Various properties of a class of braid matrices, presented before, are studied considering N 2 × N 2 (N = 3, 4, ...) vector representations for two subclasses. For q = 1 the matrices are nontrivial. Triangularity (R 2 = I) corresponds to polynomial equations for q, the solutions ranging from roots of unity to hyperelliptic functions. The algebras of L− operators are studied. As a crucial feature one obtains 2N central, group-like, homogenous quadratic functions of L ij constrained to equality among themselves by the RLL equations. They are studied in detail for N = 3 and are proportional to I for the fundamental 3 × 3 representation and hence for all iterated coproducts. The implications are analysed through a detailed study of the 9 × 9 representation for N = 3. The Turaev construction for link invariants is adapted to our class. A skein relation is obtained. Noncommutative spaces associated to our class ofR are constructed. The transfer matrix map is implemented, with the N = 3 case as example, for an iterated construction of noncommutative coordinates starting from an (N − 1) dimensional commutative base space. Further possibilities, such as multistate statistical models, are indicated.