Important News! Avenue Cycle Lanes

[Pete Thomas]

You may have seen various notices regarding construction of the permanent cycle lanes/shared use paths on The Avenue extending the SCN5 cycle route north to the Burgess Road crossroad.

I have attached the notices and plans to this post (click to download) , and also published for easy online viewing on this page:

Avenue Cycle Lanes - OTRA

Avenue Cycle Lanes

otra.org.uk

(also linked above under the Home page navigation button)

All discussion from residents is very welcome.

Please note that if you wish to make any comments to SCC the deadline is Sept 5.

 

[josephinetavassoli]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for this - is this separate to the planning permission put in earlier this year? That doesn’t seem to have been given a decision yet so I assume so, but it’s not clear (most of these items were part of that planning consultation).

Jo

 

[Pete Thomas]

Yes, this is purely in regard to the Avenue cycle lanes. It has been a bit confusing as the different notices were at different places along the Avenue, so I collated them together.

No news regarding the Lovers Walk application(I doubt there will be in the foreseeable future as the process stalled for obvious reasons)

 

[josephinetavassoli]

Thanks Pete, I probably wouldn’t have spotted these. On the whole I like the cycle lanes but they seem to be universally hated. I can see that they are trying to move the bikes off the upper section, particularly heading North, so maybe that will help the queuing traffic.

The reduction in speed and moving the lorries away from the gutter has had a drastic and positive effect on road noise from our house.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I have to say that it is not clear what is happening at the bus stops (click to enlarge)

 

[Graham Linecar]

Good to see arrangements for 'fast' cycling up The Avenue. Needs safe, easy-to-follow links to University; object because no proposal included to make it easy, safe & convenient for northbound cyclists to cross traffic flows on The Avenue to turn R into Highfield Road. Proposals include a lights-activated crossing at Winn Road. Why? So close to existing Northlands Road crossing, no significant increase in 'convenience' for cyclists & will increase interruption to vehicle traffic flow. Move it to south of Highfield Road junction where it would have added benefit of making safer for users of the bus stops.
Note, nothing proposed to help southbound cyclists cross Highfield Avenue, no proposals for pedestrian/cycle crossing at Burgess Road traffic lights. Proposals move the bus stops by the underpass.

 

[Josie Brown]

I quite see the point about the proposed crossing at Winn Road being near the Northlands Road one. However, many pedestrians, including those with small children cross using the existing small island near Winn Road. That is not very safe, especially with children (I know - I’ve done it many times), but that is a natural crossing point to/from The Common and the playground there and The Cowherds. There was a lot of support previously for the Winn Road toucan crossing. So - good reasons for a new crossing being there and for one being further up as Graham suggest. No - I’m not suggesting there should be two new ones!!

 

[josephinetavassoli]

I’d like to agree with Josie - I do sometimes cross the avenue at the cowherds with small children. It doesn’t feel safe and it probably looks like a bad idea, and I make the decision depending on what the traffic is doing. Crossing Winn and Westwood with small children is fraught too though - monitoring traffic in and out of the road (on both directions on the avenue) and making sure that nobody crosses until safe means that sometimes crossing the Avenue instead of Winn Road is preferable. I would welcome a crossing there at a point that the traffic is likely to be slowing for the Northlands crossing and stag gates anyway.

 

[John Marshall]

Yes, a toucan crossing at Winn Road came up in a previous AGM as a resident question. We looked into it and supported it. But were advised that the Council would never ever support it.

It would get a lot of use as its a common route to the Common/Playground/Cowherds. Just stand there and watch on a weekend.

Traversing to the crossing at Northlands Road is not such a good option. It involves crossing Winn & Westwood plus Northlands, never mind the Avenue. So, better to take a single crossing on the Avenue traffic island rather than control kids etc on the side of the Avenue across several unpredictable junctions.

So, we have a past record of supporting it. Minutes passim. I suggest we continue to do so.

It will also contribute to traffic slowing on the Avenue. Ultimately it wants to become difficult enough so that the lorries and car-transporters for the Docks go on the M27, the route designated for them.

John

 

[Dave White]

Thank you Pete for assembling this information.
I agree with the comments above supporting the Avenue crossing just north of Winn Road. This is definitely widely used by children - a common route to the playground as mentioned, including for people coming out from Portswood and therefore not passing the Northlands Road crossing. I suggest we be supportive of that crossing. I do agree, also, with Graham that there is no easy way to cross the Avenue to get into Highfield Road when travelling northbound. Similarly, alighting a bus on the west side at the Oakmount Avenue stop leaves you isolated. An island somewhere along that stretch would help.