Notes From the Milton Road LLF Workshop Following the October 2018 Consultation

Posted on Wednesday 6 February 2019

MRRA are pleased to hear that after the consultation several positive changes have been made. The workshop highlighted some of these items for discussion before the public Local Liaison Forum on 18 February. The resulting plans will be passed to the Greater Cambridge Joint Assembly for discussion before the Executive Board makes the decision which will lead to the roadworks starting at the end of 2019.

Below are the main points that were raised.

There will be a new crossing north of Westbrook Drive.
The floating bus stop in Mitcham's Corner has been moved to avoid a driveway. The cycle lane now has a protective kerb leading up to Gilbert Road junction heading outbound. As a result they are now proposing a signal-protected cycle lane phase at Gilbert Road.
The inbound cycleway at Mitcham’s Corner appears to be fully protected and segregated. It is now between the path and parking areas and is protected by a buffer zone. Bays outside the shops will now be available for parking divided by landscaping including trees to be in keeping with the rest of Milton Road. There is also parking available behind the shops.
It is still not clear what will happen at Mitcham's Corner junction where the scheme ends in a big question mark.
There will be a new layout at the Gilbert Road junction which had not been finalised at the workshop.
There will be a new landscaped area near Ascham Road with different road surfaces to encourage drivers to be careful. Part of the bus lane will be removed to allow for segregated cycling and walking. The large tree at Chesterton Hall crescent will be kept and properly landscaped. There will be seating and public art.
There will be a bus lane outbound from just before Hurst Park avenue to Highworth Roundabout
The plans include a shared stretch for walking and cycling between Highworth Avenue and Ascham Road to ensure schoolchildren at Milton Road primary school do not have to cross the road twice in quick succession.
There was a lot of negative response in the consultation to the design of Highworth Avenue roundabout to accommodate two HGVs side by side, leaving little room for cyclists and pedestrians. The width of the roadway has now been reduced leaving more room for segregated walking and cycling.
The bus stops between Highworth Avenue and Arbury Road have been relocated. The private forecourts of the shops there will be re-dressed and there will be some soft landscaping.
The design for the Arbury Road junction has still not been finalised. The ‘scramble’ that is present now and has worked for many years apparently does not fit in with modern traffic regulations. The engineers are still trying to solve the problem and their final ideas should be available at the Milton Road Local Liaison meeting on 18 February at the Meadows Community Centre.
A segregated Toucan crossing has been added near Downham's Lane.
An outbound bus lane has been added to start before Woodhead Drive leading to the King’s Hedges junction.
An informal uncontrolled crossing with 2.5m-deep central refuge has been added near Woodhead Drive. This will be nearer to Downham’s Lane due to the new bus lane. It looks as if the stretch between the crossing and Woodhead Drive will be used for unofficial 2 way cycling.
There are two options offered for the Kings Hedges junction. The aim is to enable diagonal crossings but as the junction is quite wide the engineers are not sure whether this is possible.