[HTS-members] Cycleway final version

[Roger]

My apologies for the inadvertent release of an incomplete version yesterday.
This is a hopefully improved one.

 

Cycleway consultation

 

We urgently draw your attention to this proposal to put a cycleway along the
north side of the A4. The details are held at:
Www.buckscc.gov.uk/taplowcycleway <http://Www.buckscc.gov.uk/taplowcycleway>
and the Project Manager is: Tayo Akinyosade, BCC Project Manager at
aakinysosade at bucckscc.gov.uk <mailto:aakinysosade at bucckscc.gov.uk>  or on
01296 383 895. The consultation is open until October 24th.

 

While not objecting in principal to provision of improved facilities for
cyclists and welcoming the bus shelter improvements we have some very
serious concerns about the implementation offered. The plan schematics are
attached.

 

The most serious item is to close Berry Hill to all right hand turns from
the Bath Road. They suggest we either go up Station Road, or Approach Road,
or go on to the new roundabout and come back along the A4 to the lights to
turn left into Berry Hill.  The suggestion of going up Approach Road,
Station Road, and up Boundary Road, would direct everyone to go through
Rectory Road. It is a very long and tedious way round and would also put
more traffic past the school at peak hours.  In the rush hours, going up to
the new roundabout and coming back would add considerably to the journey
time.  With the additional pending closure of Mill Lane there would be no
sensible way of reaching north of the A4 in Taplow. Residents were not aware
of this double whammy when considering the Mill Lane closure.

Their argument is that a peak-hour survey by Granville for Berkeley in March
2014 counted only six cars turning right in the morning and 21 in the
afternoon. It takes no account of the hundreds living in or going to Taplow
village, Taplow House Hotel, Taplow Court and Cliveden who make up the
regular daily off-peak and weekend flow up the hill.

 

Please look at the proposals and make your comments. Let us know what you
think also so that we can correctly represent members in the comment that we
make to the consultation.

 

Listed below are other points that concern us and some background.

 

*       We think it is poor value for money. The Royal Borough have declined
to join the scheme and we understand that Burnham have serious reservations.

*        It is not considered likely that many Taplow residents will use it
to commute to the station, other than possibly some from the new Mill Lane
estate.

*       There is no provision for improved cycle storage at Taplow station

*       Road markings to the east of the railway bridge must be revised to
avoid the widened pavement blocking through traffic when the car boot sale
is held and cars are queueing to turn right

*       Flooding along the northern edge of the A4 where the track will run
is not addressed

*       The proposed new arrangements at Berry Hill cause serious
inconvenience to local residents. They are based on a requirement to handle
high volumes of cyclists for which no justification is offered. Such
arrangements may well materialise if cycling does increase hugely but this
will only take place over many years.
The proposed traffic light phasing gives a full traffic phase to the
cyclists, causing all car traffic to stop for an arbitrary period. To avoid
this becoming a total traffic disaster, the new lane layouts and banned turn
are introduced, including a dubious assumption that east bound queues are
worse than west bound queues. This is quite unjustified for current and
foreseeable cyclist volumes.

*       Clashes between pedestrians and cyclists on a bi-directional
cycleway that is very narrow in places - under the bridge for example.

*       Concern for residents who have to reverse out of their drives across
a very closely positioned cycleway.

Roger Worthington, Secretary

07787556309

This mail has been sent to you from the Hitcham and Taplow Society. If has
been sent to you in error or you do not wish to receive such communications,
please reply to secretary at taplowsociety.org.uk
<mailto:secretary at taplowsociety.org.uk>  and we will remove you.

 

 

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