Anniversary Report - Junctions
We received 18 comments about facilities at junctions. The two overwhelming problems were conflicts between cyclists going straight on and other traffic turning left; and being unable to move into a right-turning lane due to very fast moving traffic. This is a particular problem at various points along the Chester Road (A56).
Upper Chorlton Road - Junction with Manchester Road (South-bound): Left-turning cars leave no room for cyclists. This junction used to flow well, so it is difficult to understand the recent inclusion of lights. Many cyclists get around the problem by cycling on the pavement. How to improve: Provide a cycle lane coming up to the junction; allow cyclists a filter left when south bound traffic has stopped. This would help show motorists the extra benefits of being a cyclist!
Greenheys Lane West - Coming up the left turn into Asda's (West-bound): Cyclists have to pull out into oncoming traffic just to go straight on. Improve: Give priority to cyclists going straight on, e.g. by extending the bike lane rather than breaking it up with a crooked line.
Greenheys Lane - Junction with Princess Road (West-bound)On coming traffic turning right ignores cyclists who have a green light. They seem to think they only have to give way to oncoming cars. This is especially worrying because the new light priorities are new and worse than the old ones. Improve: Revert back to the old priorities
Chester Road (A56) - Motorway sliproad (Southbound towards Sale): Bad, there is a lane that splits off to the motorway but it is so narrow that you really need to worry about the traffic (which is of course accelerating hard) coming by on your left. If it's a lorry you really need to be outside the bike lane which of course puts you in conflict with drivers who might not appreciate what you are up to. Especially annoying because this junction was recently widened. The bike lane on the other side has been blocked by cones for a couple of weeks also.Improve: Making the motorway access road an appropriate width would be a start, I can't believe these muppets get let loose on our road system.
A6 London Road - Junction with Fairfield Street (Out of town)As is standard the cycle lane stops at the lights and doesn't continue until after the junction. However, the cycle lane doesn't pick up on the other side of the junction but a little down the road once you have passed under the railway bridge. Leaving cyclists travelling in a spot that motorists want to accelerate through as they hug the curb rushing away from the lights.A massive improvement for this useful exit from Manchester would be to remove the natural squeeze point created as you cross Fairfield St heading out of Manchester. Simply adding a cycle lane as soon as you cross the junction so that you are in a mandatory lane while you pass under the bridge would be a start. Although really this road out of Manchester should be thinned to one lane to remove the incentive to treat it as a dual carriageway rather than just a wide section of road.
Grosvenor Street - Grosvenor Street onto London Road (Left turn off Grosvenor Street onto London Road): Grosvenor Street is one way for motor traffic away from London Road but is two way for cyclists. Cyclists travelling into Manchester can turn left onto Lockton Close where you can join the cycle route that comes down London Road and as you join it is segregated from traffic. However, this is not signposted for cyclists and the cycle lane marked on Grosvenor St continues along the street and around the left hand turn guiding you into oncoming traffic who are not yet aware that this is a two way track for cyclists. Also, as they are turning right they are likely to be wandering over onto the side of the road that the cyclists occupies at this point. Improve: A clear sign-posting along Lockton Close and a removal of the misleading continuation of the cycle path between Lockton Close and London Road on Grosvenor Street
Chester Road - As you leave the cycle lane leading off the St George roundabout (Away from town) The roundabout is possibly one of the best set ups for cycling in Manchester unless you want to travel out along Chester Road in which case the cycle lane just spits you out onto Chester Road at a junction so forcing you to stop and wait for a space in traffic rather than having a smoothly integrated entry that allows cars and cyclists to flow smoothly. moving the exit from the cycle lane onto the road back a few yards from the junction with Lower Moss lane and giving priority to cyclists or initially segregating the lane from traffic but on the road would be a gigantic improvement and remove the impression that the roundabout's cycle provision is aimed solely at Chorlton residents
Trafford Road - Trafford Road, joining the A56 (Heading out of Salford Quays towards Chorlton). At this point the road to go left and straight on (over the A56) is in 2 lanes. Many drivers assume that the left lane is "left turn only", and hence I have been severely cut up several times when trying to go straight on in the left lane. I know.... I COULD ride in the right lane, but its just far too dangerous in rush hour, and ques I dont see how it could be improved. I am simply forced to ride on the pavement at this point, even though I know its wrong. Many others do too. Have to get in 3rd lane of a busy 4 lane road to be able to turn right onto Chester Road, then stay in third lane through another set of lights with lots of cars changing lanes. How to improve: Maybe a cycle lane- but this would be in middle of road too- maybe dedicated cycle path through the pedestrian crossings Submitted by Ian from Timperley Comment from Rampax from Stockport 2006/11/15 Yeah, that whole junction is awfull during rush hours. I go straight over there toward Talbot Road, but cars ALLWAYS cut you up to turn left onto Bridgewater Way. Comment from RHA from Sale 2006/11/19 To make the following legal will require both Trafford and Salford to get together and exercise the new powers afforded to them to make traffic management changes. Suggest the following route: Cross to opposite side of Trafford Road at the Ordsall Road Lights. Continue carefully along