Old rail tracks come up and new cycle lanes go down in Weymouth

They've been put in along Commercial Road

Author: Maria GreenwoodPublished 14th Dec 2020

It's out with the old railway tracks in Weymouth and in with new cycle lanes.

As part of work to resurface Commercial Road following the removal of the old Weymouth Branch Line tracks two on-road cycle lanes, one on each side of the road, have been introduced to encourage and help facilitate cycling where traffic volume and speeds are relatively low between Westham Bridge and Lower St Alban Street.

Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said:

"There are several cycleways that converge at Westham Bridge but stop before getting any further into the town centre. As part of the peninsula regeneration, we hope to connect the area to the extensive cycle network around the town.

"With the removal of the tracks, Commercial Road will become much safer for cyclists and we've taken the opportunity to install these cycle lanes while replacing road markings after our recent resurfacing works."

As part of the work, the centre line along Commercial Road between Westham Bridge and Lower St Alban Street has not been replaced as its removal will help further reduce vehicle speeds.

Dorset Council say this road layout gives priority to cyclists - with vehicles slowing down to pass each other safely or overrunning into the cycle lane if safe to do so.

Further proposed cycle links in the town centre, which will require legal orders to introduce, will be consulted on early next year.

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