Chester Cycling Campaign is pleased the highways authority has taken action to tackle long-standing safety fears by the new bus interchange.
Cyclists were horrified to find a new cycle route led them straight into the face of oncoming motor vehicles heading down George Street when the interchange opened in June 2017.
After constant but polite pressure from the cycling campaign, new markings have been added to the road to define the advisory cycle route so it is clear for everyone. Extra arrows have also been painted to emphasise where the road is two-way.
Stephen Perry, secretary of the Chester Cycling Campaign, said: “Once Andrew Coward, CW&C principal engineer highways, was given the task to address this he has been a great help. We really appreciate his support in this and other highway matters.”
Cyclists coming north along Frodsham Street are encouraged to use the shared-use path as they turn left by the Abakhan shop and continue along the south side of Gorse Stacks until a sign directs them to leave the shared use path and ‘rejoin the carriageway’.
More often than not if a cyclist followed this instruction he or she would be confronted by a motor vehicle approaching from the opposite on the wrong side of the road.
As this stretch of road was formerly one-way, and is still shown as such on Google maps, it was no surprise many drivers failed to recognise the majority of the route along George Street and Gorse Stacks is now two-way.
Craig Steeland, from Chester Cycling Campaign, said: “With the canal towpath closed, cyclists have had to use Gorse Stacks as an alternative route which was dangerous due to poor lane marking. Cyclists have had to decide whether to break the law and cycle further along the pavement than the cycle route allows, or follow the instructions on the sign, join the carriageway and try to wave any approaching traffic out of their way and into the correct lane.”
Monica Robinson, another regular cyclist, commented: “The problem has been exacerbated as buses often park illegally on the double yellow lines opposite the shared-use pavement, forcing motor vehicles to drive on the wrong side of the road just where cyclists are advised to leave the pavement.”
The cycling campaign says despite being advised of this confusion and the serious risk it posed to inexperienced cyclists, the local authority took no action to address the problem during 2017 and 2018. However, constant pressure from Chester Cycling Campaign has now led to the cycle route being marked out.
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