BARNSTAPLE TOWN CENTRE - FIVE YEARS PLAN
Upgrade and widening of current footpath Pelican crossing Alexandra Roundabout - Derby Road
This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.
Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.
You can create a new issue using the button on the right.
Listed issues, most recent first:
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade and widening of current footpath Pelican crossing Alexandra Roundabout - Derby Road
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade pelican crossing to toucan crossing, with ONE press on button to cross whole road!
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade and widening of current footpath Vicarage Street - Pelican crossing Alexandra Roundabout
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Create acceptable crossing point for cyclists from Vicarage Street onto path on south side Alexandra Roundabout
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Removal of LETHAL narrow cycle lanes on St Georges Road when road is due resurfacing! Do NOT paint centre road lines back in either! Consider 20 mph zone for whole area long-term.
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade and widening of current footpath west side of St Georges Road between Raleigh Meadow and St Mary's Road
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
New shared path through public field connecting Yeo Vale Road with Raleigh Meadow
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade and widening of footpath at end Yeo Vale Road into shared path solution, acceptable for residents
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 1 thread
20 mph speed limit for Yeo Vale Road area
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Surfacing current dead end path (private?)
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Relocation of private gate
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Cycle path across far end of private car park
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Create gap in private car park wall to cater for new cycle path through far end of private car park
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
New path alongside Alexandra Road (Northwest side)
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Upgrade pelican crossing Alexandra Road (at corner Boutport Street) to toucan crossing
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
New Cycle Routes linking current dead end Rolle Quay path infrastructure with ramps in/out of Pilton Park to Pilton High Street AND Yeo Vale Road. Note the Rolle Quay path infrastructure from the south across River Yeo has already been built, leading onto the tarmac path "rounding" Pilton Park on the north side (near playground). What is missing are the ramps to Pilton High Street and Yeo Vale Road.
20 mph speed limit for Town Centre area. This is essential to make particularly Vicarage Street, Boutport Street, Bear Street, Queen Street and Tuly Street more inviting to cycle on. Taxis, cars and buses reveling up to 30 mph just for 100 metres or so are highly harassing for cyclists and there is just no time gain to it.
The North Devon Cycling Forum recommends a 20 mph zone for the whole area enclosed by the River Taw, The Square (A3125), Alexandra Road and North Walk. On North Walk, the 20mph zone could start/end at the Civic Centre Car Park entrance, but ideally at Rolle Quay roundabout.
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Change of Road lay out on Long Bridge; NO new centre road line when road is due resurfacing and long term research into "shared space" alternative road surface
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 1 thread
Surface of Tarka Trail Braunton-Barnstaple needs replacing long-term; wobbly sections developing
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Cycle path B3233 up to 50% overgrown by bushes between Fremington Pill and Penhill junctions
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Closure of lay-by Mill Hill B3233 to improve safety on cycle route Barnstaple-Fremington. Current situation for cycling FROM Barnstaple TO Fremington is lethal; this is NOT a safe route! Alternatively, to keep the car park function of the lay-by, a new entrance to the lay-by is possible by creating a STRAIGHT T-junction onto the main road at the eastern end of the lay-by.
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Hazardous side road Mead Park on B3233, priority change required; turning drivers should give way to cyclists!
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Hazardous side road crossing country lane Penhill on B3233, priority change required; turning drivers should give way to cyclists!
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Hazardous side road crossing Fremington Pill on B3233, priority change required; turning drivers should give way to cyclists!
Created by North Devon Cycling Forum // 0 threads
Roundswell cycle way overgrown by bushes, up to 60% in places; poor poor poor maintenance! This is supposed to be the "Cross Town Link", getting people out of cars on North Devon Link Road (!!!)
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The most popular issues, based on the number of votes:
There is a campaign to get Google (who are currently building their new HQ in the King's Cross development) to provide this much-need bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. See http://googlebridge.kccp.org.uk/ .
Created by Andrew Woodward // 1 thread
The bridge between Dean Rd and Longford Close is currently a pedestrian only bridge, marked no cycling. Coupled with other improvements, provision of a decent facility here that could be used by cyclists with minimal conflict with pedestrians would open up a decent quiet route from the schools in Hampton (Hampton Academy, Hampton Boys, LEH) to the A316 cycle route.
Hamish F // 0 threads
There are no contraflow signs when entering Devonshire Rd from Adermans Hill. Cyclists have reported hostility towards them as they ride "against the flow". The markings are correct as the cyclist enters Devonshire Rd from A105 but of course the drivers do not see that.
