National Cycle Network Route 81 Wolverhampton Cross City Route August 2005

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1 Page 12 Buses often stop in Lichfield Street and there is no space to pass. Should an NCN route be following a road which is heavily congested with buses and diesel fumes? 14. Railway Drive The dropped kerb needs to be 1.5m wide. The path is obstructed by a planter. Motorists and pedestrians are not given sufficient warning of cyclists. 15. Broad Street This sign to Birmingham is facing the wrong way. Summary National Cycle Network Route 81 Wolverhampton Cross City Route August 2005 This is a report on a cycle ride carried out by Wolves on Wheels Cycle Campaign (WoWCC) on the Wolverhampton Cross City route of the SUSTRANS Route 81 of the National Cycle Network. The main findings and recommendations are: Ensure all direction signs are correct. Calm motor traffic on the Hordern Road section. Make the route conspicuous to motorists in Bitterne Drive. Cycle on the road in Bargate Drive & Evans Street for safety reasons. Consider the Kingsland Road / Leicester Square section which brings pedestrians, cyclists and cars into conflict. Construct a toucan crossing over the Ring Road near Bath Road and make use of the central reservation: this will save money and make life easier for both cyclists and pedestrians (particularly on football match days). Provide alternative to Chapel Ash Island subway. Consider an alternative alignment: Lion St., Corporation St., North St., Wadham s Fold, Wulfruna St., Broad St. Consider whether or not it is acceptable for a cycle route to follow a road which is often heavily-congested with buses and diesel fumes (Queen Square & Lichfield Street). Page 1

2 1. Valley Park 12. Darlington Street The surface in Valley Park is mud which is inadequate. It is also too narrow for trailers and obstructed by barriers. 2. Hordern Road This is fine for off-road cyclists but an alternative alignment along the road is needed. The planters on the bridge over the canal form a tight chicane but WoW thought this was a good thing to slow cyclists down at this point. As this is a relatively busy road, the standard red triangle Cycle route ahead sign should be used to warn motorists that the section between Crowther Road and the Wildside is part of the National Cycle Network. An information sign under the red triangle such as 1 cycle = 1 less car would be helpful. The following is needed at the Waterloo Road traffic lights: cycle by-pass lanes, ASL s, a pedestrian phase and an exemption for cyclists on any right turn prohibition. Going straight on at the left turn into Lion Street is dangerous for inexperienced cyclists. Going straight on requires the cyclist to signal right and position themselves towards the centre of the carriageway. An inexperienced cyclist may remain on the left and risk a collision with a vehicle turning left. This problem would be eliminated by using the following alternative alignment: Lion Street (contra-flow cycle lane required for southbound traffic), Corporation Street, North Street, Wadham s Fold, Wulfruna Street, Broad Street. This would also by-pass the bus congestion in Darlington Street, Queen Square and Lichfield Street. 13. Queen Square and Lichfield Street Bus congestion in Queen Square. The redevelopment of Queen Square should include bypass lanes and ASL s. Page 2 Page 11

3 12. Chapel Ash Island In November 2005, it was brought to the attention of WoW that legal orders had been issued to allow a cycle route through Chapel Ash Island as shown below. Hordern Road is long and straight giving high traffic speeds. Miniroundabouts at Crowther Road and the Wildside Activity Centre would address this. Such roundabouts would also make right turns for cyclists safer and easier. The route sign outside the Wildside Activity Centre is facing the wrong way. The route leaves the south side of Darlington Street and proceeds through the subway and island to exit north into the central reservation of Ring Road St. Andrews. This is welcomed by WoW as it fulfils one of our suggestions for WCC s Rights of Way Improvement Plan. However, we request that the proposed route across the pavement on the north side of Darlington Street and over a toucan on the east bound carriageway of Ring Road St. Andrew s be retained. This is much shorter and would make some cyclists feel safer. There are personal safety issues associated with cycling through the subway and island. 3. Crowther Road The chicanes of Crowther Road should either be fitted with cycle by-pass lanes or replaced with triple humps. Motorist often will not give way to cyclists and the present setup can have the effect of increasing traffic speeds as a motorist who is obliged to give way at the chicane may well accelerate in order to pass an on-coming vehicle on the other side. This was the effect on the B3280 at Leedstown in Cornwall: the chicanes increased traffic speeds were eventually removed. Page 10 Page 3

