Fears cycle lane will cause gridlock
Residents ConCerned about narroWing road
SAFETY fears have been raised over plans for a two-way cycle lane on a busy Derby road – with concerns it will become more gridlocked and dangerous than ever before.
Derby City Council has launched a public consultation over plans for a number of cycle lane improvements across the city.
One suggested plan is to create a two-way cycle lane on a long stretch of Nottingham Road in Chaddesden, said to be one of the busiest routes to and from the city centre.
The plans include the expansion of a pavement for a new two-way cycle lane on one side of the road between the junctions with Chaddesden Park Road and Raynesway/ Acorn Way – which would narrow the busy road.
The proposed changes would also mean the Nottingham Road district centre car park would adopt a new one-way route due to removing filter lanes because of the road narrowing.
Residents in the area are said to be very concerned by the proposals, which have led to councillors in both Chaddesden and Derwent wards calling a meeting with council officers about the plan.
Residents and councillors say they fear the narrowing of the road will lead to traffic chaos on a road which is already busy every day. Concerns were expressed on the Chaddesden Ward Councillors Facebook page.
One person wrote: “This is an absolutely horrendous proposal and I’ll guarantee that if it goes ahead Chaddesden will grind to a halt.
“This is just political claptrap pandering to a minority of people who might or more likely not use this cycle lane.”
Another person said: “This cycle lane is not needed. The residents of Nottingham Road don’t want it for numerous reasons and it will make Nottingham Road a lot more dangerous for all.“
A public consultation on the proposals, which include cycle improvements on other city roads, closes on Monday, February 14.
Chaddesden councillor Rob Cooper confirmed safety concerns had been raised. “Nottingham Road is the only part of the city to have a proposed two-way cycle lane and we don’t feel Nottingham Road is an appropriate place,” he said.
“Nottingham Road is a very busy route in and out of the city for Chaddesden and Derwent residents and the wider population of Derby.
“There’s a lot that goes on – we have the biggest cemetery in the city there, large stores like Lidl and Aldi, Toby Carvery and a lot of other shops. The road is used regularly by buses and HGVs.
“A new two-way cycle lane would mean you would have to narrow the road for vehicular traffic. So there are concerns on that and houses with drives – when people turn in to those houses we believe the traffic will be backed up with the narrowing of the carriageway and filter lanes being removed as well.
“My view is any gains from the environment are negated by traffic queuing up while people are waiting for other motorists to turn into their drives and shops.”
However, one Chaddesden resident thought it was a good idea. He wrote: “This is a very welcome proposal which despite some loud voices has little impact on car drivers to ensure vulnerable people are safer and valued. The more people that will walk and cycle, the better air quality that affects us all and the better the physical and mental wellbeing.”
Derby City Council has encouraged people to take part in the public consultation, which also seeks views on suggested changes between Derby bus station and Traffic Street and alterations between Midland Road and Siddals Road. In Mickleover, improvements are planned on the national cycle network route 54/68 path between Greenwich Drive South and Onslow Road.
A council spokesperson said: “Over the last year, we’ve seen a huge increase in the number of residents choosing to cycle rather than use their cars or public transport.
“This is great for our health and environment, but we also need to make sure we’re providing the right infrastructure to further promote and encourage this behaviour.
“As part of our Transforming Cities and Active Travel projects, we’ve identified a number of areas in the city that we believe would benefit from improvements to cycling infrastructure.”
Visit letstalk.derby.gov.uk/cyclelanes to take part in the consultation.