Broomfield Road

Introduction

As part of the Chelmsford City Growth Package, Essex Highways has delivered and completed a new scheme on Broomfield Road.

This road is a major route between Chelmsford city centre and Broomfield village to the north of the city and is used to access Broomfield Hospital. Previously, there was an on-road advisory cycle lane which required improvement due to substantial use, particularly during morning and evening peak times.

The scheme provided a high quality, flagship cycle route through the installation of hybrid cycle tracks, where cyclists can now be separated from pedestrians and the carriageway. These cycle tracks were installed on Broomfield Road between the city centre and Patching Hall Lane and provides links to the existing cycle network across the city.

Scheme background

Essex County Council secured £15 million to undertake sustainable transport improvements to help alleviate pressure on Chelmsford’s road network.

In 2017 we consulted on the Chelmsford City Growth Package. This included proposals for improvements to cycling facilities along Broomfield Road. During the consultation a key aspect of the scheme for many people was improving safety for cyclists along the route.

How has the cycleway been implemented on Broomfield Road?

To implement the hybrid cycleway, changes were required to bus stops so that the cycleway could go behind the island where people wait for the bus. This is called a floating bus stop and is used in many other cities across the UK.

To create the floating bus stops the bus stops were moved into the carriageway, turning the layby into the bus stand and running the new hybrid cycle lane between the footway and the bus stand. This is shown in the scheme video and in the image below.

To create the cycleway, we used space from the road and in some locations the footway, where it was safe to do so. We narrowed the road by removing most of the road markings such as hatching and filter lanes and created further space by removing any unnecessary signage.

People can now cross from the footway to the bus stand. Full access to all homes and businesses along the route have been maintained, and the same number of bus stops have been kept.

We have also maintained the right-hand turn lanes on important junctions where they previously existed and waiting restrictions have been changed to ensure traffic can flow freely.

Following the consultation, the proposals to redesign the Corporation Road junction were also amended.

Instead of making Corporation Road one-way to the junction as previously proposed, traffic will now be unable to turn left onto Broomfield Road from Corporation Road, or right from Broomfield Road into Corporation Road if travelling southbound.

The northbound left turn lane has been removed to create space for the cycle lane, but traffic can still turn left onto Corporation Road from Broomfield Road.

There are nearby alternative routes that can be used instead. Traffic wanting to turn left onto Broomfield Road can use Swiss Avenue or Kings Road instead.

Southbound traffic wanting to turn right onto Corporation Road can instead leave Broomfield Road a junction earlier at Kings Road.

 

This scheme was delivered as part of the Chelmsford City Growth Package. For information about the other schemes as part of this package, please visit Chelmsford City Growth Package.