Andover Road Cycle Route

The lower section of Andover Road in Newbury is being upgraded between the St John’s roundabout and Buckingham Road, where resurfacing works are being combined with improvements to the cycle route and parking.

Cyclists heading south away from town, are now taken off the carriageway immediately after the pedestrian crossing and are given priority across Old Newtown Road. This is a welcome improvement. The markings from the previous cycle lane had almost entirely been scrubbed away by encroaching vehicles, which illustrated how little room there was for cyclists at this point.

South of Old Newtown Road, there is a short section of shared path, which takes cyclists behind an enlarged parking bay and relocated bus bay, before the cycle route splits from the footway to run alongside the carriageway as before.  The route then drops back to carriageway level before reaching Wendan Road and continues as far as the pelican crossing. The route fizzles out beyond the crossing where the carriageway narrows.

In the northbound direction, the route is a continuous on-carriageway cycle lane, between Wendan Road and St John’s roundabout. Spokes has been assured that double yellow lines will be provided to prevent cars from parking in the cycle lane. This has been facilitated by providing the enlarged parking bay on the other side of the road to cater for those residents who have no off-road parking.

Other improvements that are expected imminently include improved cycle markings on the exit from St John’s roundabout and a smoother transition between the raised and on-carriageway sections of cycle route on the southbound approach to Wendan Road.

Spokes broadly welcomes the scheme, which addresses some long-running concerns, particularly with parking in the cycle lane. However, it’s by no means perfect – the southbound route around the tree and bus stop involves some significant changes of direction that slow cyclists down, the on-carriageway sections lack any sort of physical protection, and it would be good to have some cycle markings painted on the carriageway where the route crosses Wendan Road.

A4 Western Avenue Cycle Route

The new active travel scheme on A4 Western Avenue in Newbury is progressing well. It will link Brummell Road and the Waitrose roundabout and is designed to  improve connections from the main part of Speen estate and Robert Sandilands School with the northern end of the town.

The scheme design was modified in response to feedback received through the public consultation exercise. For most of its length, the north side will have a 3m segregated bi-directional cycle route with a 2m footway to the rear, but there will be short sections of shared use path at either end. A new shared-use path will be created on the south side, which will extend from Waitrose to a point just west of Old Bath Road, at which point cyclists will transition back to the carriageway, protected by a traffic island. Toucan crossings will help cyclists cross the A4 just to the west of the Waitrose roundabout and east of Old Bath Road. An additional uncontrolled crossing will be provided to the west of Brummell Road. The following link shows a PDF of the scheme layout: A4 Western Avenue Active Travel Improvements.

Spokes broadly welcomes the scheme, which will support local residents and school kids making local journeys on foot and by bike and will help to reduce the dominance of the busy A4 corridor, which acts as a significant barrier. However, reservations have been expressed about some elements of the scheme, particularly the shared use path on the south side. Although this footway has very light flows of pedestrians, there are locations where cyclists will have to give way to traffic, rather than having priority as per design guidance and best practice. This includes the crossing of Old Bath Road. As a consequence, experienced cyclists may still choose to remain on-carriageway when travelling westbound, which will no doubt irritate people who are driving behind them.

The scheme is scheduled to be completed by the end of April, with the next phase planned to include a link east of the Waitrose roundabout towards the Winchcombe School.

Newbury Business Park

SPOKES undertakes a wide variety of activities to improve cycling across the district – this includes looking at planning applications to ensure that the needs of cyclists are properly considered as part of planning applications.

A recent example is at Newbury Business Park where the there is a proposal for new housing development with a pedestrian access onto London Road and associated landscaping. The plans show a green strip along the western edge of the development, which roughly coincides with the alignment of the former Newbury to Oxford railway line, which SPOKES is trying to get reopened as a walking, cycling and equestrian route.

The planning application suggests that the new pedestrian access will be “strictly controlled with only residents having a key/card to gain access.” However, this has potential to open up a path between the A4 and the River Lambourn for pedestrians and cyclists. This would connect to an existing bridge over the river and shared use path through to Curling Way, with a quiet on-road route through to Kiln Ride. We have queried with West Berks Highways Development Control if it is possible for public access along the old railway line could be provided.

