General Comments
It is very unfortunate that this design is being considered in isolation from the LSTF proposals for the junctions to the north involving Trafford Street, Bridgewater Street, Liverpool Road, Great Bridgewater Street and Deansgate. These two areas need to be considered as one design in order to create a coherent design for the whole area.
Though labelled The Bridgewater Canal the main substance of this document is the junction between Deansgate, both north and south, Whitworth Street West, the Bridgewater Viaduct and Castle Street. This is a very unpleasant and complex junction which has been designed to maximise traffic flows and creates a very unpleasant environment for people walking and cycling.
The proposed design lacks ambition for encouraging of cycling in the city and when judged on the five core principles of design for people walking and cycling, safety, coherence, directness, comfort and attractiveness1 these proposals fail on all these principles. It also fails to take account of people with children in cycle trailers or people with disabilities who ride unconventional machines such as handcycles.
See detailed comments in Appendix 1.
Alternative Design
Rather than focus on the proposed junction layout, the junction should be redesigned to increase safety and improve the environment which would also bring economic benefits to the Castlefield area which has several bars and clubs as well as the tram stop and railway station.
I live in this area, and during rush hour many more people walk through this area than travel by car. The priority for this area needs to be radically changed to improve the environment for walking and cycling.
Walking is the most common way of moving around Castlefield and those who arrive by bus, tram or train also walk to their final destination. In the City Centre around 43% of residents travel to work on foot2. This whole area must prioritise the movement of people and restrict the movement of motor vehicles.
This junction could be radically simplified by taking a completely different approach to the phasing of the traffic lights, namely that each arm of the junction should be given the green phase in turn so that there are no conflicting traffic movements for people turning right. There should also be an all green walking/cycling phase where all motor vehicles are stopped.
The great advantage of having of having green phases for each arm in turn is that there need only be a single vehicle lane leading up to the junction, because there is no need for traffic to give way in any direction. This enables the area taken up by motor vehicles to be dramatically reduced, leaving space for the inclusion of high quality cycle provision through this junction as well as a significantly improved environment for people on foot.
As a result the Bridgewater Viaduct, Deansgate and Whitworth Street West can all be reduced to one traffic lane each way leaving room for good quality cycle tracks on both sides of the road.
There would then be no need for traffic light control ofCastle Street. It should be a give way junction, set back from the cycle track. There should be no right turn onto the Bridgewater Viaduct and no right turn into Castle Street from Bridgewater Viaduct southbound. This would allow people cycling northbound on the Bridgewater Viaduct to bypass the traffic lights straight up onto Deansgate, giving cycles a significant advantage over the motor vehicles.
A similarly radical approach needs to be taken with the Liverpool Road, Great Bridgewater Street and Deansgate junction to the north.
See below for a rough sketch of a possible layout. Note the dramatically different scale of the roads in the area. Red signifies motor vehicles, green pedal cycles.
Appendix 1 Detailed comments on the original proposals
Deansgate / Whitworth Street West / Bridgewater Viaduct/Castle Street Junction
The principle proposals for the junction are:
• Upgrade the existing pelican crossing to a toucan crossing to facilitate signal controlled
cyclist movements across the junction east/west direction to access the Bridgewater
Canal
The current pedestrian crossing layout is inadequate, it does not enable crossing at the southern end of Deansgate, nor the north end of Bridgewater Viaduct, both of which are significant desire lines, particularly with the Railway and Tram stations nearby.
The area to the south, Deansgate below the bridge, is very unpleasant and often used as a car park. Access to this area needs to be closed off to motor vehicles and a properly defined cycle track created across this area.
• Relocate and increase existing pedestrian islands within the junction
These islands are very small, and would not be big enough, for example, for a bicycle with a trailer carrying children.
• Unsegregated shared footways between crossing points
This is an unsatisfactory approach. Simply pushing pedal cycles onto the pavement causes conflict and reduces the amount of space for people on foot.
• New ASL (Advanced Stop Line) on right turn lane from Whitworth Street West on to
Deansgate. ASL cycle reservoir increased on Deansgate southbound
Lack of feeder cycle lane into new reservoir makes it pointless.
It is proposed to amend the existing traffic lane arrangement at the junction:
• Bridgewater Viaduct northbound; from one lane ahead, one lane ahead and right to one
lane ahead, one lane right
There will be nothing to prevent vehicles ignoring these markings, leading to conflict.
