St Helens Council issues statement over CYCLOPS junction and …
In November last year, work started in Lea Green, at the Bull and Dog roundabout to install the first Cycle Optimised Protected Signals (CYCLOPS) junction.
The junction's aim is to prioritise "the safety of pedestrians and cyclists by segregating them from motorists, reducing risk of collision and improving journey times for all road users".
However, construction work has caused widespread delays and has led to frustration among motorists and businesses, including the Bull & Dog pub, whose bosses (pictured below) shared their anger with the Star over the past week[1].
Bull and Dog landlords Mike Fishwick and Sara Cunningham (Image: St Helens Star)
There has been a public backlash on social media in response to the disruption. The frustrations of people have been highlighted in several articles by the Star.
This week the council, which has a targeted completion date of early September for the works, admitted that work to safely construct the scheme "has caused some unavoidable impacts".
It also acknowledged that delivery of the CYCLOPS project has required "extensive temporary traffic management arrangements", including road closures.
The local authority said it wanted "to thank the local community for their patience and understanding during the construction period, apologising for any disruption and inconvenience".
The council says, that "weather permitting", the junction will be fully open to traffic on Monday, September 4, with work on Lea Green Railway Station expected to finish this autumn.
What is the CYCLOPS project?
Replacing the roundabout by the Bull & Dog pub on Marshalls Cross Road, the CYCLOPS forms part of the £15m St Helens Southern Gateway scheme, a partnership between St Helens Borough Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and Northern Rail to help make sustainable travel an easier choice for commuters who use Lea Green Railway Station, one of the borough's busiest stations.
The CYCLOPS is close to several primary and secondary schools and sits next to Lea Green Railway Station, which is undergoing a major refurbishment, as well as a number of cycle routes to encourage residents and visitors to consider more active forms of transport for shorter journeys to help achieve net zero carbon targets by 2040.
St Helens Council now says it expects the works to be complete by early September (Image: Submitted)
As part of public engagement relating to the scheme, the council has held information drop-in events with residents, with the road safety team going into nearby schools to teach children and young people how to operate the new facility.
Project contractor, St Helens-based Huyton Asphalt, has delivered on a number of social value initiatives, including job opportunities and donating to worthy causes such as St Helens Borough Council’s Christmas toy appeal.
How does it work?
The outer ‘ring’ of the junction is a cycle path, acting like a roundabout with signal-controlled crossings. This will allow those who cycle to cross over the junction or make right turns unrestricted by cars or foot traffic, creating a safe route to travel.
The inner ‘ring’ of the junction is dedicated to pedestrians, with those walking and cycling getting the same green light signal in all directions at the same time, but on a separate ring of paths in the middle of the junction.
There will be well-defined zebra crossings on each side of the junction to provide a safe place to cross the cycle lane for pedestrians.
All motorised traffic stops at the lights whilst cyclists and pedestrians have their green light signal.
Once pedestrians and cyclists have passed, motorised traffic will get the green light signal to continue driving and use the junction like normal.
What senior councillors have said
In a statement, Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, St Helens Borough Council’s cabinet member for strategic transport, said: “It's great to see works nearing completion on the Liverpool City Region’s first CYCLOPS junction here in our borough – a fine piece of engineering that is a symbol of our commitment to active travel and road safety.
"We understand the frustrations of road closures during the duration of works but the long-term benefits certainly outweigh the short-term inconveniences.
“For many, the thought of crossing a road at a busy junction in front of vehicles that have the potential to reach high speeds in a matter of seconds can be a daunting experience.
"But with the CYCLOPS, it completely segregates pedestrians and cyclists from motorists, with those on foot even able to get to where they need to be in just a few steps, meaning motorists don’t need to sit in traffic for as long, so a win all around.
"The project is key to the redevelopment of Lea Green station to encourage people to travel to the station either by foot or to cycle.
"It also links to the wider network of cycle routes in that area, which go into St Helens town centre, or eventually out to Whiston.
"As a highway authority, we are responsible for 484 miles of road and a further 553 miles of footways which I am determined to keep in the best possible condition whether you drive, cycle or walk - not just for today, but for the future.
"Our vision is to be a leading highway authority, creating a well-connected, accessible transport network that supports economic growth and the innovative St Helens Southern Gateway scheme is a key example of that commitment, helping us with our decarbonisation commitments and supports our recently adopted road safety strategy to ensure our highway network is safe and accessible for all.”
Businesses 'severely affected'
Bull and Dog landlords Mike Fishwick and Sara Cunningham say their business has been "severely affected".
Speaking to the Star last week, the pair said: “From start to end the entire thing has been an absolute nightmare.
“We took over this pub in November 2019, in March 2020 we had the first lockdown, so after a difficult few years we have been doing well establishing ourselves until this work started, which was supposed to be over by April.
“When the council first came to see me and Sara they said it wouldn’t affect the business, that partial road closures would be in place and change when one bit was done and move on to another bit but that’s never happened.
“From the start the whole thing had problems, right now the only way people can access the pub is via Chester Lane, meaning if they were coming from town they would have to drive down the linkway and Eurolink to Walkers Lane and down Chester Lane to get to us.
“Our accountant says business is down on average 60 per cent because people either don’t know if we are open or don’t want the hassle of visiting with the roadworks.
“Our delivery drivers have said numerous times they aren’t delivering because at times workers fully close off the entire entrance to the pub car park and our bins haven’t been emptied in over two weeks because the bin men can’t get to us.
“To say we are disgusted with how we have been treated is an understatement.
“Workers even said that the initial layout wasn’t right because arctic wagons couldn’t manoeuvre around the new designed roundabout so they’ve had to redesign it and there was nothing wrong with the original roundabout we had anyway!”