Statue of children removed in council’s �590,000 scheme transforming Hoxton roundabout into traffic light junction

WORKS costing �590,000 to turn a roundabout into a give-way junction will make Hoxton roundabout safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

The pricey traffic scheme has cut De Beauvoir off from Hoxton, by closing the junction from all directions - Hoxton Street, Whitmore Road, Pitfield Street and Hyde Road.

The landmark sculpture of children walking towards Hoxton market which stood on top of the roundabout has been removed, and town planners are still discussing where to replace it once the works are completed by April.

The council expects most of the approaching roads will be open by the end of the month.

The junction is located at the intersection of two highly used London Cycle Network (LCN+) routes, one of which runs parallel to the Regents Canal and is being promoted as a key cycling link to the Olympic Park.

The north-south cycle route is one of the most popular ones in London, linking Haringey and Stamford Hill with the City and the east-west one is a good alternative to using the canal towpath, which can get busy.

The plan is to improve this east-west cycle route to encourage sustainable travel to the Olympic Games.

Charlie Lloyd, a Hackney resident and campaigns officer for London Cycling Campaign said: “The junction is at the intersection of two cycling networks, but is one of the least comfortable bits of those routes.

“The roundabout had wide access points and cars tend to go round there quite fast, but it’s quite frightening for novice cyclists to get round there, and it’s also tricky for pedestrians looking to get into the Britannia Leisure Centre.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) has come up with most of the funding and the council has put up �100,000.

A council spokeswoman said: “The schemes funded by central government departments and Transport for London remain unaffected for this year, and councils are, as always, expected to complete the expenditure in line with the original funding awards.”