Created by PurpleSue // 2 threads
I watch in wonder and amazement as the new cycle lane alongside the A41 from Mostyn lights to the zoo is completed - with lamposts in th emiddle of the path - not to mention a three legged road sign which I am sure will make passage impossible.
I will investigate more and take photos....
Created by SamGW // 1 thread
The Road between Great Wilbraham and Fulbourn is very well used by Cyclists, runners and walkers throughout the year. It is a single track road with a 60 MPH speed limit. A bicycle path here would encourage more people to cycle to Fulbourn and Cambridge. The path would significantly improve safety for cars, pedestrians and cyclists.
Created by Paul James // 1 thread
The cycleways along the Thames Path and along Ducks Walk are not connected with the south/east side cycleway across Twickenham Bridge and only to the north/west side cycleway via a long detour through Old Deer Park or along The Avenue.
A ramped way down from the bridge would create a useful route for people into and out of Richmond town center that is currently only possible by using two flights of steps.
Meeting with Leeds City Council to discuss possible remedial works due to high casualty rates.
Created by Mark A // 1 thread
A dropped kerb at this point would improve the route that people can take to cycle between Bear Flat and the city centre - making it easier to use Calton Gardens to avoid the section of footpath on the alternative via Holloway and St Marks Church.
Created by chdot // 1 thread
Longstanding issue about 'optimum' design, particularly to reduce conflict caused by vehicles turning from Teviot Pl due to signal phases.
Created by Paul James // 0 threads
All the sideroads between Richmond Circus and Manor Circus are a danger to cyclists on the cycleway.
There is no warning to motorists that there will be crossing cyclists and the building angles make it hard to see if anything is coming.
Turning traffic from the A316 can have an obscured view of the cycleway due to foliage.
Decrease corner radii.
Make road hump more pronounced.
Make cycle surface colour continuous across roadway.
Add markings across roadway.
Add warning signage.
Move give way lines back to before cycleway or add additional give way lines.
Where the quite good segregated cycle lane joins The Ride, DfT advice was certainly NOT followed. As per DfT advice, when cycle lanes are merged with the carriageway, it should be done via a length of dropped kerb that is flush with the carriageway and the cycle lane shouldn't be joined at a 90 degree angle to the road.
Here, the cycle lane runs parallel to the road for a short distance before it loops around a large boulder specifically placed to force cyclists around and then finally joins the road at a 90 degree angle.
The kerb, though dropped, is far from flush and creates a risk for cyclists joining the track from the road.
This junction between the road and the track should be scrapped and redone according to DfT guidelines.
Created by timlennon // 1 thread
Initial quietway consultation from Richmond. This is a thread to build RCC's response
Over the past couple of years of regularly cycling between Waterbeach and Cambridge on NCN11 I have noticed that the path between Waterbeach and Baits Bite Lock is in really bad repair and is getting gradually worse. I have been in touch with the council to ask them to repair it, and they told me that as far as they are concerned the path is only a footpath, and they have no obligation to maintain it to a standard suitable for bikes. Sustrans tells me they have no responsibility for maintaining that section of the route, and that the council should be responsible for it.
It seems absurd to allow the path to fall into total disrepair, but at the moment it doesn't seem like anyone recognises any obligation for its upkeep.
I am happy to go out occasionally with some secateurs and chop off the more annoying bits of greenery, but the path needs resurfacing and that feels a bit beyond me!
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of problem? Have they come across it on other sections of the NCN?
Created by Ned Harrison // 1 thread
Holywells Park has a section of cycle route 51 running through it, linking South East Ipswich to the centre with a pleasant and safe route down to the waterfront.
During Winter, the park is closed at dusk, sometimes as early as 4, meaning that just when the roads are most dangerous (dark and wet) cyclists are forced onto steep and busy routes either along Cliff Lane or up Bishops Hill.
The closures are largely at the request of the Park Friends group. I've spoken to them, and their concerns seem to be largely about what might go on after dark. It's not clear that there is any evidence for this, nor that the current situation of locking the main gates but leaving others would do anything to deter misbehaviour.
Keeping it open as a cycle route would ensure a legitimate presence in the park, and help provide less confident cyclists in the area with a safe route to and from town.
I'd propose either locking later, or for a trial period leaving the park unlocked.
