Cycling Upgrade Will Begin In Two Major City Centre Roads

Work to install pop-up cycle lanes in Spring Bank and Ferensway will begin in the next few weeks.

The Spring Bank scheme will include converting the left-hand lane in both directions into a combined bus and cycle lane, which will run between Ferensway and Princes Avenue.

And in Ferensway, cyclists will also benefit from a designated cycle and bus lane, from Spring Bank to Anlaby Road.

Green coloured surfacing and bike symbols will be installed on the road to help guide cyclists using this route.

Councillor Daren Hale, the portfolio holder for economic investment, regeneration and planning, said: “This work will increase capacity and safety for cyclists, and enable more consistent journey times for buses.

“We recognise that by creating a public environment which encourages cycling will not only improve the health and wellbeing of our residents but will ultimately help to reduce congestion on our roads.”

The 2011 census data shows that just 15.5 per cent of all car and van travel is 2km or less and just over 40 per cent is between 2km and 5km. And when considering the travel to work journey, over 56 per cent of motorists drive less than 5km. Assuming up to 5km is considered a short distance, a total of 33,937 people could potentially be travelling actively.

When people move more, there are huge health benefits to health including reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes and improvements to mental health and anxiety levels. Every minute really does count so regularly cycling or walking briskly can lead to long-term improvements.

Physical inactivity directly contributes to 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and costs £7.4 billion a year to business and wider society. However, building walking or cycling into daily routines are the most effective ways to increase physical activity.

And not only does walking and cycling bring with it a whole host of health benefits but also supports the council’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The work is being fast-tracked in line with funding allocated by the Department for Transport (DfT) emergency active travel grant.

Councillor Hale said: “We need to start the work so we can meet the requirements for this vital DfT funding and that’s why schemes such as the one in Freetown Way, Spring Bank and Ferensway are being progressed at speed.”

Improvements in Spring Bank include removing kerb-side parking bays, however, the existing parking lay-bys will remain unaffected. The work will be carried out during the day with some overnight works and lane closures will be in place.

Engagement will be carried with businesses in Spring Bank this week, and the public are also invited to submit any comments to cyclinghull@hullcc.gov.uk