Category: Routes

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News Routes

Cycle Lane Wands now installed on Princes Street and Portman Road

Cycle lane wands on Princes Street heading toward the Railway Station

Suffolk County Council are continuing their cycling and walking improvements, as part of the transport recovery plan 2020.

Over the past 2 nights cycle lanes have repainted on Princes Street, with wands installed to make a safer space for people cycle, particularly for people who don’t currently cycle or only cycle a little, and would like to cycle more if they had a space where they felt safe to do so.

  • Modal filter at Chalon Street and new cycle lane wands on Princes Street
  • Cycle lane wands on Princes Street heading toward the Railway Station
  • Street scene
    New cycle lane wands on the heading from Willis Building toward Railway station
  • Princes Street new cycle lane wands near Willis Building
    New cycle lane wands on Princes Street at junction near Willis Building
  • New Cycle lane wands on Princes Street
    Cycle lane wands on Princes Street
  • Princes Street new cycle lane wands near EADT office
    New cycle lain wands on Princes Street near the EADT offices

Portman Road has also had cycle lanes with wands added and parking removed.

Cycle Ipswich look forward to more of these wands being installed on other streets, particularly busier roads. These are an emergency measure as a stepping stone to more permanent kerb based protection in the longer term.

This new cycle infrastructure has been funded through a pot of money by central government to enable a step change in the walking and cycling infrastructure to prevent a grid lock by people shifting to private motor vehicles as we come out of the current pandemic. Suffolk’s bid was very strong, hence getting more than the indicative allocated funding.

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News Routes

SCC announce proposed road plans to help social distancing

Suffolk County Council have announced a series of proposed schemes to help walking, cycling, and other similar modes to be easier with the current pandemic due to the social distancing required to reduce the spread of the virus. The measures need to be implemented very quickly whilst traffic levels are still low from the lockdown. If we wait too long or spend a long time discussing the measures, then it’ll be too late to implement the measures.

Cycle Ipswich are very encouraged by the list, more work will be required longer term to extend some of the measures to create a full network of strategic cycle routes on main roads, and low traffic neighbourhoods.

The emergency measures that have already been implemented should have been implemented years ago. The schemes already implemented are:

Waterfront

  • 2020-05-06 Waterfront road closure West
  • 2020-05-06 Waterfront middle closure to motor vehicles
    2020-05-06 Waterfront middle closure to motor vehicles
  • 2020-05-06 Waterfront East closure to motor vehicles
    2020-05-06 Waterfront East closure to motor vehicles

Milner Street

  • 2020-06-09 Milner Street rat run closure
    Milner Street rat run closure

Fuchsia Lane Bridge

  • 2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
    2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
  • 2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
    2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
  • 2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
    2020-06-09 Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
  • 2020-06-09 Approach to Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only
    2020-06-09 Approach to Fuchsia Lane Bridge walking and cycling only

Wellesley Road Bridge

  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
  • 2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers
    2020-06-09 Wellesley Road Barriers

The new schemes proposed within Ipswich are:

  • Portman Road
  • Rushmere Area
  • Princes Street
  • Colchester Road/Valley Road
  • Bixley Road/Heath Road
  • Bramford Lane
  • Bridge Street Slip Road
  • Rosehill Area
  • Various locations – reduced waiting times to cross roads
  • Various locations – increased cycle parking – Please let us, Suffolk County Council, and your local councillors know where you’d like to see more cycle parking.

Changes have also been proposed as part of the emergency measures in Bury St Edmunds, Beccles, Felixstowe, Stowmarket, and Sudbury.

You can contact your local councillors using WriteToThem. Feed is also being requested by emailing Suffolk County Council at transport.schemes@suffolk.gov.uk

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News Routes

Ipswich Waterfront opened to walking and cycling

Suffolk County Council have opened the Ipswich Waterfront to allow more people to get their daily exercise whilst maintaining the 2 metre social distancing to minimise the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This is a fantastic opportunity to trial having no motor vehicles along here in the longer term, as it can get particularly busy in the warmer weather, when the social distancing isn’t required, making it difficult to pass other people.

Would you like to see this scheme made permanent?

Would you like to see other streets in Ipswich opened to more pleasant walking and cycling by reducing motor vehicle traffic? There is due to be an announcement soon about emergency funding to enable local authorities to pay for “pop-up” cycling and walking infrastructure.

We’re having a virtual meeting to discuss this on Wednesday 6th May 2020.

Please answer the above questions by writing to your local councillors (both county and borough), and the Suffolk County Council Councillor for Transport, Andrew Reid. Please also let us know via the comments below, the Cycle Ipswich Google Group, or via Cyclescape.

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Consultation Routes

Cycle Ipswich object to removal of requirement to build cycle path on Harris Business Park

Cyclescape thread

Google Groups thread

Approximate location of walking and cycling link © OpenStreetMap contributors

Cycle Ipswich are objecting to planning application IP/17/00150/VC to remove the requirements in 2 previous planning applications(IP/16/00956/FUL and IP/08/00929/FUL) to provide a walking and cycling link from the development site to the river path.

The Harris Business Park development is a commercial development, with plans for serviced land, industrial distribution, a trade counter, and office accommodation. The site used to be a factory.

IP/16/00956/FUL – Condition 8:

Prior to occupation of the hereby approved development; a scheme for the provision of a foot/cycle path linking Hadleigh Road to the River Gipping within the site shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be completed and made available for use in perpetuity in accordance with the agreed scheme within 12 months of first occupation of the building.

IP/08/00929/FUL – Condition 14:

14. Prior to occupation of the hereby approved building; a scheme for the provision of a foot/cycle path linking Hadleigh Road to the River Gipping within the site shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved scheme shall be completed and made available for use in perpetuity in accordance with the agreed scheme within 12 months of first occupation of the building.

Further, the creation of a link over the river at this location is specifically mentioned as a potential enhancement in the Ipswich Cycling Strategy SPD on page 40: https://www.ipswich.gov.uk/sites/default/files/cycling_strategy_spd.pdf

Creation of a cycle link over the river to the north of Elton Park, connecting south west Ipswich with north west Ipswich (as identified through the emerging Site Allocations and Policies (Incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) development plan document).

Both conditions relate to the same cycling and walking link. Cycle Ipswich believe that the walking and cycling link must be implemented to improve walking and cycling links between the site and the river path providing a safe route to Ipswich Railway Station, and the town centre. It also helps to provide walking and cycling links in North West Ipswich, and improve employment opportunities particularly for people who don’t want or need to drive via the longer route to the development.

High quality infrastructure will entice people out of the car and on to sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling when the quality is good enough.

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Routes

Community Cycle Routes

Someone mentioned that the Tourist Information Centre in Ipswich often gets request for cycle routes around town and outskirts to local villages and pleasant places. Strikes me that this is something that many people in Cycle Ipswich could benefit from. Likewise the wider cycling public.

I’ve had a go at making one using uMapper. It’s probably a bit clunky but I’ll try to improve it once I get a bit more skilled with the software. Belstead to Capel Cycle Route

If anyone else would like to make one, we could maybe create a section here to keep the links. I’m going to be adding them to my transport blog and to the Transition Ipswich wiki