2009 saw the completion of a range of transport improvements in Aylesbury including the Aylesbury Public Transport hub, the Station Boulevard and the Bourg Walk Bridge. All of these projects were delivered to support the development of Aylesbury’s town centre, and improve the quality of life for the residents of Aylesbury and the surrounding area.
The combination of the new Bourg Walk Bridge, the open space pedestrian crossing on Friarage Road and the new rail station boulevard together achieve a ‘high profile impression’ of Aylesbury and integrates the pedestrian and bus access from the train station to the town centre.
Transport for Buckinghamshire, conforming to best practice for the post implementation review of major infrastructure schemes undertook a Stage 4 safety audit on the Friarage Road crossing. This is standard procedure a year after a scheme has been implemented. The purpose of the audit is to determine whether the completed crossing is working as intended, and to identify if any safety implications have arisen that were not envisaged during the design phase.
The main recommendation from the report is to address the issue of queuing traffic blocking the crossing for pedestrians and cyclists at peak times. Improvements to the signal detection equipment are planned over the next couple of months which will hold traffic, to prevent it from stopping on the crossing. This will make it easier for pedestrians and cyclists as they won’t need to negotiate their way between vehicles which have stopped on the crossing and also increasing the time they have to cross.
Additionally, the report highlighted the difficulty caused to pedestrians waiting in the centre of the crossing caught unaware when they can or can’t cross the road. This problem is going to be addressed by the removal of the higher pedestrian display unit located in the middle of the crossing. The crossing is designed to be crossed in one phase, therefore by removing the additional centre display it will make it clearer that they should continue over the full crossing to the other side.
Transport for Buckinghamshire commissioned a survey of crossing users in July this year to gain an understanding of their perception of the new crossing, their satisfaction with the layout and establish if there were any safety concerns.
The questionnaire was answered by 222 people, with most of the respondents confirming they used the crossing on a regular basis. The results identified that 64% of respondents agreed that the area had become more attractive as a result of the works and 48% were “very satisfied” with the new layout. The responses indicated that 57% of users felt the same or more safe in the area since the new layout was introduced. Those who felt safe particularly liked the traffic lights formally stopping traffic, the open crossing giving good visibility, the ease of use of the crossing, and preferred it to the underpass; but for those who felt less safe, the main causes of concern were around a feeling of exposure to the traffic and fears that cars may jump the red lights. It should be noted that the Friarage road crossing is an additional facility to access the town and the subway below the road is still in use. View the survey results.
The results of the safety audit and users’ survey have helped support proposals for remedial works to the crossing to address some of the perceived safety concerns. In addition to the traffic detection equipment upgrade and pedestrian display unit removal, further promotion and training is planned to help users understand how the crossing works. Part of this work has been the creation of a video to explain to residents how to use the crossing
A children’s version has also been produced and will be shown to children at local schools over the coming months
The main aim of the video is to teach users to cross the road in one phase. The crossing is designed as a single stage crossing, people should wait for the green man to display, check if traffic has stopped and then cross over to the other side. As with all Puffin style crossings pedestrian detectors hold traffic so that pedestrians and cyclists can cross the full width of the road before the traffic is allowed to move.
In addition to the videos, over the coming months, leaflets and posters will be distributed to local organisations and residents with further guidance on how to use the crossing.
Transport for Buckinghamshire is using the results of the user survey to build into the wider thinking of Aylesbury’s inner ring road. With the opening of the new Waterside Theatre and the upcoming developments on either side of the inner ring toad, Transport for Buckinghamshire with Aylesbury Vale Advantage, are looking at ways to improve the public realm and manage traffic flows on the inner ring road on the stretch from Morrisons’ roundabout to the High Street roundabout. Proposals are being worked up at the moment, and more information will be released in due course.