A busy York junction is set to get a £165K upgrade to make it better for cyclists and pedestrians.
The scheme would see a new pedestrian crossing created near the junction with Scarcroft Road and two filter lanes of traffic removed.
A cycle lane will also be moved and the pavement widened.
Cllr Andy D’Agorne will be asked to approve the project at a City of York Council meeting on Thursday.
The plans include getting rid of the small left turn filter lane outside Sainsbury’s Local and the left turn lane on the Scarcroft Road approach to Bishopthorpe Road, so that the pavement can be made wider and a short cycle lane can be created.
Upgrade the signals
It adds that the plans are supported by local organisations and councillors. A letter from former councillor and chair of Indie York Johnny Hayes says:
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I am certainly not an expert on traffic but the research has made me very much aware of how the area needs to improve for pedestrians.
This is a busy road with more than 1,000 car movements per hour at peak times in and around this junction.
There have been many reported incidents of close misses at the junction with pedestrians nipping across and misinterpreting traffic movements.
He said the proposals “will help to reduce delays, help to make this a more pedestrian friendly junction, reduce the number of near miss situations but not have a major impact on congestion”.
The report says: “The addition of a new pedestrian crossing on the northern arm of the junction has been proposed at the request of the Bishopthorpe Traders Association.
“Queuing and delay are likely to increase on the Scarcroft Road approach to the junction during all periods given the removal of the left turn filter lane.”
But it adds that if the Scarcroft Road approach to the junction is narrowed, this means there will be less space for the Sainsbury’s lorry that pulls up on this section to load.
The existing traffic island will also be removed.
That’s good but what about the awful traffic fumes?
Who put the anti-car campaigners in charge? Stupid plan based on no evidence that will result in massive queues in the residential part of Bishopthorpe Road. ‘Reported instances of a few close misses’ is nothing but hearsay… from people with an axe to grind.
It’s not a safety issue, just an ideologically driven need for bicycles to get to the front of the traffic queue no matter what.
All removing the left turn filter will do is increase traffic queues and congestion in the area. Stupid idea.
The safety could be improved at a stroke if the speed limits were enforced as they should be.