Countess Crescent / Countess Road open again

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Added by dan

Just wondering if a decision has been made about the future of the junction.

If you look on Crash map http://www.crashmap.co.uk/Search there is a pattern of accidents on Countess Crescent pre-closure near the school. In fact it looks like an accident hotspot!

During the closure I was happy for my children to cycle up to the co-op to access the high street to go shopping, meet friends, etc. Not now! We live south of the railway line. When the closure was in place Countess Crescent became by accident a Cycling Boulevard. You can see from the dates on crashmap that it worked perfectly well as a Cycling Boulevard and was extremely safe (no accidents), so no trial would be required to determine if it is safer as a Cycling Boulevard as it has already taken place.

The junction would be the ideal place to be part of a Cycling Boulevard type infrastructure to gain access to the high street and perhaps up to the swimming pool via Parsonspool. Cars would still have easy routes to the high street and swimming pool with a cycling boulevard system in place and cyclists/pedestrians would also have a safe and enjoyable route. That would be a safe and fair compromise for all road users, as all users would have safe and suitable routes.

Currently it is not safe for adults or children by bike. Bit of a time bomb going on the crashmap site data. A positive change made for cyclists/pedestrians will benefit people locally in a safe and healthy way.

To make restrictions only during school hours would be very short sighted, as this route is a main artery for all south of the railway to access all the clubs/shops/swimming north of the railway and vice versa for the children visiting hallhill or friends south of the railway. Basically children use this route at all hours not just in school hours. We should not compromise on child safety. The swimming pool is free all summer to the kids...what then?

As a byproduct of a cycling boulevard, perhaps safe access for cyclists from the south of the railway line would encourage more people to visit the high street and shop, enhancing the local economy.

Please can you let me know of any developments.

For your info, a Bicycle Boulevard in Holland is a 'Woonerf', a living street:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/road-safety/9086705/Why-woonerfs-will-change-how-we-drive.html

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