CTC objects to proposed second Lincoln bypass

The new road will cost £96m for under 5 miles – £19m a mile – more than the money being spent on cycling by the Government in eight cycling cities and four National Parks.

£50m will come from central Government, with the rest from developers and the local council.

Andy Townhill, CTC’s lead campaigner in the area, and secretary to CTC Lincolnshire, has submitted an objection, arguing for better crossings of the road. The objection (see presentation below) will be heard at a public inquiry in February.

What's the problem?

The Lincoln Eastern Bypass (LEB) slices through seven local roads en route from the A15 to the A158. Although a 3 metre wide cycle track is provided – but only on one side of the road – the crossings of side roads are totally inadequate. This results in an expectation that cyclists, in the words of Lincoln CTC campaigner Rodney Jelfs, will have to “dismount and dash” across the mouths of junctions (see example right).

Although Lincolnshire County Council, the promoters of the scheme, have agreed to build an additional bridge for cyclists to cross the road at one point, there remain many junctions where cyclists will have to cross busy roads without dedicated facilities.

Such problems already exist on Lincoln’s western and northern bypass, where the facilities provided are not well used because they are so poorly designed.

These types of crossings are the consequence of previous reluctance on the part of Government to provide decent standards to construct new roads and make sure that cycle facilities are safe to use. The LEB will be a test case as to whether the recent commitment to cycle proofing new roads has any substance. 

This new road will be a huge barrier for people on bikes – it completely contradicts the Prime Minister’s commitment to ‘cycle proof’ all roads and make them fit for cycling from the outset.

Andy Townhill
CTC Lincolnshire Secretary

Presently many of the roads radiating from Lincoln provide vital routes for residents of the villages near the city. Without adequate crossings local cycling trips may well become too hazardous, with residents opting to travel by car instead, adding to the congestion that the new road is supposed to relieve.

CTC wants Lincolnshire County Council to commit to building proper crossings of the new sections, using either traffic lights or, for minor side roads, yield markings to give cyclists priority.

A presentation showing the plans for the various junctions can be downloaded below.