WARRINGTON CYCLE NETWORK PLAN
CHESTER ROAD CYCLE ROUTE
October 2002

Contents

• Introduction
• Cycle Audit and Review
• Brian Bevan Island to Gainsborough Road
• Trans-Pennine-Trail
• Ship Canal Swing Bridge
• Dual Carriageway Section
• Higher Walton Traffic Lights
• Bridgewater Canal 'toast-rack' Bridge
• Bridgewater Canal to the Borough Boundary
• References

Introduction

Chester Road (A5060/A56) forms one of twelve cycle route network corridors included in the Warrington Local Transport Plan programme for 2001-2006 ^[1]. This report describes a series of measures along the route to improve conditions for cyclists.

The road is due for resurfacing work between Gainsborough Road and Runcorn Road. This will provide an opportunity to implement cycle improvements at very little additional cost. For completeness this report covers the whole corridor from Brian Bevan Island to the borough boundary. The route from Brian Bevan Island to the Town Centre is covered in a separate report ^[2].

The report is split in to sections, each dealing with a stretch of road with similar characteristics, working outwards from the Town Centre. Each section starts with a paragraph describing the stretch of road and the problems encountered by cyclists riding along it. A number of measures are then proposed to address these problems.

Proposals have been chosen in line with the hierarchy of action to improve conditions for cyclists from the Warrington Cycle Strategy policy CP3 ^[1]. These approaches in descending order of preference are:

1. Traffic reduction
2. Traffic calming
3. Junction treatment and traffic management
4. Redistribution of the carriageway
5. Cycle lanes and cycle tracks

However, in this case traffic reduction has been ruled out in view of the fact that Chester Road is part of Warrington's principle highway network providing the main route for traffic heading from Warrington to Runcorn and the M56.

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Cycle Audit and Review

As part of the key utility cycle network for Warrington, Chester Road should be considered a "cycle pro-active route". All proposals for the route, whether or not specifically aimed at cyclists, should be subject to full cycle audit and review procedures ^[3].

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Brian Bevan Island to Gainsborough Road

Problems:

On-street parking is common on this stretch of road in the southbound direction. Street-side car parking is a serious hazard for cyclists. In order to keep a safe distance from parked cars (which may suddenly pull out, or who's doors may suddenly open), cyclists need to ride in the middle of the road. This practice, while being the safest way to cycle, is not attractive to less confident cyclists and can frustrate drivers into attempting dangerous overtaking manoeuvres. The cycle lane on the northbound direction is narrower than the minimum width recommended in Cycle Friendly Infrastructure ^[4]. When traffic is free-flowing this results in vehicles passing dangerously close to cyclists.

Proposals:

• 1. Provide inset parking bays on the southbound lane. These should be separated from the main carriageway by a 1.5m wide hatched strip to protect cyclists from opening doors.
• 2. Widen the cycle lane on the northbound carriageway to 2m. If the cycle lane cannot be widened it should be removed.

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Trans-Pennine-Trail

Problems:

The Trans-Pennine-Trail crosses Chester Road at a pedestrian crossing to the south of Gainsborough Road and then follows the footway along the west side of Chester Road to Taylor Street. This footway is not wide enough for shared use and is obstructed by lampposts and the control box for the pedestrian crossing. Near Taylor Street the route actually passes through a bus shelter, which is an obvious danger for pedestrians and cyclists alike.

Although the location of the Trans-Pennine-Trail is clearly signed, destinations and distances are not. Many potential cyclists are unaware that the trail forms a short cut from Walton to Sankey Bridges avoiding the town centre.

Proposals:

Ideally a footbridge or causeway across Walton Lock would be provided so that the Trans-Pennine-Trail would not need to use Chester Road at all.

An on-carriageway alternative would not be desirable at this location as this would require novice cyclists to make a right hand turn from a major road. Given the inadequacy of the existing footway, the aim therefore should be to ensure that the shared use section is as short as possible and that measures are taken to improve to shared-use section as far as practicable.

• 3. A ramp enabling cycles to be wheeled down to the (currently pedestrian only) section of the Trans-Pennine-Trail to the south of Walton Lock would mean that the route would no longer use the footway all the way to Taylor Street through the bus shelter.
• 4. The lampposts should be moved to the east side of Chester Road
• 5. The pedestrian crossing control box should be re-positioned to the north of the crossing.
• 6. The footway north of the crossing and south of the ramp should revert to pedestrian only use to make it clear that the shared use section is only for the use of cyclists heading east-west on the Trans-Pennine-Trail. "Cyclists Dismount" signs are needed both at the pedestrian crossing and the ramp to discourage cyclists from riding at these points.
• 7. Provide a sign at Taylor Street indicating a cycle route to Sankey Bridges for northbound cyclists.

Council officers suggested that the shared use-footway should be continued somehow to join the cycle lane heading along Chester Road towards Warrington Town Centre. However, it is safer for cyclists joining Chester Road from the Trans-Pennine-Trail to join the carriageway as soon as possible, rather than attempt to merge from the footway while giving way to vehicles coming from behind.

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Ship Canal Swing Bridge

Problems:

The swing bridge is narrow and marked with double white lines, so it is not possible for motor vehicles to overtake cyclists legally or safely. However, some impatient drivers do attempt to squeeze past slow or timid cyclists who are riding too close to the edge. This problem is more severe in the northbound direction as the road narrows abruptly from the left immediately before the bridge. Also, approaching drivers cannot see the bridge until the last minute due to the sharp left hand bend.

Proposals:

There is very little that can be done to improve the road layout due to the restricted space so proposals are aimed at slowing vehicle speeds and encouraging cyclists to adopt a prominent road position.

• 8. Paint a hatched area on the left hand side of the approaches to the bridge (particularly in the northbound direction) to encourage cyclists to adopt a good road position, rather than veering to the right at the last moment.
• 9. Paint solid white lines to mark the edge of the carriageway over the bridge. This may help to discourage cyclists from riding too close from the edge and also give the impression of a narrower lane width to drivers.
• 10. Install a speed camera to enforce the speed limit.

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Dual Carriageway Section

Problems:

Proposals:

These proposals are aimed at re-allocating the carriageway to provide more space for motor vehicles to overtake cyclists safely.

• 11. The recently imposed 40mph limit will need to be backed up by enforcement or engineering measures if it is to alter driver behaviour.
• 12. Re-allocate the southbound carriageway to create a 2m wide cycle lane next to a wide general traffic lane. There is no need in terms of capacity for this stretch of road to have 2 lanes as traffic volume is limited by the bottleneck at the swing bridge. Road works during September and October 2002 reduced the carriageway to a single lane without any adverse effects on traffic flow. This proposal will contribute towards greater compliance with the proposed speed limit as it will prevent speeding vehicles from overtaking law abiding drivers.
• 13. On the northbound carriageway the second lane is needed to provide a filter lane for traffic heading towards Stockton Heath on the A56 (Walton Road) when the swing bridge is closed. This lane should be made as narrow as possible and marked with right turn arrows to discourage speeding vehicles using it as an overtaking lane. The left hand lane should be as wide as possible (ideally 4.25m) to permit vehicles to overtake cyclists within the lane. This treatment could be applied to the southbound carriageway if there were political objections to a cycle lane. A "Get In Lane" sign would be useful on the approach to Lower Walton.

It may be possible that these measures could prolong the life of the carriageway, as heavy vehicles will be following a different line.

A cycle track on the west side of Chester Road should not be considered as a suitable alternative to treating the carriageway as this would have a number of serious shortcomings:

• The verge is not wide enough for a shared use path; especially as northbound cyclists would be travelling at a considerable speed due to the hill.
• It would be completely impractical for southbound cyclists, as they would have to cross the dual carriageway twice. Also the junctions at either end would have to be very complicated and would need to be fully signalised.
• It would be very difficult to design a safe remerge with the carriageway at the northern end where space is limited, both on the carriageway and the footway.
• The track would cross two minor junctions (at the Garden Centre and Mill Lane) with very poor visibility.

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Higher Walton Traffic Lights

Problems:

A relatively high proportion of cyclists perform right hand turns at this junction (both northbound cyclists heading for Stockton Heath and southbound cyclists heading towards Runcorn). These are intimidating manoeuvres that involve crossing two lanes of fast traffic, particularly for northbound cyclists as they are hidden from traffic coming over the 'toast rack' bridge.

Proposals:

• 14. Re-allocate the carriageway between the lights to provide one straight-on lane and one right-hand filter in each direction. This will reduce the number of lanes cyclists have to cross and be consistent with other proposals in this report. It would also enable the traffic lights to be placed in larger islands, thus protecting them from damage by turning trucks.
• 15. Provide a sign on the southbound carriageway directing cyclists heading for Runcorn to turn left onto the old Chester Road. Cyclists can then ride through Higher Walton and cross the main road at the lights.
• 16. A similar approach could be taken for northbound cyclists heading for Stockton Heath via Walton Lea Road. Cyclists could be directed left to follow Underbridge Road and join Runcorn Road just before the lights. Surface improvements and lighting would be required on Underbridge Road - particularly under the canal bridge.

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Bridgewater Canal 'toast-rack' Bridge

Problems:

There is a blind summit on the bridge and the lanes are narrow due to the restricted space (there is no clearance at all between the carriageway and the bridge superstructure). Drivers coming over the bridge at speed have very little time to react if they encounter a cyclist in their path.

Proposals:

• 17. Reduce the carriageway to a single 4.25m wide lane in each direction, with a hatched area on either side to separate the carriageway from the bridge structure. This will give sufficient of space for trucks to overtake cyclists, and prevent vehicles from crashing into the bridge. This arrangement should also help HGVs turning left into Runcorn Road, as the bend is fairly tight.
• 18. Extend the 40mph speed limit over the bridge.

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Bridgewater Canal to the Borough Boundary

Although this is a fast stretch of road it poses few problems to cyclists as the lanes are very wide and the visibility good.

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References

1. Warrington Local Transport Plan 2001-2006, Warrington Borough Council, 2000
2. Warrington Cycle Network Plan - The Core Kilometre, Warrington Cycle Campaign, October 2001
3. Guidelines for Cycle Audit and Cycle Review, Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions, September 1998
4. Cycle-Friendly Infrastructure, Department of Transport / Bicycle Association / Cycling Tourist Club / Institution of Highways and Transportation, 1995, reprinted 1997