Reduce Traffic on Coldhams Lane with a Modal Filter

Please sign below to lend support to this collective call for:

• using part of the £2 billion allocated specifically for safer cycling and pedestrian travel on Coldhams Lane
  
• a modal filter between Sainsbury's Roundabout and the rail bridge, to make Coldhams Lane cycle and bus only in this stretch (but allowing for deliveries and residents)
  
  

If implemented, the filter will make the street safer, quieter, greener, and more accessible by bike and bus.


Please see below, the text of the letter addressed to Ian Bates, County Councilor and Chair of the Transport and Highways Committee, which will accompany this petition:

Dear Councillor Ian Bates,

Following consultation with Camcycle and local organisers, we, residents of Coldhams Lane, Romsey, strongly request that a modal filtering system be implemented on Coldhams Lane between the Sainsbury’s roundabout and the rail bridge.

On 9 May, the Government announced as part of a £2 billion package of measures:

'Pop-up bike lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and cycle and bus-only corridors will be created in England within weeks as part of a £250 million emergency active travel fund.' [1]

Statutory guidance issued on the same day ‘tell[s] councils to reallocate roadspace for significantly-increased numbers of cyclists and pedestrians,’ adding: ‘In towns and cities, some streets could become bike and bus-only .’[2] In other words, the Government expects local authorities to make significant changes to road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians, with all measures implemented within the coming weeks, to ensure an urgent change to travel habits before the lockdown is fully relaxed.

On 23 May, Grant Shapps (Transport Secretary) further detailed the ‘£50 bicycle maintenance voucher’, with the aim of ‘speeding up the cycling revolution’, improving individuals’ health and fitness, and reducing pollution.[3]

Coldhams Lane is a prime example of where positive change can be effected with this funding. This modal filtering would:

• create a bus and cycle only corridor between the barriers
• help more people cycle to work because CL forms the outer extent of a grid of quieter streets (Cromwell Rd, Brampton Rd, Ross St, Vinery Rd) that are all cycle friendly
• reduce pollution in what is ordinarily a very polluted transit environment
• promote healthier lifestyles and healthier habits
• promote greater use of Coldhams Common and playground

The map overleaf (see image) shows the indicative location of the proposed barriers and affected area. This is the community we wish to protect.

Signage (“Buses, cyclists, residents, deliveries only”) would also be needed.

Coldhams Lane currently has heavy traffic and narrow cycle lanes. The latter often have parked cars on one side and moving traffic on the other. This is dangerous, especially on such a busy road, where cars speed up to 73mph (speed test 10.4.2019).[4] Many residents are afraid to cycle. With current levels of traffic, it is almost impossible to cross the road. This is a disgraceful situation for a residential street.

A reduction in cars would enable conditions for an increase in bus services. To date, 112 residents have signed a petition for increased bus services along Coldhams Lane.[5] Currently the #114 runs four times a day (Mon-Sat); the #19 runs once a day (Mon-Fri). In other words, there has been no effort to integrate CL into the city’s bus network to date.

Coldhams Lane does not need to be an artery into the city for cars. We propose that only pedestrians, cyclists, buses, delivery vehicles and residents should be allowed to travel along the street. It is primarily a residential street. Closing the road with a modal filtering system would benefit our community hugely.

We put this to you, as Chairman of the Highways and Transport Committee, as a matter of immediate concern and as a mutually beneficial opportunity.

Yours sincerely,

The Residents Association, Coldhams Lane, Romsey
---------
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/2-billion-package-to-create-new-era-for-cycling-and-walking

[2] Ibid.

[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/transport-secretarys-statement-on-coronavirus-covid-19-23-may-2020

[4 ] The survey measured car speeds over 7 days on Coldhams Lane, near Ross Street / Stourbridge Grove. 92,336 vehicles were logged by Roadwatch  24 hour, 7 day survey on behalf of Councillor Kavanagh, (detailed evidence of logged speeds available if required)

[5] https://www.cambridgelabour.org.uk/romsey/2019/10/13/sign-the-petition-for-more-buses-on-coldhams-lane/: 14,308 (15%) were over the speed limit; 55 were over 50mph; the highest speed recorded was 73mph.