St John Fisher school to Cambridge Road. People will still be able to use this existing route, but the new proposal is to signpost people along Melrose Road and Woodlands. This is an indirect route that does not serve important nearby destinations such as Nower Hill School. It is also busy with car traffic at school time, and we believe it will not be well used.
We recommend instead that protected cycle lanes are created along Marsh Road / Pinner Road, at least between the junctions with Rayners Lane and Southfield Park, see map below. There is also a need for safe walking and cycling facilities at the Pinner Road / George V Avenue junction (see page 28 of our strategy document for more details).
Section 4 – Pinner
This section includes the following improvements:
- New zebra crossing outside Pinner station
- New cycle lanes between the station and Cecil Park, making it easier for people to cycle to the station from the south
- Conversion of service road outside 137-171 Marsh Road to two-way cycle track, which will provide a safe route between Cecil Park and West End Lane
Aspects that need improvement
The proposal to keep the service road outside 185-205 Marsh Road causes danger to cyclists, pedestrians and bus passengers (see below). Bus passengers have to cross the road without a zebra crossing to reach the bus stop island. Cyclists will share this service road with motorists parking in front of the shops, which will make the cycle route unsafe and inconvenient. The location is just 2 minutes walk from a large public car park (Chapel Lane car park), so there is no need for car parking here. Instead it should be converted to a cycle lane, similar to outside 137-171 Marsh Road, with a mini-zebra to help people cross safely to the bus stop.
The cycle lanes in Pinner should be extended through the town centre at least as far as Waxwell Lane. The proposed cycle lanes do not extend far enough to serve Pinner town centre, and there are no improvements for people cycling to the station from the north.
We recommend providing loading bays and blue badge bays and reducing the number of general car parking bays outside 137-171 Marsh Road, to reduce delays to buses. There is a large car park nearby, so it is not necessary to provide so many car parking spaces. Additional cycle parking immediately outside the shops would also be beneficial.
Cecil Park is busy with cars at school time and is not safe for children cycling at this times; we recommend that it becomes a ‘School Street’ to protect children walking or cycling to school.
Harrow Cyclists 