Council plans improvements to cycle lanes along Long Lane and Greenfield Lane in Upton

Highway engineers with Cheshire West and Chester Council are to introduce a series of changes to the cycle lanes along the A41 at the Long Lane and Mannings Lane junction in Upton, to improve traffic flow and speed up journey times.

The Council introduced the cycle lane as part of a road resurfacing project. The aim of the plan was to allow cyclists to use the road safely. 

The scheme encourages commuters to leave the car at home for short journeys into the city.  This helps to reduce congestion and contributes to the borough’s climate change commitments for reducing carbon emissions from vehicles. 

Council engineers have been reviewing the cycle lane scheme since its introduction and listening to the comments of residents and road users. 

As a result, improvements have been proposed at the junction of Mannings Lane. The original plan saw the introduction of a left-turn only lane at the junction, which reduced capacity to a single lane for cars passing through. 

Council workers will now change the road markings to allow two cars to pass through the junction at the same time. This will increase the capacity of the junction and speed up the flow of traffic, reducing congestion.

The two lanes will be extended beyond the junction in the direction of Chester, before returning to a mandatory cycle lane. The cycle lane will continue up to the Greenway overbridge at which point cyclists are encouraged to use the wide shared footpath.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Cllr Karen Shore, said: “The cycle lanes were introduced to encourage commuters to ditch the car for short journeys and use their bikes instead. Schemes such as this reduce the number of cars on the road and keep the air cleaner for residents."

“We promised to work with residents and road users and listen to their feedback about such schemes. As part of this process, we have identified where we can make further improvements at this junction which should benefit motorists and cyclists alike.”

"If we are to meet the challenges posed by climate change, we all need to think about how we can improve our environment. Choosing greener ways of travelling is a great way to start. We would encourage everyone to start thinking about using alternative methods of transport for short journeys. Not only is walking and cycling good for the environment but it's great for your physical and mental health and wellbeing. If you are travelling into work and need the car, why not think about car sharing with colleagues to help cut down the amount of cars on the road. These may be small changes to the daily routine but they can make a big difference to our climate change agenda."
 

Work on the junction improvements is due to begin later this month or in early August. For more information about sustainable transport in Cheshire West and Chester, visit: 

https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/transport-and-roads/highways/major-road-schemes/active-travel/active-travel.aspx