The Bradley Stoke Journal

Councillors on Bradley Stoke Town Council’s Planning Committee have taken exception to proposals from South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) to install a number of ‘raised table’ cycle crossings in the town.

As reported last month, SGC has opened a consultation on plans to install the crossings on Baileys Court Road, Fiddlers Wood Lane and across the access road to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

The crossings will bring the carriageway up to the level of the footway, allowing cyclists and wheelchair users to cross the road without a change in level.

In a unanimous decision, Councillors voted to object to the scheme on the grounds of “unnecessary expense; raised tables offering no protection to cyclists; causing damage to vehicles; and slowing the passage of emergency vehicles”.

The motion was proposed by Cllr John Ashe, who also drew the meeting’s attention to a statement in the SGC proposals that claims the crossings can “help to maintain the low speed of traffic within any 20mph zone”, adding that he feared this could be the first step towards introducing unwanted 20mph speed limits in the town.

The crossings are part of the Cycling City Route 3 scheme, which will link Parkway Station to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

Construction work has recently started on parts of the scheme, including the installation of a short stretch of new cyclepath along Bradley Stoke Way, close to its junction with Fiddlers Wood Lane.

It is seems unlikely that the Councillors’ objection will prevent the crossings being implemented as the current consultation is on the Highways Act notice that represents the final stage of the approval process.

A widely-publicised month-long public consultation on the whole Cycling City Route 3 scheme was held in September 2009 but Councillors failed to discuss it at any of their meetings held around that time.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) has opened a public consultation on plans for a number of ‘raised table’ cycle crossings within Bradley Stoke.

The proposed crossings are part of Cycling City Route 3, which will link Parkway Station to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre.

The Statement of Reasons document published by the Council explains:

These crossing points consist of a raised table section bringing the carriageway up to the footway level. This allows pedestrians, cyclists and wheelchair users to cross the carriageway with no change in gradient or level. It also raises the visibility and priority of vulnerable users to the same physical level as the traffic. The crossing can also help maintain the low speed of traffic within any 20mph zone.

The new crossings are to be installed at the following locations:

• Across Baileys Court Road, between its junctions with Sherbourne Avenue and Meadow Way
• Across Fiddlers Wood Lane, close to its junction with Bradley Stoke Way
• Across the access road into Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre

Each crossing will consist of a gentle ramped approach up to the existing level of the footway and then a flat table.

In contrast to the speed bumps used on Brook Way and other roads in the town, the raised crossings will present a ‘full carriageway width’ obstacle to road vehicles. Bus companies and ambulance services are known to have previously objected to such features on the grounds of passenger discomfort.

Residents have until Wednesday 10th March to register comments on the proposals.

More information:

• Consultation Documents (SGC)
• Respond to the Consultation (SGC)

An exhibition has opened in Bradley Stoke Library to show plans of new cycle routes being proposed as part of the Cycling City project in South Gloucestershire.

Greater Bristol (the area governed by Bristol City Council and South Gloucestershire Council) was named as England’s first ‘Cycling City’ in 2008 and has received £11.4 million of government funding, matched by an equal amount from the two Councils, to promote and encourage cycling through better infrastructure, training and promotion.

Infrastructure changes being proposed under the scheme include a number of long distance routes linking centres of employment, education, shopping and housing.

Sections of two of the proposed long distance routes are set to be implemented within Bradley Stoke:

• Route 3 – linking Parkway Station to Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre
• Route 4 – linking Bradley Stoke to Cribbs Causeway via the Aztec West Business Park

Route 3 follows North Road and Mead Road through Stoke Gifford before crossing the Winterbourne Road at the existing pedestrian crossing. The route then follows the ‘Saxon Path’ between Watch Elm Close and Pursey Drive, crossing Arden Close before emerging onto Baileys Court Road.

A ‘level’ crossing on Baileys Court Road then takes the route on through Sherbourne Avenue and The Bluebells and down into the Three Brooks Local Nature Reserve. After passing under the Bradley Stoke Way bridge the route runs north between Bradley Stoke Way and Champs Sur Marne and on to the Leisure Centre.

Route 4 runs from the Willow Brook Centre along the west side of Bradley Stoke Way as far as Primrose Bridge. Then it runs up the ramp into The Common (East), across Brook Way and into The Common.

The route then continues via the existing A38 subway into Hempton Lane and onwards to the Aztec West Business Park and then Cribbs Causeway via the Patchway estate.

The exhibition in Bradley Stoke Library runs until Monday 5th October. The consultations close on Wednesday 7th October.

More information and related links:

• Consultation on Cycling City Route 3 (SGC)
• Consultation on Cycling City Route 4 (SGC)
• Walking and Cycling in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)

The Journal Comments

We had heard that the much-ridiculed disappearing/reappearing on-road cycle lanes along Bradley Stoke Way (see example pictured left) were to be removed as part of this scheme but were disappointed to find at least one of them still present on the plans.

While we do wonder how much demand there is going to be for ‘long distance’ cycle journeys along these fairly tortuous routes between Parkway Station and Cribbs Causeway via Bradley Stoke and Aztec West, the proposed works will undoubtedly bring welcome improvements for residents making shorter journeys in our town.

We welcome the proposed widening of the shared footpath/cycleway on the west side of Brook Way near Bradley Stoke Surgery  – a notorious pinch point, where cyclists and pedestrians regularly come into conflict.

The extension of the path running up the east side of Bradley Stoke Way from the crossing between Snowberry Close and Champs Sur Marne up to the Savages Wood Roundabout also makes a lot of sense.