While we do try and pick up most of the major planning applications, it is difficult for us to assess them all and some will inevitably slip through the net. If you know of an opportunity to improve cycling provision associated with a proposed development, then please email us at highways@westberkshirespokes.org.

A4 Cycle Route (Phase 1) Consultation

West Berkshire Council is in the process of developing plans for a new cycle route along the A4 from Newbury all the way to the district boundary in Calcot. This will form part of the new National Cycle Network Route 422, which will link Newbury and Thatcham to Reading, Wokingham, Bracknell and Ascot. The scheme has received funding through the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and will be one of the biggest cycling schemes in the county since NCN Route 4.

Given the length of the scheme, it will be rolled out in phases. The Council has just gone out to consultation on phase one. This will see improvements on London Road and Benham Hill, from the junction with Faraday Road right up to the Wye Vale Garden Centre roundabout.

The scheme will create safe space for cyclists on the road and will include the following changes:

  • cycle lanes on both sides of road where width allows
  • making better use of available road space by removing hatching and right turn lanes where it is appropriate to do so
  • removing traffic islands to get rid of ‘pinch points’ for cyclists
  • installing advanced stop lines at signalised junctions
  • new dropped kerbs to help cyclists get on and off the route

There will also be improvements to off-carriageway facilities. This recognises the fact that not all cyclists have the confidence to mix with traffic and there are areas where accessibility is currently restricted for those in wheelchairs, mobility scooters and with pushchairs.

The following improvements are proposed:

  • widening and resurfacing sections of pavement, and converting them to shared paths
  • giving cyclists priority across the entrance to the B&Q / Dunelm Mill retail park
  • removing unnecessary road signs, and relocating street furniture
  • creating wider pedestrian islands to improve crossing points for all users

It is also proposed to introduce new double yellow lines, in areas where there is a problem with cars parking and blocking footways. There will be separate consultations to follow for these restrictions as they require Traffic Regulation Orders.

You can send your comments or objections to this proposal to the Highways Project Team, no later than 22 October 2017.

Survey highlights the barriers to investing in cycling infrastructure

Barriers to investing in cycling

The University of Cambridge has published the results from its recent survey that looked at the barriers to investing in cycling. People targeted by the survey included: local government highways officers; local politicians; Local Enterprise Partnerships; cycling advocates; academics; consultants; and businesses with an interest in cycling.

The main barriers uncovered by the survey come as no surprise:

  1. Funding issues
  2. Lack of political leadership
  3. Lack of support within local authority highways departments

Funding tends to be scarce, sporadic and involves competitive bidding, with the lion’s share going to the cities. This creates a postcode lottery for cycling investment and makes it difficult for local authorities to make long-term plans. Also, the competitive element creates a barrier to sharing expertise between councils.

The survey suggests that there is little political support for cycling at either the national or local levels, with a few notable exceptions, such as the London Mayor. The general picture is one where priority is still given to providing for motor vehicles. It seems that politicians still don’t see cycling as a viable mainstream transport option. In fact, schemes are often compromised by local councillors who are worried about anything that may cause additional delay for motor vehicles.

The survey results also paint a rather gloomy picture amongst those tasked with delivering cycling schemes on the ground. Cuts to council budgets have meant that most local authorities have had to restructure and reduce their staff. In smaller local authorities, cycling is usually a small part of one officer’s role, who has to fight to get their voice heard amongst colleagues.

When asked about the solutions that could overcome these barriers, the most popular answers were:

  • Ring-fenced, long-term funding for cycling
  • High-level political support at national and local levels to drive through changes

Respondents felt that tackling the funding and political support issues would in turn encourage local authority highway departments to give more priority to cycling.

The survey results emphasise how important it is for local people and campaign groups like Spokes to lobby for change and to make the case for investing in cycling. So what can you do to help?

  1. Let us know what cycling schemes would make a difference to your local journeys, so we can raise it at the Cycle Forum
  2. Let your local councillor know that you support increased investment in cycling
  3. Add your name to the national Space for Cycling campaign