Key junction at College Green and Anchor Road to be revamped. Widening pavements and adding planters are hoped to improve pedestrian safety.
Some pavement will get wider, affecting the corner near the Marriott Hotel. Other areas will get new planters, guiding people to a narrow crossing.
The crossing near Denmark Street gets crowded, and people often walk into the road. The crossing’s small size is problematic, unable to handle the number of people. The council will add plants, hoping it stops road walking; however, a councillor thinks this may cause conflict, as mentioned during a February meeting.
Councillor Coombes spoke, highlighting that the crossing remains in the same place, with plants situated east of it. The constricted crossing remains in conflict with the bike path. He stated that he uses the crossing during peak times when cyclists get annoyed due to pedestrian issues.
People move all over the place and adding plants makes it worse, according to Coombes. He also suggested moving the car stop line, potentially giving pedestrians more space and possibly reducing junction capacity. This might cause road safety issues, though a different color for the bike lane could help.
Adam Crowther responded, saying they looked closely and considered many design options. He stated that no perfect solution exists because space is limited at the junction, where many things happen. The plants are intended to discourage early crossing, encouraging people to use the pedestrian crossing.
Some still cross the cycle stop line, but the bulge should stop dangerous crossing before the line. Drivers often misuse the yellow box, blocking traffic and the bike lane. The council is wary of enforcing these rules, hoping more drivers might follow them.
Crowther said enforcement is hard because enforcing one box means enforcing them all. Some older yellow boxes are not well designed, causing drivers to misjudge the exit space. Enforcement risks a negative impact, potentially causing drivers to avoid yellow boxes.
Roundabouts make it hard to judge gaps, and some yellow boxes are a real headache. The traffic lights need an upgrade, and the junction changes will link to Park Street plans. A bus gate and a no-left-turn could happen, impacting Anchor Road and College Green, and potentially speed up journey times for buses.