• Deansgate southbound; from one lane ahead, one lane ahead and left to one lane
ahead, one lane left
Again there is no physical barrier to prevent drivers cutting right across pedal cycles from the left hand lane.
• Whitworth Street West and Castle ; existing lane arrangement to be retained
Cycle lanes are proposed to be introduced at the junction, see drawing ZZ208237H-000-005 Rev D. All proposed cycle lanes are at least 1.5m wide, with width increased through
junctions.
It is unacceptable to be installing cycle lanes less than 2m wide when narrow cycle lanes make driver behaviour worse3.
Also there should be no right turn from Castle Street onto the Bridgewater Viaduct and there should be no right turn into Castle Street from Bridgewater Viaduct southbound.
Deansgate (to the north of the junction)
The main proposals are:
Northbound
• Direct northbound traffic into the centre of the carriageway and away from cyclists
travelling in the nearside cycle lane by introducing a small splitter island
The island looks very small from the plans and the cycle lane runs straight into the bus stop.
• Existing bus stop to remain
see above
• Tie into the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) proposed works along Deansgate
(project number 206292) Southbound
It is quite impossible to comment on this as these plans have not been provided.
• 2m wide cycle lane between the two general traffic lanes
This is a pretty scary looking cycle lane, and it will be difficult to reach in moving traffic
• Cyclists in more prominent and visible position on approach to the junction
This may not make much difference, see above.
• Accessing the unsegregated shared footway through dropped kerbs in the ASL reservoir
Again this is pushing pedal cycles onto the pavement bringing about conflict with people on foot.
Whitworth Street West
The main proposals are:
Eastbound
• Cyclists can access Whitworth Street West eastbound using the proposed toucan
crossing and unsegregated shared footway
This will be slow and inconvenient and will be difficult for cycles with trailers or other larger machines.
• Tie into existing cycle lane via a short length of proposed 1.5m cycle lane
Westbound
It is unacceptable to be installing cycle lanes less than 2m wide when narrow cycle lanes make driver behaviour worse4.
• Nearside cycle lane to access unsegregated shared area under the railway arch or cycle
lane on Bridgewater Viaduct southbound
It is not clear how this will work from the diagram. Suddenly stopping in the lane to try and get onto a busy pavement is a real problem.
• Cyclists can access all arms of junction using proposed toucan crossing
Again this will be slow and inconvenient and will be difficult for cycles with trailers or other larger machines.
• Access to Deansgate and the Bridgewater Canal via unsegregated shared area
Again this will be slow and inconvenient and will be difficult for cycles with trailers or other larger machines.
• Tie into existing cycle lane
The existing cycle lane is too narrow and dangerous because of the on-street parking.
Bridgewater Viaduct
The main proposals are:
Northbound
• Cyclists join carriageway on approach to the junction with Castle Street, as existing
This existing cycle track is dangerous and is largely ignored by people cycling. The entrance to the ASL is particularly dangerous.
• Lighting column proposed to be relocated
See above.
Southbound
• On carriageway 2m cycle lane
As the plans show the reduction from 2 to 1 traffic lane, there will be space to provide a 2m wide segregated cycle track rather than an unprotected lane which will be blocked in rush hour by drivers forming two lanes.
Deansgate (Chester Road to Whitworth Street West)
The main proposals are:
• To access the canal basin, an existing car parking space is to be relocated as shown
This is very dangerous. Firstly there is the danger of ending up trying to emerge between parked vehicles such as vans which block any view of oncoming traffic.
Secondly all the parking spaces are at right angles to the road with most people driving into the parking spaces. This means they reverse out into the road, without sight of oncoming cycles. All this parking needs to be turned parallel to the road to make this route safe.
• Preferred canal basin access option would involve the removal of one existing car
parking space; however, there is space adjacent to the existing car parking bays for a
replacement space
See above
• Ramp access on towpath by canal basin
The surfacing of this ramp needs to be such that it does not become slippery when wet. The current surfacing can become very slippery in the winter.
• Tie in with existing cycling facilities on Chester Road
This will need to be updated to provide a satisfactory access and egress.
• Signed route to Deansgate/Manchester City Centre for cyclists travelling northbound
using existing two way cycle track on Chester Road
See above. Note most of the signage around the city centre for cycling is unsatisfactory and difficult to follow, especially the NCN routes.
