Improved cyclist facilities planned for Whisby Road in Lincoln

Lincolnshire County Council is adding new cycle paths and Toucan crossings to Whisby Road near Lincoln.

Whisby Road, which leads on to the A46 bypass, has been part of highway improvements in the area due to the Teal Park development.

As a result of improvements to the roads, it is also proposed that footpaths and cycle routes in the area are improved too.

The plans will go before the Planning and Regulation Committee on February 4, and details improvements to Whisby Road from the Doddington Road junction and the new Teal Park Road.

Existing pedestrian crossings will get improvements on Doddington Road, Station Road and Birchwood Avenue, while more cycle routes and Toucan crossing will be added to the route.

Pavements will be widened to 2.5 meters to allow for shared use between pedestrians and cyclists.

While a number of businesses, bodies, members of the public and councils approve the plans, Sustrans charity and Lincolnshire branch of the Cyclists Touring Club raised a few concerns.

They felt that more traffic calming needs putting in place, particularly around the new Toucan Crossings. Additionally, the proposed areas for the crossings are close to driveways for businesses, which could cause risk, so should be moved.

The organisations also believed cyclists should be given priority over motorists at certain junctions due to the many side roads and high traffic levels, and the speed limit could be lowered to 20mph.

A business also added loading and unloading could be affected due to a Toucan crossing, and that accidents could rise at the Station Road and Westminster Road junction.

However, the County Council stated that the crossings were placed in the best areas as possible long the road, and the speed limit will not be altered due to the main use of the road.

A number of the issues raised will be subject to the Road Safety Audit too.