Cycle safety boost gets county council welcome

The local authority has been given £183,000 towards the cost of improvement the roundabout at Amcott Way. The council will also contribue £150,000 from its Local Transport Plan budget.

Transport minister Norman Baker announced last week a £40 million package to improve dangerous routes and junctions for cyclists in England.

The cash will see improvements at 78 locations across the country, with all schemes due to be finished within the next 12 months.

The roundabout in Retford marks the point at which two main roads – the A638 North Road and A620 Amcott Way – meet and where several other roads also converge.

There are currently on-road cycle lanes in both directions on North Road that start and finish at the roundabout, leaving cyclists to make their own way round the roundabout.

The improvements will create a high quality shared use route around the edge of the roundabout which will complete the radial route into the town centre and provide an appropriate diversion route for cyclists wishing to avoid the roundabout itself.

It will be particularly important for young cyclists travelling to and from the nearby schools.

Paul Hillier, the county council’s principal Local Transport Plan officer, said: “The roundabout creates a significant obstacle for cyclists travelling to and from the town centre, encouraging them to use the pavements around the outside.”

“The scheme will greatly improve safe cycle access between the town centre and a hospital, secondary school, industrial estate/business park and large residential area.”

The county council was also successful in bidding for £194,000 towards the cost of widening an existing pavement to allow it to be used by cyclists in Worksop. The council will contribute £50,000.

The scheme will provide a high quality, shared use facility on the north side of the B6040 Retford Road by widening the pavement, which is only one metre wide, to three metres.

The road has an on-road cycle route in both directions along its section between Shrewsbury Road near the town centre and the B&Q distribution centre entrance.

However, there are currently no facilities between the B&Q entrance and the Enterprise Park, and cyclists are regularly intimidated by large lorries.