Consultation on King's Lynn Transport Interchange

The consultation is now open at http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=22657 until late July and I hope to publish suggestions from BUG planners on Friday 27 June. Once they're out, it would be great if lots of cyclists responded.

At first glance, it's great that Waterloo Street is being improved and I hope we can keep at least the same number of ride-up bike parking spaces as now, but I don't like the Lord Kelvin pub loading bay next to the cycleway also being used as a car drop-off bay (passenger doors opening into the cycleway!) and I don't think golden gravel is a safe and sustainable choice of materials (should be machine-laid 55/10 Hot Rolled Asphalt or at least AC6 Asphalt Concrete). It may be next to a conservation area, but there's going to be a huge bus station next to it and they're not making the buses drive on golden gravel.

Anyway, more detail will follow on this thread.

Copy of response from KLWNBUG to http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/haveyousay on the Transport Interchange project

* In general, KLWNBUG - a CycleNation local group - welcome this project as potentially the first significant improvements for cycling that we've seen delivered from the Tesco and Sainsbury section 106 money.

General Points:

* We strongly welcome the changes to Waterloo Street, the crossing improvements and retention of the cycleway past the Railway Station;

* We are unhappy that the survey of bus users and train pedestrians is called "A survey ... with users of the bus station". Bike users are bus station users because it has the most cycle parking of any town centre location, but we were not included in that survey. We ask that such "selectioneering" is not used in future surveys and that bike users are included.

* We are shocked that no modal shift is anticipated and any Air Quality Management Area improvement is achieved solely by moving the pollution away from monitoring points in a way that seems rather contrary to the spirit of monitoring.

Street Layout:

* Due to the strength of support for Waterloo Street, we call on the councils to go the whole way and continue the style of Waterloo Street across Railway Road into Old Market Street and all the way to the museum and Vancouver Centre entrances, closing it to motor traffic except for loading/access, to provide the most attractive possible entrance to our town from the rail station and the Walks for train passengers, walkers and riders. We suspect this probably implies the redundant righthand lane of Railway Road ultimately becoming a southbound bike/bus lane for access to Portland Street and continuing as for the current southbound bus exit routing;

* Failing that, make Old Market Street one-way in to the bus station, narrowing the carriageway to the minimum needed for bus access with about 3m inbound, a 3m kerb-protected cycle lane, and have the north exit as the only exit from the bus station, maybe with the contraflow bus lane to access Portland Street. We do not in general support forcing walkers and cyclists to share a narrow footway alongside a wide and fairly quiet road;

* We welcome Albion Street remaining accessible southbound; and we request cycles to be excepted from either the Albion Street one-way or the bus station restriction in order to preserve northbound cycle travel to and through this area;

* Market Street currently has a contraflow cycle lane as part of the multiplexed NCN1/11/EV12/North Sea Coast route which seems to be removed on the proposed plan. It is vital that some contraflow cycle access is maintained, else we will see an increase of riding on the narrower alley to the north of the museum and increased cycling/walking conflicts near the shops.

* We do not agree with eastbound riders being encouraged to cross the mouth of Market Street and ride "salmon-style" against flow on the right-hand-side of Old Market Street in conflict with pedestrians. If the bus entrance remains as shown in the consultation, we suggest allowing cycles to cross the bus station entrance at the zebra (in line with the forthcoming TSRGD changes) and ride in an advisory lane towards Waterloo Street, along with retention of the cycle movement straight across Railway Road, preferably with a give-way or an advisory red cycle instead of the current mandatory stop light;

* We object to the hazardous new drop-off/collection car bay outside the Lord Kelvin which will encourage people to fling open their doors into a cycle track or lane. We suggest that this bay be made loading-only and any car bays should be sited well away from the cycleway, possibly remaining in the current location at the Albion Street entrance, or possibly removed entirely because there is a very large car park right next to the bus station where a few bays could be allocated to drop-off/collection;

* We would like improved access between Market Street and Paradise Lane (and onwards to/from Norfolk Street), which is a useful but underused route;

* We would like the hazardous equipment and other hardware removed from the junction with the cycle track opposite the eastern end of Waterloo Street to allow safe and flexible turns;

Design Consdierations:

* We doubt the long-term suitability and safety of Golden Gravel and any paved carriageway treatments, which have not lasted well in other local sites where cars drive on them, including unlawfully mounting the pavement to park. We would prefer machine-laid 55/10 Hot Rolled Asphalt for cycling surfaces, or AC10 asphalt concrete as a minimum standard, perhaps in suitable heritage colours, ideally protected from intimidating large vehicles by a low traversable kerb and heritage-style flexiposts.

* We insist that there should be at least as much cycle parking and covered cycle parking in the new layout as the existing layout, that it should be possible to ride up to it easily and that it is not sited to obstruct walking desire lines. It should be possible to park and secure cargo-carrying cycles, cycles with trailers and other non-diamond-frame bikes in at least some of them. Please refer to Making Space for Cycling pages 26-29 for general advice;

* We are concerned that drawings show cycle parking sited too close to walls to allow most bicycles to be parked in a stable and secure manner;

* We oppose the replacement of the Museum and Supermarket cycle parks by spaces further away from the shops. That is contrary to the Parking Standards for Norfolk and it's unnecessary because neither cycle park area appears to be used for anything else in the new plan. Some preview graphics of the new canopy show the supermarket bike racks still there, apparently without problem;

* We do not agree to siting trees in the middle of shared-use paths (such as near the zebra crossing). This is an unnecessary obstruction and likely to shed slippery leaves on the shared surface to the detriment of riders and other wheeled users;

* If the above concerns and objections are addressed and no implementation errors occur, we would welcome this project wholeheartedly.

There is a "KLTI Consultation Report" published on the above-linked consultation page in three parts which looks promising, but no new design details yet. I'm encouraged that at least three of the responses seem to be basically agreeing about our ideas for reducing bus/cycle conflict by moving more buses to the Albion Street entrance and moving the Railway Road toucan to the north of Waterloo Street.

Urgh, 10 November should have been pre-TRO comments deadline.

I think the only things I would comment on now are the "No Entry" either needs relocating or changing to a "Turn Left" to avoid blocking Market Street, the bus shelter at the rail station should be put near the kerb with the cycleway behind it (a so-called "floating bus stop") and we need to know where the flush (low) kerbs are for getting on and off the cycleways.

The councils actually incorporated more of our points above than their response made me think they would - the bay next to the cycleway is only for loading (not great but better than 20-minute parking), "except cycles" on Albion Street and Market Street, improved access between Market Street and Paradise Lane, tarmac surfaces, more covered parking (although it is inside the car park) and no deciduous trees in the path - although we didn't get our headline request to make one end of the bus station walk/cycle/access only.

Sent the following in response to the consultation:

1. we strongly support the proposed change to Waterloo Street;

2. we support the addition of double yellow lines on the western side of Albion Street;

3. we strongly support cycle contra-flow on Albion Street, Market Street and Old Market Street and elsewhere;

4. we strongly support cycle parking but insist that on-bike access be permitted to all of them, so as not to discriminate against people who can ride but not balance/push a loaded cycle;

5. we support the proposed cycleway crossing between Albion Street and the Old Cattle Market parking;

6. we are concerned that the relocated bus shelter at the rail station remains on the opposite side of the cycleway to the bus stops and urge you to use a "floating bus stop" layout as used in London and Cambridge, where the shelter is next to the stops and the cycleway passes between it and the rail station with an informal crossing marked;

7. we remain concerned that the loading bay on Old Market Street is a road safety danger as currently designed: getting hit by vehicle doors is the second most common type of urban cyclist KSI collision (TfL analysis 2011-2013). I suggest at least a worded warning sign next to the bay reminding delivery drivers to check before opening their doors;

8. we feel that the Toucan crossing zones at Railway Road and Blackfriars Road should be extended to cover the end of Waterloo Street and provide positive direction to those starting on the desire line between the shared space and the destinations - if the markings are as small, rectangular and off-desire-line as shown on PB3065-MP-049, walkers and riders will probably simply proceed in straight lines towards the bus station and St John's Walk and use the "wrong" sides, of Old Market Street in particular;

7. the TROs, flush kerbs and sign positions need to permit cyclists to make the following movements:

a. Market Street to/from bus station shared use;
b. Market Street to/from Old Market Street;
c. Albion Street to/from bus station shared use;
d. bus station shared use to/from Waterloo Street
e. Old Market Street to/from Waterloo Street;
f. left turn out of Waterloo Street onto rail station shared use;
g. Portland Street to/from rail station shared use.

8. I urge you to move the give-way markings of the two rail station car park access roads back east of the cycleway crossings if at all possible within this project, to address the number of cycle-motor collisions that have happened in this area, including the 2012 serious collision.

Thank you for your attention to these points and we would be very interested to see the TROs, kerbing and signage plans at your earliest convenience.

Details of these traffic orders are out for consultation at https://norfolk.citizenspace.com/environment-transport-and-development/kings-lynn-45782/consult_view until 13 January. The bits affecting cycling are:

Entire southern edge of current bus station entrance (Old Market St) becomes mixed-use of at least 4m with a Toucan on the Railway Road end (as shown on previous plans);

Northern edge of same road becomes mixed-use of 2.6m between Albion Street and Railway Road (not sure why);

Northern end of Albion Street becomes mixed-use of 4.5m into Vancouver Car Park;

A Toucan outside the railway station (is that actually a Toucan?) is moved south towards Waterloo Street a bit;

New cycle contraflows: Albion Street north 80m from Old Market Street; Market Street 27m west from Old Market Street; Waterloo Street entire length.

The obvious questions are why Albion Street and Market Street don't say "entire length" too and why South Quay and SMP aren't included in this contraflow order. Anything else?