East-west cycle link scheme consultation

Image: visualisation of the proposed Avenham Lane / Queen Street arrangement - for illustrative purposes only

Thank you to everyone who took the time to get involved and to have your say in our consultation which took place in October and November 2024 on the proposed cycle link improvements to Avenham Lane and Queen Street.

Your feedback is important to us, and your suggestions and comments will be considered by the council's project team as we work up detailed designs.

We received comments from residents, businesses and other key stakeholders such as the local college, housing association, retail park and cycling groups.  We are pleased to provide a summary of the consultation.

East-West Cycle Link Scheme

The proposed improvements are part of the 'Active Preston' project, to be carried out by Preston City Council, on Queen Street and Avenham Lane.  The proposals comprise:

The installation of 700m of new two-way (bi-directional) segregated cycle way on Avenham Lane and Queen Street.

These improvements include the reduction of the green verge to create a new separate grass verge

Planting of trees and bulb/wildflower planting on the existing grass verge

Crossing points for pedestrians and cyclists on Avenham Lane and Queen Street 

Aims and benefits of the scheme 

• The 'Active Preston' project aims to create a safer and healthier environment for pedestrians and cyclists, supporting greener and sustainable travel options. 

• It will create new and improved ways of travelling across the city by a network of safer walking and cycling connections, improved quality of public spaces and safer, more user-friendly linkages across the city.  

• These improvements on Avenham Lane/Queen Street will bridge a key gap in the east-west cycling route to help people to walk or cycle for local trips, such as going to work, college, leisure or shop. 

• Connecting west via Preston Railway Station and east to the colleges, the new route will add to existing cycling work and the 'Quietway' cycle link to Waverley Park and links to the Guild Wheel, Avenham Park and the routes across the River Ribble via the proposed new Tram Bridge (Ribble Bridge crossing).  

The scheme supports the Council's Community Wealth Building commitment to create a resilient and inclusive economy, improving the local environment, better air quality and encouraging active travel.

Like

The vast majority of comments were positive and supportive of the project and its aims.  The segregated cycle lanes were welcomed and there were positive remarks on the design including planting schemes, protection from traffic, as well as the aesthetic benefits to the area. Overall, most thought it was a good scheme to encourage safer, active travel; the new cycle lanes are seen as a great initiative for safer and healthier travel options for everyday activities; will help to reduce carbon emissions and improve integration with other cycle routes and connectivity across the city.

Dislike

There were only a couple of negative comments concerning the need for cycle lanes in general, the desire to improve road surfaces, concerns re upkeep of wildflower beds and how the improvements will work with the busy crossing points for students walking to Newman College.  There was some concern about priority at crossings and a call to improve existing cycling infrastructure across the city in general not covered by this project.

Things to make it better

There were some good suggestions to consider, not all that can be addressed by this project.  Preston Pedals offered further assistance to road test the route to highlight any issues; there is a need for secure bike storage facilities,  effective clear signage should be included to advise cyclists, pedestrians and motorists, particularly for when cycle routes stop and start;  and to highlight links with other routes (eg National Cycle Route 6) and clearer information/signage on how the cycleway will integrate with new infrastructure such as the Tram Bridge, linkages to the Railway Station, London Road and Ringway and to  consider prioritisation at key pedestrian and traffic crossing points.  There were also some good points about a mechanism to slow down cyclists for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists at the main crossing point used by the large volume of students walking to the local college.

There was also a suggestion of whether some additional trees/planting could be introduced, maintenance provision permitting.

Generally safe cycle routes are a welcome addition to the area and hopefully will encourage better infrastructure and linkages in the future across other areas of the city.

Next Steps

• Statutory processes and approvals such as a Traffic Regulation Order and a Section 278 highways agreement will be progressed over Winter 2024/2025
• Construction is due to start on site in Summer 2025
• The scheme aims to be complete in Winter 2025

For more details of the scheme visit Invest Preston - East-West Cycle Link Scheme - Avenham Lane / Queen Street