Westmorland and Furness Council and Cumberland Council are improving local roads to make it easier, safer and more attractive for the people of Cumbria to travel actively for everyday journeys.
The Government’s new design standards for walking, wheeling and cycling are based on five core design principles:
These principles are at the heart of active travel design in Cumbria. This includes providing segregation between different road users, such as separating cyclists from motor traffic and separating cyclists from pedestrians too, wherever possible.
The Highway Code places people who are travelling actively first. Changes were made to the Highway Code in January 2022 that aim to improve safety and priority for people walking, wheeling or cycling on UK roads. Changes include:
For more details on the changes check the The Highway Code on GOV.UK.
See how the Highway Code supports those travelling actively in having priority at a side road junction.
Learn how both pedestrians and cyclists have priority in crossing the road at a parallel crossing.
See examples of different types of cycleways being provided across Cumbria to support safer cycling.
Recent changes to the Highway Code have introduced a priority for pedestrians over drivers and riders when crossing or waiting to cross a side road.
We are re-designing our roads to indicate this priority to drivers more clearly and slow vehicles on their approach. This can be achieved by changing the surfacing across the junction to highlight the presence of pedestrians crossing. The surface of the road may also be raised to the same level as the footway (pavement) to make it easier for pedestrians to cross whilst forcing vehicles to slow down.
An example of this is on Blackhall Road in Kendal with its side road junction of Stramongate.
A parallel crossing enables pedestrians to safely cross a road alongside cyclists in their own adjacent, or ‘parallel’ crossing space. These crossings are similar to a zebra crossing but with the addition of a separate cycle crossing to the side. Pedestrians and cyclists have right of way over drivers and riders using the road carriageway.
An example of this can be found on Mill Lane on Walney Island, Barrow-in-Furness near to its junction with West Shore Road.
Toucan means ‘Two Can’ cross. They allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the road safely at the same time.
Toucan crossings are signalised with traffic lights, so pedestrians and cyclists using the crossing must wait until the lights turn green for the pedestrians and cyclists (and red for other traffic on the road) before safely crossing with priority. Pedestrians and cyclists cross the road in the same shared space when using a toucan crossing.
In spaces where people are walking, wheeling and cycling the space will be designated as either shared use or segregated:
The boundary between the two is usually marked by markings on the ground or a kerb line between the two. Segregated routes for cyclists will be marked to indicate the correct direction of travel.
Cycle routes designed to the new Government guidance will be segregated from motor traffic where possible. Segregation may be ‘light’, such as with the use of wands, or with a more substantial ‘buffer zone’ using kerbs and planting. The aim is to protect cyclists from motor traffic and help cyclists feel safe too.
Cycleways that are segregated from both motor traffic and from pedestrians can be either one-way direction or two-way direction.
A two-way cycleway may be provided on one side of the road, or on both sides. One-way cycleways are usually provided on the side of the road to match the same direction of motor traffic. Cyclists must ensure that they are using any one-way cycleways in the correct direction, which will be clearly marked.
Each Council has developed a plan for improving its roads for walking, wheeling and cycling in its larger urban areas. These plans are known as Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (‘LCWIPs’) and look to deliver on the Governments ambition to have half of all journeys in cities and towns across the country to be completed by either walking, wheeling or cycling by 2030.
You might start to see some of your local roads change as a result of improvements for walking, wheeling and cycling.
Recently delivered and upcoming active travel schemes in Cumbria include:
