Amanda Taylor

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Hills Road cycle lanes layout: residents’ feedback prompts changes

by admin on 26 June, 2014

hills roadIt is fair to say that views on the Hills Road cycle scheme are mixed, at least amongst local residents.

Council consultation results show Queen Edith’s residents split 50-50 between those who support the new segregated lanes and those who fear that the scheme will improve safety for cyclists at the expense of more vulnerable pedestrians.

Residents raised a number of concerns about safety, rat-running and access to properties. Councillors shared these concerns and asked County Council Highways officers to do further work to address safety issues. A number of changes have been made to the original proposals and the scheme will go back to councillors on 8th July.

Here is the report that they will receive. cycle lanes

  • There is now a clearer division between footway, bus stop and cycleway.
  • All the bus stop islands will be at least 2 metres wide and all waiting facilities will be on the island, so passengers won’t have to cross the cycleway as the bus arrives.
  • As the cycle lane approaches the bus stop it will veer left and narrow to 1.5 metres; there will then be a short ramp up to the level pedestrian crossing point, which will have tactile paving and be a different colour to the cycle lane. These differences are to alert cyclists of the need to be mindful of pedestrians.
  • The kerbs will now be sloped to allow cyclists to mount more easily should the need to leave the carriageway arise.
  • Although there will be double yellow lines, there will not be a loading ban to allow commercial vehicles to park briefly.
  • New gullies will be installed and a full CCTV drainage survey carried out to identify any necessary repairs.

There are concerns that if there are additional traffic hold-ups, motorists may evade them by using smaller streets off Hills Road – four of which have schools/ nursery schools. It is hard to predict the effect in advance, but I shall be asking for a traffic survey to be carried out before and after the scheme is input.

   3 Comments

3 Responses

  1. Richard Martin says:

    May I register a plea that the new cycle lanes along Hills Rd, and indeed all cycle lanes in Cambridge be classified as legally usable by mobility scooters. As things stand at the moment the Highway Code requires Class 3 8 mph scooters to use the main highway amongst buses, lorries and cars or crawl at 4 mph amongst pedestrians along painfully bumpy footpaths !

    The MoT won’t change this crazy law but the local authority do not have to class the cycle lanes as mandatory for cycles only. The rule is absurd; many bikes travel at no more than 8 mph and tricycles, which are no less wide than a scooter are permitted.

    • Hallo Richard, thank you for telling me about that. My understanding is that both the pedestrian and cycling parts of the new lanes will be high quality, but I shall ask about how they are classed here and elsewhere. I should think the main carriageway of Hills Road would be horrendous for a mobility carriage.

  2. […] As part of the scheme, all the bus stops along this stretch will have new bus shelters. For changes to the original scheme to address safety concerns, see my previous post here. […]

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