the pavement (it is mostly quite wide). Turn right (taking it very wide in case of oncoming pedestrians or cyclists) into Wharf Road staying on the pavement (it's even wider here) and continue on to the Pub entrance on Trafford Wharf Road, cross the road here. Turn left into Waters Reach and straight on to Sir Matt Busby Way. Cycle past the football ground and turn right into Railway Road, Follow the road and turn left at Avondale Road and then right into Burleigh Road, Follow the road to Taylors Road. Go straight on here by doing a wide Left and then turning Right into Gorse Street. Turn left at Thomas Street and then Right at the traffic lights to join the A56. The choice is to continue on the A56 or taking the quieter route down Christie Road and on to Stretford Met station and then to Stretford Cemetery and the Bridgewater Canal (see Love Lanes Sale to Stretford) RHA often form over the junction, so when the lights change, you end up trapped in no mans land. How to improve: Maybe a cycle lane- but this would be in middle of road too- maybe dedicated cycle path through the pedestrian crossings. Comment from Rampax from Stockport 2006/11/15 Yeah, that whole junction is awfull during rush hours. I go straight over there toward Talbot Road, but cars ALLWAYS cut you up to turn left onto Bridgewater Way. Comment from RHA from Sale 2006/11/19 To make the following legal will require both Trafford and Salford to get together and exercise the new powers afforded to them to make traffic management changes. Suggest the following route: Cross to opposite side of Trafford Road at the Ordsall Road Lights. Continue carefully along the pavement (it is mostly quite wide). Turn right (taking it very wide in case of oncoming pedestrians or cyclists) into Wharf Road staying on the pavement (it's even wider here) and continue on to the Pub entrance on Trafford Wharf Road, cross the road here. Turn left into Waters Reach and straight on to Sir Matt Busby Way. Cycle past the football ground and turn right into Railway Road, Follow the road and turn left at Avondale Road and then right into Burleigh Road, Follow the road to Taylors Road. Go straight on here by doing a wide Left and then turning Right into Gorse Street. Turn left at Thomas Street and then Right at the traffic lights to join the A56. The choice is to continue on the A56 or taking the quieter route down Christie Road and on to Stretford Met station and then to Stretford Cemetery and the Bridgewater Canal (see Love Lanes Sale to Stretford) RHA
Talbot Road - Junction with Chester Road (Heading away from Manchester). Wanting to turn right down Derbyshire Lane you need to gat across 2 lanes of traffic (at the lights) and then pedal like mad up a hill with traffic running both sides of you (there are now 4 lanes and you're in the middle of them all) to be in the left hand lane of the 2 that turn right. The hill can be a killer too after the long incline up to it along Talbot Road. :-( Unsure. There's an ASL at the lights which can help if they're on red, but it really needs a bit of road for cyclists turning here... a cycle lane may be just too dangerous though (and it would be in the middle of the road). Not sure where you are going to/ from. You could try arriving at Thomas street and taking the bridge across the canal to Station Road and onto Moss Road and Derbyshire Lane. How to improve: Trafford Council could adopt as a signed alternative route with improved surfaces and kerb transitions.
Princess Street - Junction with Whitworth Street (Southbound). Unlike the junction with Portland Street, the left-most lane for cars admits traffic turning left and going straight on. The cycle path remains on the left edge of the street. It's just wide enough, though, for taxis turning left to squeeze past queueing traffic going straight on. And just like any junction with left-turning traffic, I get nervous about a possible collision. I don't know. As a strategy for cyclists, I move out of the cycle lane and ride in the car lane to dissuade left-turning traffic from overtakingand then cutting me up, perhaps literally. Certainly at the Advanced Stop Zone for cyclists, you should move right a yard or two to end up in front of the cars in the left-most lane.
Princess Street - Junction with Portland Street (Southbound). Where do I start ... ? At the left-hand edge of this street is a cycle lane and parking bays, plenty wide enough for cars turning left into a side-street. And many cars do drive into the cycle lane for this reason. So I'm already nervous as I approach the traffic lights. As you approach, the cycle lane swings out to the right, and a genuine left-only lane appears on its left. From the way this is all laid out, it's clear to me (but please correct me if I'm wrong), that traffic turning left should give way to cyclists in the cycle lane. Or at the very least check that there aren't any cyclists currently in the cycle lane before crossing it. But this is not so self-evident to the cars, lorries and buses which are turning left unfortunately. Improve: Bizarrely for such an unusual layout, the cycle lane is not painted green except for the last few yards. I wonder if painting it would mean more people would take notice of it. And if my intrepretation of the right of way is correct, how about a big sign saying "Left turning traffic give way to bicycles in cycle lane"., and some schematic diagram of the lanes. But at the end of the day, maybe we should conclude that this sort of thing will just never work, and maybe it should be remodelled along the lines of the next junction, with Whitworth Street. However that junction is not without its problems ... (see my comment there).
Bury New Road - Junction with Radcliffe New Rd (North bound) Traffic turning left does so at speed often with little consideration of cyclists going straight on.
Junctions
greater priority for cyclists
An easier route back over the M60 at Hyde (The cycle lane diverts you onto middle of roundabout and back across which requires to gett off bike and walk)
better planning for cycles at roundabouts
Dedicated lanes at traffic lights
better provision for cycles at major junctions
Cycle provision at junctions and traffic lights.
