STRATEGY + DESIGN |
FALLOWFIELD LOOP + YELLOW BRICK ROAD | Manchester City Council
In addition to our wider role overseeing the introduction of Manchester’s Bee Network (the creation of a city-wide cycling and walking network consisting of more than 1,000 miles of routes, including 75 miles of Dutch-style cycle lanes), Urban Movement were asked, as part of a team led by Civic Engineers, to develop proposals for the Fallowfield Loop. This is an existing, predominantly off-road walking, cycling and horse-riding route that, at 8 miles long, is thought to be the longest urban cycleway in Britain. As a result, it is already the second most popular cycling corridor in the city.
Our team were asked to develop enhancements for this route, focusing on improvements to current issues relating to personal security and anti-social behaviour, enhancing biodiversity and natural habitats, improving connections to the surrounding neighbourhoods and upgrading key access points / gateways to the Fallowfield Loop. Urban Movement focused on developing the proposals to RIBA Stage 3: Spatial Coordination, with Civic Engineers taking these proposals through to construction. However, the close working relationship that has developed between our two companies across a range of projects over the last five years has meant that input from both sides has continued from the very start of the project. Equally, our close working relationship with Officers at Manchester City Council has resulted in a highly collaborative approach that has continually pushed for an optimal solution.
This approach is perhaps best exemplified by the design of the signalised junction of Wilmslow Road with Ladybarn Road. Located at the heart of Fallowfield town centre it is one of the few cases where the Fallowfield Loop must cross a major general traffic, bus and cycle corridor as well as integrate with this district town centre. The junction currently has pedestrian facilities requiring multiple stages to cross and lacks segregated cycling facilities. As a result, of the ten road traffic collisions recorded in the last five years, eight involved cyclists with two of these resulting in serious injury.
Initial investigations by the City Council concluded that potential revisions to the junction would be limited due to space constraints, with formal pedestrian facilities only feasible across two of the three arms and that the latest CYCLOPS arrangement, that has become the new default approach across the city, just wouldn’t fit. However, our willingness to explore alternative arrangements and our ability to think creatively has meant that a CYCLOPS junction can now be accommodated, significantly improving conditions for both pedestrians and cyclists, whilst still maintaining existing bus and general traffic journey times. Engagement throughout this process with the Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group has also ensured these innovations have not come at the expense of inclusivity.
Our team were asked to develop enhancements for this route, focusing on improvements to current issues relating to personal security and anti-social behaviour, enhancing biodiversity and natural habitats, improving connections to the surrounding neighbourhoods and upgrading key access points / gateways to the Fallowfield Loop. Urban Movement focused on developing the proposals to RIBA Stage 3: Spatial Coordination, with Civic Engineers taking these proposals through to construction. However, the close working relationship that has developed between our two companies across a range of projects over the last five years has meant that input from both sides has continued from the very start of the project. Equally, our close working relationship with Officers at Manchester City Council has resulted in a highly collaborative approach that has continually pushed for an optimal solution.
This approach is perhaps best exemplified by the design of the signalised junction of Wilmslow Road with Ladybarn Road. Located at the heart of Fallowfield town centre it is one of the few cases where the Fallowfield Loop must cross a major general traffic, bus and cycle corridor as well as integrate with this district town centre. The junction currently has pedestrian facilities requiring multiple stages to cross and lacks segregated cycling facilities. As a result, of the ten road traffic collisions recorded in the last five years, eight involved cyclists with two of these resulting in serious injury.
Initial investigations by the City Council concluded that potential revisions to the junction would be limited due to space constraints, with formal pedestrian facilities only feasible across two of the three arms and that the latest CYCLOPS arrangement, that has become the new default approach across the city, just wouldn’t fit. However, our willingness to explore alternative arrangements and our ability to think creatively has meant that a CYCLOPS junction can now be accommodated, significantly improving conditions for both pedestrians and cyclists, whilst still maintaining existing bus and general traffic journey times. Engagement throughout this process with the Manchester Disabled People’s Access Group has also ensured these innovations have not come at the expense of inclusivity.