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A new cycleway through Taplow?
Bucks County Council are proposing a number of changes under the banner "A4 Sustainable Travel Scheme". This includes new bus-shelters and a new combined cycle/footway along the north side of the A4. You can see the detailed proposals here: A4 Sustainable Travel Scheme This also links to the consultation exercise: if you want your voice to be heard you must submit comments by 24th October 2016. Very detailed background information can be found in the Local Sustainable Transport Fund Revenue Application 2015/2016 I have looked at the detailed proposals and plans for this scheme, and I think it needs major changes. I strongly support the idea of better bus, cycle, and walking access, but I think there are better ways to do it. The current proposals look very much like an urban car-driver's idea of what walkers and cyclists need. For a start, there is no point in connecting railway stations by improved cycle-paths. Railway stations are very well connected to each other by the railway. Cycle paths and foot paths should connect residential areas, transport hubs, and destinations (shops, employment locations etc). They should also provide for leisure and exercise. None of these things are improved by following major roads. Taking the Mill Lane residential development as an example: connections are obviously needed to Taplow station and to central Maidenhead. There will be a bridge to Glen Island, so cyclists could use that and proceed along Ray Mill Road to the west, or they could cross Maidenhead Bridge and follow the A4 as they do now. Those going to Maidenhead Station would use Maidenhead Bridge and cycleways 61 and 4. Linking Mill Lane to Taplow Station would be best done by buying a strip of farmland north of Approach Road to provide a new car-free route linking to the existing Taplow Quarry access road then crossing Berry Hill and linking to the existing cyclepath alongside the Jubilee River. None of the road crossings would require signals as they are far enough from junctions to give good visibility. Similarly, if another east-west cycleway is needed between Maidenhead and Slough, surely it would be better to make use of the existing bridge across the M4 spur and form a new car-free route across farmland south of the A4. A route close to the A4 could make use of Amerden Lane to avoid the pinch-point and dangerous junction where the railway crosses the A4. A more southerly route would only need new path alongside the M4 as it could then join the Jubilee River cycleway. See attached maps. Both of these proposals would be far more cost-effective than modifying the A4 and all the junctions along it.
Banning right turns into Berry Hill seems like a bad solution to a problem
created by a bad plan. It is very likely to lead to major problems
elsewhere, with heavy goods vehicles attempting to use unsuitable
north-south routes involving Boundary Road.
One junction that DOES need improvement for vehicles is the Huntercombe
Lane - A4 crossroads. This is causing a great deal of congestion even at
non-peak times. I would suggest making Huntercombe Lane South one way
(N-to-S only) at its northern end. This would allow one complete phase to
be removed from the traffic lights and would ease the flow of traffic
towards the motorway junction.
-- AndrewFindlay - 19 Oct 2016