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Comments on The Orford Project from The Warrington Cycle Campaign

4 Parkfields Lane,
Fearnhead,
Warrington,
Tel. 01925 812128
28 May 2001.

Ms. Jan Lythgoe,
Environment and Regeneration Department,
Warrington Borough Council.

Dear Ms. Lythgoe,

Comments on The Orford Project from The Warrington Cycle Campaign.

On behalf of the Warrington Cycle Campaign (WCC) I would like to congratulate the Borough Council on its plans for the Orford Project and what appears to be a really exciting development for Warrington.

In your website you are asking if people would like to get further involved in the future of the project and The Warrington Cycle Campaign would very much like to contribute to the many cycling related aspects of this scheme. We may be contacted via our website at www.warringtoncyclecampaign.co.uk or by my personal address as above or my E-mail address itschrismayes@aol.com. The WCC discussed the Orford Project at our May meeting and I would like to pass on our responses which I will list briefly.

  1. The Greenway routes are an ideal 3m width minimum, this is excellent.
  2. The Greenway route running in south from Long Lane breaks the barrier formed by the Winwick Road Campus and William Beaumont School, allowing passage by foot and cycle for the people of Hulme and Longford. This allows access to the Warrington cycle network Orford Lane route into the Town Centre without having to recourse to Winwick Road. This opens up a really useful cycle route.
  3. The Greenway route running west deposits people on Winwick Road for no obvious purpose. Are there plans to open up the Westbrook Way extension route as a Greenway to meet this? If not feeding cyclists onto the very unpleasant and dangerous cycle route along Winwick Road is difficult to recommend without some radical treatment to this Road.
  4. The Greenway routes should be extended in the park scheme with cycle quality 3m wide paths connecting to the ‘New Youth Centre’ on Alder Lane. Unless the route to this building is upgraded its designation as a footpath will be ignored by the young people cycling to and from the centre from the north leading to conflict with pedestrians. This part of the path should also be well lit at night to give the vulnerable young people and other users maximum security.
  5. Cycle parking is mentioned in plans for the Play Area(11) and Youth Fa cilities(10) which is excellent. These should be high quality and high security facilities. There is no mention of cycle parking for the proposed sports/community building(3) or the Gym Centre(18), Sports Hall(19), Dance (20) and Changing Facilities(22) in the north end of the project which should be available.
    As a general rule cycle parking is most useful and feels most secure when in close proximity to the facility being used. Small groups of Sheffield stand cycle parking facilities near to each of the park attractions being used by the cyclist are the ideal solution. Older users for may be nervous about leaving their bikes at the youth facilities for example.
  6. Greenway access for cycles from Hallfields lane proposed main entrance(1) gives cause for concern with the conflict from cars entering the new car park(2) access. It would make more sense to have the Greenways cycle access integrated into the cycle network route by being directly opposite the Withers Avenue/Smith Drive junction with Hallfields Road, perhaps with a Toucan crossing assistance. This would avoid having to make a right turn onto Hallfields Road when approaching the Park from Blackbrook and the east. Vehicular access to the Car Park(2) could then be completely segregated from Cycle access, improving the safety of the scheme, by moving the entry to the Car Park to its south-eastern corner.

Yours sincerely,

Chris Mayes, Chairman of Warrington Cycle Campaign.
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