Warrington Borough Council has opened a consultation on plans to upgrade the junction at Bewsey Road and Lovely Lane, including the introduction of a Cycle Optimised Protected Signals (CYCLOPS) junction.
Specifically, this type of junction is designed to separate people walking, cycling and wheeling from vehicles, to try and reduce the risk of collisions.
The council has said it has secured government funding to improve this junction, which it says is in need of active travel improvements.
What’s more, the council claims the surface of the road is in poor condition, making cycling through the area more challenging and sometimes dangerous.
The upgrade plans include the full resurfacing of the junction, repositioning of islands and street lighting columns and the renovation of traffic signals.
The local authority has pointed to several benefits of implementing a CYCLOPS junctions, including: improved crossing times for people walking, separation of cyclists, signal phasing for those walking and wheeling and better overall junction performance.
The CYCLOPS system was first developed by Transport for Greater Manchester and is now more commonplace across the UK.
Hans Mundry, councillor and Warrington Borough Council’s cabinet member for highways, transportation and public realm, said: “The junction at Bewsey Road and Lovely Lane has been in need of an upgrade for some time.
“The existing road surface is in poor condition and there is a need to replace the traffic signals.
“At the same time there is a clear need for us to make active travel improvements at this location.
“We can achieve all of these much-needed improvements through these proposals, providing a high quality, user-friendly junction for everyone.
“By installing Warrington’s first CYCLOPS scheme, we can make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle.
“These proposals support our ongoing work, through our Local Transport Plan, to improve safety on our highway network and encourage people to travel in more sustainable ways.”
The Lovely Lane/Bewsey Road junction is an existing traffic signalled controlled junction and lies at the intersection of two key routes.
The council has launched a consultation, which will run until Monday 19 December, to offer the public the chance to provide feedback on the proposed scheme.
