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by Lib Dem team on 16 April, 2011
If we had several thousand pounds, could we come up with a sensible way to keep cyclists safe on the A34 between Gatley and Parrs Wood?
If so, it may be possible, and drivers might benefit as well as cyclists.
First, the money. The Barnes Hospital development is back on the cards, which means the developers will contribute money via a section 106 agreement to improving local infrastructure. One option the Council’s transport people have come up with is using the money for traffic calming on the South Park Road Estate. We’re consulting on that, but the response on our blog has been pretty negative and we’ve certainly no wish for the Council to force traffic calming on residents who don’t want it.
That means the money from Barnes Hospital may be available to spend on some other road improvement, but it has to be near to the site.
Second, the benefits.
Obviously cyclists would benefit from a safer route to and from Manchester – that section of Kingsway between Gatley/Cheadle and Parrs Wood is, I’m told, one of the most dangerous in the area for cyclists.
But there could be much wider benefits too – perhaps eventually improving the right turn onto Kingsway from Cheadle & Gatley.
There are lots of ifs and buts, but here’s how it could happen.
There’s a plan from the Council to balance the northbound lanes on Kingsway as they approach the Gatley Road junction. At the moment the queues are long in the inside lane (for Gatley, South Park Road Estate, M60 Eastbound and M60 Westbound) and much shorter for the other lanes.
If we could make the queues more equal in the three lanes, it would mean more cars getting through the junction in each cycle, which would then open the door to looking again at reducing the cycle time of the lights, which would allow more cars to turn right from Cheadle & Gatley.
There’s one thing stopping the change going ahead right now – that it would make that stretch even more dangerous for cyclists, who would find themselves cycling right down the outside lane – not fun! If we could provide a safe alternative for cyclists, we could re-organise the lanes.
But it’s not simple. There’s no use providing a really circuitous route as cyclists won’t use it. It has to be fairly direct, it has to be simple to get on and off and it has to deal with the motorway slip roads.
5 Comments
Not wishing to sound anti bike, but any money contributed by the developers should be used to help motor traffic first, as the development will lead to extra cars and so on using the surrounding roads. I would look at the right turn both ways from gatley road, the slip road from the m60 onto kingsway southbound being made 2 lanes again and try to get traffic cameras fitted to catch u turners going back up kingsway from the gatley road junction, or the people who u-turn on gatley road using torkington road as a turning circle. when i di use a bike, i would use south park road estate, go under the bridge, walk up the steps on the cheadle side of the bridge, walk under the subway on the cheadle side, then at the pedestrian crossing on the didsbury side of the mersey, i would cross over kingsway and then continue cycling. only added a few minutes onto the journey, but was perfectly safe.
No problem – I’m hoping that this change would help motor traffic by allowing us to reorganise the lanes on Kingsway northbound.
There is already a plan to make the slip road two lanes again – last I heard, the Highways Agency had money in the budget to do it this financial year (2011/12).
That change – and the lane reorganisation – may allow us to improve things for right turners.
The route you suggest for a cycle path is definitely possible (it’s best option I’ve managed to come up with so far), but I think there are some problems with it and I’d like a better option if we can find one.
I’ve previously commented on the blog about u-turners and right turners and would also agree with “concerned resident” about the southbound slip road. If these issues are tackled it will be safer for all road users including cyclists.
I’m not a cyclist but am sure that the problem about developing a safe cycle route is how to cross the four motorway access and egress points.
Iain, can the central reservation be developed as a cycle way? That way bikes turning right or left and positioning themselves in the green box to be first in the queue, would access the cycle way and be able to cycle uninterrupted down to Parrswood? No idea how wide the central strip is but its an obvious safe haven that avoids the motorway slips.
Alan
The cycling route mentioned by the first commenter is the route that I have used – Of course it would be good to have the parts of that route that use footpaths made into an official cycle path to make it legal – this would cost money in signage and markings on the road. If there were more money it would be nice to make a path with a gentle gradient to replace the steps, but I would be prepared to live without this….