NW Warrington Transport Review
Warrington Cycle Campaign Submission

Contents

• Summary
• High Priority Cycle Routes Through the Area
• Policies
• Issues
• References
• Links

Summary

At the cycle campaign meeting of 21^st March we have resolved that the following schemes are of greatest priority for cyclists. They are all aimed at establishing the high priority cycle routes through the area (listed below and shown green on the Warrington LTP Proposals map)

High Priority Schemes for Immediate Implementation
(in priority order)

1. Large Roundabout at junction of Whittle Ave & Burtonwood Road.

This should be replaced by a signal controlled junction with advanced stop lanes for cyclists before junction 8 is completed. This roundabout is already very hostile for cyclists and the extra traffic generated by the new motorway junction would make far more dangerous. It is at a key location on the main cycle route through the area (route 15) connecting the town centre to Old Hall, the urban village, Omega & Burtonwood. This treatment should also be extended to the other large roundabouts at the junctions of Whittle Ave / Lingley Green Ave and Westbrook Way / Westbrook Crescent.

2. Roundabout at Junction of Cromwell Ave & Old Hall Rd (plus route through Sankey Valley Park to Lodge Lane)

This is also an important link in route 15, and would serve as a safe route for Old Hall School. The roundabout should be modified to "continental design" (see pages 86-87 of the National Cycling Network Guidelines¹, and page 17- 18 of Cycle-Friendly Infrastructure²). This is characterised by the following features, which combine to slow down traffic and discourage dangerous overtaking:

• narrow circulatory carriageway
• single lane approaches and exits
• greater deflection on entry and exit
• small diameter

The modification could be achieved by building out run off areas around the circumference of the roundabout and extending along the slip roads. All the small roundabouts on Cromwell Avenue would be suited to this treatment.

Alternatively the roundabout should be replaced by a signal controlled crossroads with advanced stop lanes for cycles.

The route through Sankey Valley Park requires improved surfacing, the removal of barriers, lighting, good sign-posting, changing the priority at the junction with Old Hall Road in order to give the feel of a secure and continuous main route to the town centre.

3. Widening Cromwell Avenue

and other roads likely to take high volumes of traffic following the completion of junction 8 and Omega. An extra 1 - 1.5m should be sufficient to provide a wide hatched centre strip, which would encourage motorists to give more room to cyclists using route 17.

High Priority Scheme for Implementation after Junction 8

4. Winwick Road bus lanes and cycle friendly junction improvements.

Junction 8 should relieve the traffic thus present a good opportunity to re- allocate road space to greatly improve conditions for cyclists using route 2 to head north from the town centre. The bus lane should be wider than the general traffic lane and recent changes to junction 9 (LH filter lanes) should be reversed. The roundabout at the junction with Cromwell Avenue should be replace with a signal controlled crossroads with ASLs for cyclists and fewer filter lanes on the approaches.

Low Cost Schemes

5. Link from Gale Ave, to North Park Brook Rd through Sankey Valley Park

This is a key link on route 16 and also part of the proposed greenway network. Tarmac the surface of the car park on North Brook Road, remove the gate and provide lighting.

6. Winwick Road wider kerbside lane

As an intermediate step (and at very little cost), Winwick Road could be made much more comfortable for cyclists by moving the dividing stripe between the lanes 1/2m to the right to create a wide kerbside lane. This would permit vehicles to pass cyclists within the lane.

High Priority Cycle Routes Through the Area

(These are shown green on the LTP Proposals map)

All our proposals are aimed at establishing these four routes.

ROUTE 2: Town Centre to Winwick

• Winwick Rd (A49)

ROUTE 15: Town Centre to Bewsey, Old Hall & Burtonwood

• Lodge Lane,
• Cross Sankey Valley Park to
• Bewsey Old Hall,
• Old Hall Rd,
• Twenty Achre Rd,
• through Chapleford Urban Village Development to
• Burtonwood Rd,
• Clay Lane to
• Burtonwood Village

ROUTE 16: Town Centre to Dallam & Callands

• Longshaw St,
• Gale Ave,
• Cross Sankey Valley Park to
• North Park Brook Rd,
• Callands Rd

ROUTE 17: Sankey Bridges to Winwick Rd

• Cromwell Ave (A574)

Issues

M62Junction 8

Number of Roundabouts
Detailed design of cycle paths

• Merge with carriageway (CFI p52, NCN p51)
• Maintain priority over side roads (CFI p52, NCN p65)
• Widths - 2m pedestrian + 3m cyclists (2 way) (CFI p49, NCN p139)
• Convoluted Layout
• Right Angle Turns

M62 Junction 9 & Winwick Road

J8 should relieve traffic at J9. Should take opportunity to install bus lanes and to remove cycle-hostile LH filter lanes at junction as soon as new junction is open.