4 This sign on the junction of Gibbons Road and Crowther Road is facing the wrong way. 4. Coleman Street The junction with Hordern Road is a good piece of infrastructure. The yellow box may not deter illegal parking and so should be monitored. This car is obstructing the cycle route because of the queue at the traffic lights. A yellow box should be installed to allow cyclists to proceed unobstructed to the ASL of the traffic lights. 11. Ring Road St. Andrew s The section along Ring Road St. Andrew s is too narrow to pass pedestrians comfortably. This could be overcome by installing a new toucan on the north west carriageway of the Ring Road between Bath Road and Waterloo Road. Ring Road traffic flow would be maintained by synchronising the toucan with the Waterloo Road traffic lights and the Bath Road safety problem would be eliminated. The underused path in the central reservation would be used as a cycle lane and additional toucans at Waterloo Road and Darlington Street would give cyclists two options for entering the city centre. WoW understand that WCC favour widening the pavement here by re-locating the retaining wall on the property of Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries. This is more expensive than toucan crossings. Also, it is not possible to cycle along this section of pavement on match days whereas few football fans walk along the central reservation. An additional toucan near Bath Road would also by-pass this narrow section on Chapel Ash Island. It is too narrow to pass pedestrians comfortably. Page 4 Page 9

5 This shows the close parking at the junction on Kingsland Road. There is no dedicated point for cyclists to rejoin the carriageway and sight lines are poor. 5. St. Andrew s Close The cycle by-pass lane is blocked by a delivery van. This is a quiet culde-sac and so the by-pass lane is not needed. Road space on Kingsland Road should be re-allocated to make more room for cyclists. This van is parked illegally and could easily be blocking the cycle route. The lowered kerb needs to be 1.5m wide and signing is needed. 10. Bath Road This crossing is dangerous. The central reservation is not wide enough for a solo cycle, let alone a tandem. Sight lines are very poor on the south side and traffic speeds are high in both directions. There are no signs to warn motorists that they are approaching a cycle crossing. 6. Bitterne Drive This is the natural exit from St. Andrew s Close onto Bitterne Drive. It coincides with exits from a health centre car park and a shoppers car park. The cycle route is not conspicuous to drivers. Page 8 Page 5

6 Car park exit into Bitterne Drive. Cars would not expect to see cyclists on the pavement at this point. 7. Bargate Drive The cycle route exits onto Bargate Drive via an existing lowered kerb. There is nothing to warn motorists. This on-pavement cycle lane from Evans Street is very dangerous where it joins the road in Bargate Drive. Sight lines are poor and traffic speeds can be high. Notice the large number of cars in the car park at the end of Bargate Drive. This is a shoppers car park and so traffic is frequent. Just before the these pictures were taken, a boy-racer entered Bargate Drive from Evans Street at high speed and would have had no time to avoid a cyclist who was pulling onto Bargate Drive at the same time. 8. Evans Street It is unacceptable to place a Cyclists Dismount sign on a cycle route. It would be much safer to have a Drivers get out sign and instruct all motorists to push their vehicles over the zebra crossing. WoW recommend avoiding the on-pavement cycle path and using the road. The right turn from Bargate Drive to Evans Street is easier than the one from Coleman Street into Hordern Road. 9. Leicester Square to Kingsland Road There is little room on the pavement between the toucan over Leicester Square and Kingsland Road and nothing to warn pedestrians that it is a shared path. Page 6 Page 7