Despite the number of bridges that link Newcastle and Gateshead, there is not a single route across the Tyne that throws bike users in to conflict with either high volumes of motor vehicles at high speeds or that uses shared paths that create potential conflict with pedestrians.
Due to the amount of people who already cycle between Newcastle and Gateshead and the potential for this to grow, there should be at least one high level crossing that gives bike users there own space when crossing the Tyne.
Created by Paul James // 0 threads
West side the cycleway terminates at the Manor Rd zebra crossing.
East side it vanishes 20 meters from the junction at the Lower Richmond Rd zebra crossing.
Path between is not shared use and is very narrow due to excessive road width on roundabout due to dedicated turning lane and large roundabout center.
The service entrance to the motorway services now has priority over the shared use path which runs parallel to the main road.
I have contacted both Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council about this change in priorities, but neither has responded beyond a cursory "we have received your email".
This is yet another example of through traffic being de-prioritised simply because it is on a cycle (or shared) path, rather than on a road.
Created by Dylan // 1 thread
There is a fairly good cycle lanes from Kingston towards Richmond up until you reach the Richmond Council border where Richmond Road (A307) turns into the Upper Ham Road (A307) and eventually Petersham Road (A307). At traffic lights along this route there are reserved areas for cyclists but along the roads there is nothing to remind drivers that cyclists share the road especially when the road narrows after Sandy Lane through Petersham. The road surface here is terrible and the speed bumps are pointless because some driver sprint between the bumps.
The best solution would be to remove the cyclists from this route altogether by upgrading the Thames Path to create a proper cycle path along the River Thames towards Richmond that currently stops at Teddington Lock. If a cycle/foot bridge linking Ham with Twickenham was built over Eel Pie along this route it would create an obvious link for those want to reach Twickenham.
Created by Shaun McDonald // 0 threads
The traffic lights at Eagle Street were timed such that travelling eastbound you would always get caught at the second set unless you were extremely fast setting off. After discussions with the council and it brought up at the Sustainability Forum by Cllr Smart, it was fixed to increase the length of time that those lights were green, and was great as you always knew you could get through the second set of lights without having to wait unless you just went through the earlier ones just before they went red.
However over the past few days the signal timing has changed back to the older timing where the probability of getting through the second set is virtually nil. In an ideal world they would be phased such that the first set would go green, then the second set would go green several seconds later at the point where you would be arriving at them, rather than having them change to green almost at the same time.
Created by Matthew // 2 threads
On 1 January 2026, historic routes in England that aren’t properly recorded will be lost to the public forever. We are looking for people to volunteer their time to help us identify and register these routes before it is too late.
Created by Roy Russell // 0 threads
This is a good location for "No Entry except Cycles".
The existing Traffic Order allows cycling past the No Entry sign.
The existing "cycle bypass" over the footway, which was rarely used, has been obstructed and largely destroyed by the adjacent building site.
The simplest solution is to add a supplementary plate "Except Cycles" under the No Entry sign.
Created by Shaun McDonald // 1 thread
Many cyclists won't cycle to Harwich International from the Ipswich direction due to the roads. There really should be a high quality cycle route for this to continue the cycle journey from The Netherlands, where you can ride of the ferry and on to quality cycle infrastructure. The fact people choose the train is not a good sign.
This issue is the overall goal, and needs to be broken down into smaller sub issues of smaller more specific projects or improvements that can work towards this goal.
Created by TonyBeaumont // 1 thread
Out side the royal orthopaedic hospital up top 30 cars are parked in the cycle lane every day. Cyclists are forced out into the traffic lane of the A38 over a distance of about 1/4 mile.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 1 thread
The chicane at the west end of the Magdalene Glen path interrupts the flow when going uphills, particularly unpleasant for people with weak knees. It also forces cyclists uphills often to stop and start when there are other people going through, as it's not wide enough to pass.
It doesn't serve any useful purpose at it is on the top of the slope where cyclists are very slow anyway. As it's uphills, there is little danger that e.g. kids run out onto the wide pavement of Duddingston Pk South. Cyclists from the West are slow at this point anyway as they turn into the path.
Created by WilliamNB // 0 threads
When cycling north-bound along Tavistock Road, there is a cycle lane in places. Once out from under the Crownhill Road bridge the lane turns sharply left, forcing cyclists to yield to traffic joining Tavistock Road from the left.
The Highway Code states you should yield to traffic from the right and this junction is very dangerous to cyclists. It would be far better to simply continue the cycle lane straight ahead and erect yield signs to traffic joining Tavistock Road