Cycle paths at J9 are dangerous. Winwick road would benefit from wider kerbside lanes whether or not bus lanes are installed

Omega

Will generate a lot of traffic. The decision to proceed with the development should be reviewed.
Road layout should be inherently cycle friendly rather than presume cycle paths.
Concern that roads will create large 5 arm roundabouts on Whittle Ave. Need for signalised junctions.

Urban Village

While not a true mixed use urban design it is heading in the right direction and is a great improvement on the new-town road layouts. There was initially an unfortunate emphasis on segregation rather than accommodating cyclists on the carriageway.

Many of the innovative pedestrian and cycle friendly design features were opposed by the council and the design guide still favours an auto-centric philosophy, inconsistent with the cycle strategy. We are concerned that at one time a roundabout with lunatic annular cycle lane was proposed for Whittle Avenue - this junction should be signalised.

Main Distributor Roads

Cromwell Ave, Westbrook Way, Whittle Ave, Lingley Green Ave could have been designed with the explicit aim of deterring cycling. All junctions are roundabouts and lane width of 3.65m is not sufficient for cars to overtake safely within the lane but not narrow enough to deter motorists from squeezing past. They have a design speed of 30mph which means very few drive this slowly and those that do needn't slow down for the roundabouts. There are often letters in the paper from motorists complaining that the speed limit is too slow or being intimidated by faster drivers so there is a need for enforcement. The most problematical roundabouts are the large ones:

• Whittle Ave / Lingley Green Ave
• Whittle Ave / Burtonwood Road
• Westbrook Way / Westbrook Crescent
• Westbrook Way / Cromwell Ave

Links could be improved by widening road by 1.2m and marking a wide hatched centre line.

Small roundabouts could be improved by modifying to continental design (see CFI p64, NCN p99), which features a smaller diameter, narrower circulatory carriageway, single lane entry and exits which are perpendicular rather than tangential to the roundabout. Existing roundabouts could be modified by constructing run out areas at the corners of the roundabouts.

The larger roundabouts (particularly Whittle Ave / Burtonwood Road) should be replaced by signalised junctions.

Traffic Calming

Traffic calming on Callands Road is cycle hostile. Speed cushions only have a 70cm gap from the kerb, which causes cars to veer into the path of cyclists. The build outs have a gap of 3.5m, which is not enough to deter cars from attempting to overtake. The cushion prevents cyclists from claiming the lane. We would prefer to see sinusoidal road humps employed (NCN p 99) Horizontal deflections and road narrowings - particularly central islands should be avoided.

Recommendations

• Large roundabouts replaced by signalised junctions (priority to Burtonwood Rd/ Whittle Ave - Route 15)
• Smaller roundabouts to continental design or signalised (priority to Cromwell Ave / Old Hall Rd / Twenty Achre Rd - route 15 + SRTS)
• Busier roads widened - particularly Cromwell Ave (route 17)
• Wider kerbside lane / bus lane on Winwick Road
• J9 modified so more cycle friendly
• No more roundabouts
• All future designs subject to cycle audit
• Cycle review of identified cycle routes (priority to 15,16,17)
• Wider kerbside lanes (4 - 4.25m) on new distributor roads
• Design philosophy of urban village extended to all developments
• Omega reviewed against PPG13 and up to date planning policy.
• Limekiln not developed
• Future traffic calming to use sinusoidal humps and avoid horizontal deflections
• Detailed design of J8 cycle paths improved
• Apply policies in cycle strategy - particularly CP1 & CP7
• Apply mode hierarchy
• Install high quality cycle parking at all retail / school / leisure facilities
• Promote safer routes to schools
• Enforce speed limits on major distributor roads

References

1. "Cycle-Friendly Infrastructure", Department of Transport / Bicycle Association / Cycling Tourist Club / Institution of Highways and Transportation, 1995, reprinted 1997
2. "The National Cycle Network, Guidelines and Practical Details", Sustrans, 1997