Portsmouth City Council is considering making changes to the bus and cycle lane at London Road, Hilsea near its junction with Northern Parade.

There have been 11 accidents in the area since 1997 with 2 occurring in 2011. The latest involved an HGV turning left from London Road into Northern Parade which collided with a cyclist who was travelling in the bus and cycle lane.

At the Traffic and Transport Decision Meeting on 19 January, approval was given to spending up to £30,000 on safety improvements in the area. Engineers are proposing to shorten the bus lane by 200 metres to allow left-turning vehicle position themselves in advance of the junction. This would be at the expense of any bus priority and it would also require the removal of a bus stop.

Portsmouth Cycle Forum is pleased that safety work will be carried out although our preferred option would be to keep the bus and cycle lane as it is today and to ban left turns for vehicles from London Road into Northern Parade. This would maintain a safe route for cyclists and would ensure that public transport continues to have the priority it deserves at this often-congested location.

Engineers fear that the banning of left turns would cause displacement of traffic into residential streets such as Oakwood Road.

We are promised that a full consultation exercised will be carried-out before any changes are made.