Latest news with #ActiveTravelEngland
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Further road improvements for major Leeds route
The latest phase of a £10m scheme to improve safety on a major road in Leeds will begin on 2 June. Leeds City Council said there were 172 casualties on the A660 over a five-year period, between 2016 and 2021. In addition to making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to use the route, the roadworks are intended to speed up bus journeys between Headingley and the city centre. The work includes creating segregated cycle tracks, upgrading junctions and changes to pedestrian crossings. The council said the work is due to be completed by the summer of 2026. The improvements are being funded by a £10.4m grant from Active Travel England, with this phase of work being delivered by Hinko Construction. It includes delivering a segregated inbound and outbound cycle track on both sides of the road, changing pedestrian crossings outside the Arndale Centre and The Original Oak to toucan crossings, and a major upgrade of junctions at Hyde Park Corner and North Lane. Other improvements include introducing a 20mph speed limit between Shaw Lane and St. Michael's Road, wider pavements, and continuous crossings at most junctions, upgrading bus stops and shelters, and providing better access to public transport outside the Arndale Centre. From Monday 16 June, the junction of St. Michael's Road and the A660 will be permanently closed to motor vehicles, with the area being transformed into a public space. The junction of the A660 with Regent Park Avenue will also be closed to motor vehicles from 30 July, and the existing left-turn road closure from Woodhouse Street to A660 Woodhouse Lane will be made permanent, with greenery and space for outdoor dining. The council's deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, Jonathan Pryor, said the A660 was one of the city's busiest routes between north Leeds and the city centre. "It's important that we make these improvements so it's safer for everyone using it - helping to meet our Vision Zero-strategy goal of eliminating road deaths and serious injuries on Leeds roads by 2040. "As with any scheme of this nature, there is likely to be some disruption during construction, but we will work to keep this to a minimum - so we are encouraging people to plan ahead when travelling along this route." The work follows previous phases completed earlier this year. The council said the majority of works will be carried out between 09:30 and 15:30 on weekdays, and said bus routes would not be affected. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Leeds City Council Work begins on scheme to upgrade major route Cycle lane plan to go ahead despite objections Park campaigners' anger over Leeds traffic plan Council sorry after bollards installed at bus stop
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Work to begin on latest phase of improvements to A660 in Leeds
The latest phase of a £10m scheme to improve safety on a major road in Leeds will begin on 2 City Council said there were 172 casualties on the A660 over a five-year period, between 2016 and addition to making it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to use the route, the roadworks are intended to speed up bus journeys between Headingley and the city work includes creating segregated cycle tracks, upgrading junctions and changes to pedestrian crossings. The council said the work is due to be completed by the summer of 2026. The improvements are being funded by a £10.4m grant from Active Travel England, with this phase of work being delivered by Hinko includes delivering a segregated inbound and outbound cycle track on both sides of the road, changing pedestrian crossings outside the Arndale Centre and The Original Oak to toucan crossings, and a major upgrade of junctions at Hyde Park Corner and North improvements include introducing a 20mph speed limit between Shaw Lane and St. Michael's Road, wider pavements, and continuous crossings at most junctions, upgrading bus stops and shelters, and providing better access to public transport outside the Arndale Monday 16 June, the junction of St. Michael's Road and the A660 will be permanently closed to motor vehicles, with the area being transformed into a public junction of the A660 with Regent Park Avenue will also be closed to motor vehicles from 30 July, and the existing left-turn road closure from Woodhouse Street to A660 Woodhouse Lane will be made permanent, with greenery and space for outdoor dining. The council's deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport and sustainable development, Jonathan Pryor, said the A660 was one of the city's busiest routes between north Leeds and the city centre."It's important that we make these improvements so it's safer for everyone using it - helping to meet our Vision Zero-strategy goal of eliminating road deaths and serious injuries on Leeds roads by 2040."As with any scheme of this nature, there is likely to be some disruption during construction, but we will work to keep this to a minimum - so we are encouraging people to plan ahead when travelling along this route."The work follows previous phases completed earlier this council said the majority of works will be carried out between 09:30 and 15:30 on weekdays, and said bus routes would not be affected. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dutch-style roundabout to keep cyclists safer has three-minute video to explain how it works
A new, Dutch-style roundabout, with its own three-minute video tutorial, is set to open in Hertfordshire next week. The cycle-friendly roundabout, popular in the Netherlands, is currently under construction in Boundary Way, Hemel Hempstead, with the opening slated for 6 June. Ahead of its opening, Hertfordshire County Council have produced an animated video which shows how cars, bicycles and pedestrians should use the new road feature correctly. The project aims to improve safety and connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists whilst easing traffic congestion. But the plan has been criticised for being 'complicated' and 'unnecessary' with some residents raising concerns about the new road layout, specifically when braking whilst exiting the roundabout. The construction of the new roundabout comes as part of a £2.6m investment by Active Travel England - the government's executive agency for promoting walking, wheeling and cycling. At first glance, a Dutch-style roundabout can look baffling to British road users unfamiliar with this new road layout, but the CGI video explains the process simply. The video shows an outer green ring that cyclists are expected to use, surrounded by zebra crossings used by pedestrians. Cyclists are expected to slow down when entering and exiting the roundabout to give way for pedestrians on the zebra crossings before continuing to cycle clockwise (as with any roundabout) on the outer green ring. The video demonstrates how cars and lorries must slow down or come to a stop on entering or exiting the roundabout to let cyclists and pedestrians cross in front of them safely. The advantage of this layout is that cyclists have their own designated area - hopefully making the roundabout safer for those on bikes. Hemel Hempstead is already home of the so-called 'Magic Roundabout', where six roundabouts converge, which is situated around 2.5 miles away from the new Dutch-style roundabout. The council say these roundabouts can help connectivity in the area, making it easier and safer to walk, wheel and cycle. Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highways and Transport, Hertfordshire County Council, said: 'Our aim is to offer all residents a cleaner, greener, healthier Hertfordshire. 'By increasing access to walking and cycling initiatives, we'll improve health and air quality, as well as helping to reduce traffic congestion.' The UK currently has three Dutch-style roundabouts in operation, with the new Hertfordshire roundabout set to become the fourth. The first opened in Fenton Road, Cambridge in 2020, followed by one in West Bar, Sheffield in December 2024, and the third opened in Westgate, Chichester in February 2025. But Dutch-style roundabouts have been criticised after an uptick in accidents on the Fenton Road roundabout since its installation. Cambridge County Council revealed in 2023 that between 2020 and 2023, there had been ten collisions, eight involving cyclists, on the roundabout compared to six incidents between 2017-2019. In 2022, the UK Government introduced a swathe of changes to road rules surrounding cycling on British roads in an attempt to make British roads safer. The guidance, updated in Highway Code rules 79, 167 and 186, stipulates that drivers must give priority to cyclists in certain situations, for example, on a roundabout. The code was updated to clarify that motorists or motorcyclists should take 'extra care' and give priority to people cycling on roundabouts. It stipulates that people driving and or riding a motorcycle should not attempt to overtake people cycling within that person's lane on a roundabout. The rules state that people cycling, riding a horse and driving a horse-drawn vehicle may stay in the left-hand lane of a roundabout when they intend to continue across or around the roundabout. Motorists should also allow cyclists to move across their path as they travel around a roundabout, for example when preparing to exit. Motorists should also stop and wait for a safe distance between cyclists at roundabouts or during slow-moving traffic, states the code. Other key amendments, which came into effect in January 2022, included clearer guidance for drivers to leave a distance of at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists. The code also clarified that when turning into or out of a side road, cyclists should give way to people walking who are crossing or waiting to cross.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Video guide made for Hemel Hempstead's 'Dutch-style' roundabout
A council has uploaded a tutorial video to show how people should use a new 'Dutch-style' roundabout, which prioritises cyclists and animated film shows cars, bicycles and lorries using the new junction in Hemel Hempstead, ahead of it opening on 2 County Council wants people planning to travel along Boundary Way in the Maylands area to watch the video, so it becomes familiar before it Doran, executive director of growth and environment at the council, said: "Hemel residents are no strangers to an innovative roundabout, so we're pleased that work on Boundary Way is nearing completion, on time." The town is already home to the 'Magic Roundabout', officially called the Plough Roundabout, where traffic from six routes meets at an interchange at the end of the town centre."We're keen to support our residents in becoming familiar with the layout so that everyday journeys are as smooth and safe as possible," Mr Doran project has been funded by Active Travel England and it is believed to be the first of its kind in Hertfordshire. The roundabouts have been popularised in the cycle-friendly streets of the first one in the UK was constructed in Cambridge in 2020. However, figures showed the roundabout had seen more collisions in the three years since it was built compared to its predecessor over the previous three years. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pavement parking ban 'essential' to child safety
An Oxfordshire MP has said tackling pavement parking is "essential" to improving safety on the school run. Olly Glover, the Liberal Democrat MP for Didcot & Wantage, called for action during a debate he held in Westminster on encouraging more children to walk and cycle to school. Pavement parking is illegal in London, but in the rest of England the Highway Code only advises against the practice. A transport minister said the government intended to publish a formal response to a consultation on pavement parking and would set out "next steps" in "due course". Mr Glover said figures from the UK National Travel Survey showed that the percentage of children walking or cycling to school had declined from 67% in 1975/76 to 47% in 2023. He said he wanted active travel on the school run to be "normal" rather than the "eccentric exception" and called for better infrastructure, more cycle training for young people and a ban on pavement parking. "We can empower young people to walk, wheel or cycle to school by providing them with the confidence to do it, in the form of Bikeability, and putting in measures to keep them safe such as those around pavement parking and infrastructure and street design improvements," he said. A consultation on banning pavement parking for the whole of England was held by the government in 2020 but no announcement has yet been made. Lilian Greenwood, the Minister for the Future of Roads, said during the debate the government would be publishing a formal response and next steps in "due course". She added: "Active Travel England is funding a wide range of support to enable more children to walk, wheel and cycle to school. "We have announced a further £300m for active travel and will set out plans for future years following the Spending Review." You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram. Calls to ban pavement parking across England Pavement parking could be banned in England More than 8,000 fines in pavement parking crackdown Bikeability cycle training Active Travel England
