Temporary cycle lanes to be removed from busy Southampton road

Work to remove cycle lanes on a busy Southampton road will begin on Tuesday.

Some of the temporary cycle lanes on The Avenue and Bassett Avenue will be removed while others are set to be made permanent.

Civic chiefs have confirmed that work to remove the temporary cycle lanes – both northbound and southbound – between the subway underpass on The Common and Winchester Road roundabout will start tomorrow and is expected to be completed by the end of this week.

The work will be carried out between 8pm and 6am and will start with the removal of the cycle lane lining on The Avenue between the bus stops north of Highfield Road and Burgess Road.

The work will require lane restrictions but two-way traffic will be maintained throughout, Southampton City Council said.

The removal of the cycle lanes and the blacking out of the previous lining along Bassett Avenue between Burgess Road and Winchester Road will be carried out overnight from August 19.

The council said the work will be undertaken by two crews working inbound and outbound simultaneously and this section of Bassett Avenue will be closed.

The last phase of the work will start overnight from August 20 for up to two nights.

It comes as road bosses will be relining Bassett Avenue between Burgess Road and Winchester Road and this section of the road will remain closed.

Meanwhile, the cycle lanes to the south between the subway and Winn Road are set to be made permanent with an exact date for the start of the work yet to be confirmed.

It comes as the council also said that new ‘quietways’ are being explored in a bid to link cycle routes on side roads running parallel to The Avenue.

The authority said these ‘quietways’ would replace the current temporary cycle lanes between the subway and Winchester Road roundabout.

The right turn at Burgess Road, which is currently banned, will also be reinstated while the existing shared use facility along Bassett Avenue will be retained.

The temporary cycle lanes were first implemented in May last year to support social distancing and active travel during the pandemic.

But Southampton City Council said that following an increase in traffic and the easing of restrictions “this is an appropriate time to withdraw a section of the scheme”.

Cllr Sarah Bogle, shadow spokesperson for transport, said she welcomes the work to make part of the cycle lane on The Avenue permanent.

But she added: “It does seem odd to finish a cycle lane halfway up the road. Government guidance is clear that space needs to be shared on our roads to make sustainable travel a reality. ”

Cllr Jeremy Moulton, deputy leader, described the move as “a balanced approach”.

He said: “It’s not odd and the route doesn’t finish there. It connects up with the underpass and Coronation Way on the Common and forms part of a route all the way to the top of Bassett Avenue and on to Chilworth where is connects with the Hampshire cycle network. This creates a quieter, safer route.”