Planned York Outer Ring Road Cycle Infrastructure Includes Fails and a Critical Fail

The cycle infrastructure planned for the dualling of York Outer Ring Road (YORR) includes Fails and a Critical Fail, according to a report accompanying the planning application.

The report is by consultants Pell Frischmann and is titled Existing and Proposed Cycle Facilities. City of York did not include it among the published documents until prompted to do so by York Cycle Campaign.

There Is no Option – We Have to Change the Way We Travel

The report starts off with a review of the policy background and relevant guidance. It quotes Decarbonising Transport – Setting the Challenges, from March 2020, which calls for a sea change in the way we travel and says that electric cars are only part of the answer:

‘There is no option – we have to change the way we travel.’

quote from decarbonising transport – setting the challenge

This feels ironic in the context of a business-as-usual plan to dual a ring road and expand capacity for motor vehicles.

The report also references LTN 1/20, in particular the Summary Principle which creates a presumption that highways schemes must deliver or improve cycle infrastructure to the standards it sets out.

An Orbital Route is not Very Useful for Cycling

York does not yet have a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, with evidence about the routes where there is most propensity to cycle. Nevertheless, the report correctly states that:

‘…it is a fair assumption that the A1237, being an orbital, tends not to serve the shortest of journeys. These are dominated by journeys that are radial in nature, with respect to the city centre.’

existing and proposed cycle facilities

Shorter journeys on radial routes have the most potential to be cycled or walked. Unfortunately, nothing is being done to improve cycle facilities on York’s radial routes.

Current Cycle Provision on YORR

The report assesses current provision for cycling on YORR against modern standards, while noting that the ring road was built in the 1980s.

The A1237 YORR is 60mph with almost continuous traffic and there is only one section of segregated cycle path, between Wigginton Road and Haxby Road. On other sections, people are required to cycle on the road. That means the provision does not meet modern standards. It is a very intimidating environment for cycling.

The correct provision at roundabout junctions is grade-separated crossings – underpasses or bridges. Only the Shipton Road and Haxby Road junctions have underpasses. The underpass at the Shipton Road junction does not cater for all possible directions/movements.

Some roundabouts have shared use provision with uncontrolled crossings, and others (Clifton Moor, Monks Cross and Little Hopgrove) have no cycle-specific provision.

Cycling Level of Service

The current Cycling Level of Service (CLoS) score is 48%, compared with a required minimum of 70%.

Planned Cycle Provision on YORR

The dualling scheme includes some improvements to cycle infrastructure.

With the proposed improvements the CLoS would be 70%, largely as a result of segregated cycle tracks alongside each section of YORR except for the easternmost stretch, Monks Cross to Little Hopgrove. There are also to be new underpasses at Clifton Moor and Strensall Road roundabouts.

Cycling Level of Service Red/Zero and Black/Critical Fail

The roundabout junctions at Wigginton Road, Monks Cross and Little Hopgrove would remain far below an acceptable standard. Uncontrolled at-grade crossings are proposed, and due to the high volume and high speed of traffic, that arrangement scores Red/Zero.

The absence of a cycle track from Monks Cross to Little Hopgrove means cyclists would have to share the road with traffic where the 85th percentile speed is over 37mph. That scores Black/Critical Fail.

Equally, there is probably a Critical Fail due to volume of traffic on the section – if it is more than 10,000 vehicles per day or more than 5% HGVs.

Junction Assessment Tool

The report explains that the Junction Assessment Tool (JAT) measures risk for cyclists at junctions. A JAT assessment should be presented as a graphic, showing movements as red, amber or green.

The colours mean:

• Red – conditions exist for the most common collision types
• Amber – measures are in place to reduce the chances of collisions
• Green – design or measures in place which remove the chances of the collision types completely

A JAT should consider all potential cycle movements through a junction. It is not enough that a cyclist can, for example, go straight on safely; they should be able to choose any available route at the junction.

The scores for the proposed arrangements at the junctions are shown in table form.

The Haxby Road junction is the best because of its underpasses. The Shipton Road junction has a single underpass, which only provides for some movements. The crossings at Wigginton Road and Monks Cross will be at-grade and therefore score poorly.

Recommendations

The report recommends better cycle provision at the Wigginton Road and Shipton Road junctions.

With a speed limit of 60mph, grade-separated crossings (underpass or bridge) are the only option. Alternatives are:

• traffic light-controlled crossings and the speed limit reduced to 50mph or less, or
• parallel crossings and the speed limit reduced to 30mph

City of York’s Words about Active Travel vs Action

City of York’s YORR page says:

‘As an important part of the scheme, we’re looking to upgrade pedestrian and cycle facilities, creating an orbital cycle and pedestrian route to help encourage the uptake of active travel.’

active travel-wash on city of york’s yorr page

This ring road dualling scheme is fundamentally all about cars and new development. If the priority was active travel, the outer ring road would not be the focus of the York’s resources; more useful cycling and walking routes would be improved.

The scheme does involve some extra bits of cycle track and new underpasses at Clifton Moor, Haxby Road and Strensall Road, but as set out above:

• the cycle track does not extend to the whole of the dualling scheme, which is a Critical Fail
• some of the junctions have crossing arrangements that are a Fail

In other words, York is intending to do half a job on cycle infrastructure.

Cycle Infrastructure Design LTN 1/20

In the Foreword to Cycle Infrastructure Design, the Minister talks about cycle infrastructure that entices novice cyclists with the promise of protection then abandons them at the most important places. That’s what is planned at some of these junctions.

One of the Core Design Principles is that routes should be Coherent.

‘Abrupt reductions in the quality of provision for cyclists – such as a busy high-speed roundabout without facilities – will mean that an otherwise serviceable route becomes unusable by most potential users.’

para 4.2.4 ltn 1/20 cycle infrastructure design