Strategic Cycle Routes in Portsmouth Jon Spencer CTC Right-to-Ride Representative Portsmouth 14 th April 2010.

Strategic Cycle Routes in Portsmouth

Jon SpencerCTC Right-to-Ride Representative Portsmouth14th April 2010

Goals of the Report

To present an objective assessment of the major North-South routes into & out of Portsmouth

To provide a baseline for the city council's proposed cycle network

To highlight the importance of good quality arterial routes

To highlight areas for improvement

The report can be downloaded from:http://www.pompeybug.co.uk/infrastructure/

PCC Strategy

Cycling will be promoted as a healthy and low stress alternative to the car and as a transport mode which is fully integrated with the local

public transport system. Strategic cycle routes and enhancements for cyclists at junctions will provide the backbone to the city cycle

network enabling cyclists to safely and quickly cycle to all parts of the city.

DfT & CTC Design Hierarchies

1. Pedestrians and disabled people

2. Cyclists

3. Public transport users

4. Motorcyclists and taxis

5. Commercial and business vehicles

6. Car borne shoppers

7. Car borne commuters and visitors

1. Traffic reduction

2. Speed reduction

3. Tackle problem sites

4. Redistribute the carriageway

5. Provide segregated facilities

Last Resort – convert footways to cycleways

Hierarchy of Users Hierarchy of Solutions

RoutesThere are three major cyclist's routes in to and out of Portsmouth.

Eastern RoadMilton to Farlington, largely OCR.

Copnor RoadMilton to Cosham, largely on road.

Pilgrim's WayThe Hard to Cosham, largely on quiet streets & OCR

All of the routes may be varied somewhat

Eastern Road – RouteACL North on Velder

Ave (Nothing Southbound)

Toucan Crossing at Kirpal Road

OCR North to Havant Road

Recross at Fitzherbert Road

Eastern Road – AssessmentCriterion Rating Notes

Accessibility Poor Could easily be improved with better signing

Connectivity Poor Could be improved with better signing and modification of junctions.

Safety Fair Segregated facility but at times dangerously close to fast traffic.

Utility Fair The large number of cyclist give way points significantly lengthens journey times. Surfaces could be improved.

Copnor Road – RouteOn Road Route

except:ACL at Copnor Bridge

Bus lane on London Road

OCR Portsbridge Roundabout to Cosham

Copnor Road – AssessmentCriterion Rating Notes

Accessibility Poor Could be improved with signing and designation of appropriate routes to major destinations.

Connectivity Fair Could be improved with better signing and better exploitation of existing facilities such as the A27 bridge at Peronne Road.

Safety Poor Only suited to experienced & confident cyclists. Hazards from heavy traffic on narrow sections and excessive parking. Poor

Utility Fair This is a speedy route in and out of the city. However, the off-road section at Hilsea is badly designed, confusing and awkward to use.

Pilgrim's Way – RouteACL/on road to Edinburgh

Rd

OCR to Flathouse Quay

On Road Flathouse Quay

OCR to Buckland

ACL/On road to Rudmore

OCR & quiet roads to Stamshaw

OCR Stamshaw park

On road to Mountbatten

Thence OCR

Pilgrim's Way – AssessmentCriterion Rating Notes

Accessibility Poor The route is fairly easy to find from the end points but confusing and difficult to follow.

Connectivity Good This route connects most of the important locations in the city, however there is room for improvement in signing.

Safety Poor There are some sections of this route, notably at Portsmouth Greyhound Stadium, Rudmore Roundabout and Hope Street/Market Way that are positively hazardous.

Utility Poor The route is tortuous and time consuming. Surfaces are poor and little thought has been given to cyclists needs in design.

Conclusions

Arterial cycle routes in and out of the city are the essential starting point for a cycle network

Current strategic routes do not support PCC aims to create a cycle network

There is no consistency of design

Each route falls short of DfT standards

Cyclists are ignored or given lowest priority at junctions

Road surfaces are good; OCR surfaces less so

Signing is very poor.

None of the routes offers a compelling alternative for car commuters

Next Steps

PCF is wants to help PCC develop:

Consistent design principles for city cycling

A long term plan to bring each route into line with these principles

Noting that a big bang approach is not feasible Including maintenance strategy & schedule for OCR

The development of a well-used cycle network permeating the city from the strategic routes

Plans ‘on the shelf’ to exploit future developments – e.g. Tipner Interchange, The Hard, …

Quick Wins

In the meantime, what can be done quickly?Review signing introduce consistent signs along

each routeTake full advantage of existing & underutilised

pieces of infrastructure (e.g. Peronne Road Bridge)Prepare a prioritised plan of required improvements

by area to be ready to take advantage of opportunities for implementation as part of other developments or highway works.