Southampton's first pop-up cycleway - SCN5 

Thanks for your comment! I probably won't be covering the Bitterne Road West bus lanes as they're still bus lanes first & foremost and not suitable for less confident riders in my opinion. The bus lanes also end just before the most difficult bit, the steep hill up to Maybray King Way, so you'd be mixing with traffic that rarely does 30mph. Despite the problems I faced, Chessel Avenue is still probably the safer of the two routes. You just need to be aware of traffic in front and behind you, don't put yourself in a position where you can be close-passed, and be prepared to move into gaps to let cars through. It's not a route I'd recommend for families but it's doable for someone with low experience if they're careful. That said, if you're coming from Midanbury, would another option be to use Dean Road from the Big Cheese roundabout, then use the underpass under Maybray King Way?

@@thecyclewaysofsouthampton Good point. I'll probably stick to Chessel Avenue!

It'll depend, but even if a few of the new converts decide it's safe enough to travel in all weather then that'll be less traffic for everyone else that may not have changing facilities or dry clothes etc at their workplace. It'll be even better for those that do need vehicles (tradesmen, long distance commuters etc) on sunny days due to lower traffic. I admit I didn't cycle much over winter, opting to use the bus instead, but only because there's one particular road between my home and SCN1 that is a huge close-pass magnet. I didn't fancy chancing that too often in dark conditions.

Southampton Cyclist yeah I agree they need better street lights to supplement the cycle paths, so that it feels safe to use during the winter time.

Good to see they've continued with that. HCC's website was saying that work was suspended due to COVID.

@@thecyclewaysofsouthampton restarted now as of the 26th, they're finishing the last few bits - the botley road crossing, the bridge over the motorway, and the last bits of surfacing. I've noticed a lot more people using it recently, now that it connects properly to the stuff in Southampton - and that's before its even finished. A large part of the area north of Southampton has been "cycle ready" for a long time, but there was never an easy way to get out of the area on cycle infrastructure.

Scott Houston do u have a link to where I can read those plans? I’ve seen the signs “4 weeks of road works from 26th may” will it include a segregated cycle path? Particularly between Asda roundabout and Chilworth roundabout where they extended the pavement. I’d love if they extended the cycle path up Bournemouth road in Chandler’s ford too.

Monash University in Melbourne. This is the summary of their findings: www.monash.edu/news/articles/more-than-a-stripe-of-paint-needed-to-keep-cyclists-safe In short, painting a cycle lane on a road without physical protection is worse than not painting anything at all as it gives motor vehicle drivers a false sense of safe overtaking distance. A close pass could be excused away by saying "you were in your lane and I was in mine".

The section between Northlands Road and Burgess Road was due to be made permanent anyway as the consultation for that section was made just prior to the lockdown in March ( transport.southampton.gov.uk/avenuelovers ). However north of Burgess Road SCN5 was originally planned to only use the shared paths. Given that this pop-up lane now exists suggests that the council are now thinking about creating a permanent segregated cycleway all the way up to Chilworth Roundabout, linking in with HCC's shared path starting behind the Shell garage. Likewise with the upcoming pop-up lane on Hill Lane which will become the longest section of SCN4 so far will lay the groundwork for a permanent lane. According to the Green Transport Recovery Plan document, we should expect a decision on the Bassett Avenue section by the end of August.

Southampton Cyclist that sounds exciting! I hope there definitely becomes a permanent segregated cycle path all the way to Chilworth roundabout. I’m looking forward to cleaner air and more active nation. HCC’s shared path starting behind shell garage, is that just the wider pavement that’s planned there? So not a seperate segregated cycle path? Thanks for the reply btw :)

@@taibabajar It is a shared pedestrian/cycle path that starts at Chilworth roundabout, goes behind the shell and accross Botley Road (the road that goes to Chilworth) and then runs down towards Asda, where it joins the existing cycle network (NCN24). Yes, shock horror, shared path in the 21st century - but actually, no. It's a really good quality path (mostly... there is one dodgy junction). It's 2.5-3.5m in most places, few pedestrians because of location, very smooth surface - driving past today I saw street sweepers on the path, so super clean too. An actual example of an appropriate use of shared use cycle infrastructure - it's generally not appropriate once you reach the urban environment, but in a rural area or between settlements it's fine, especially with the width of the new path. On that note - a number of the traffic light crossings in the cycle network beyond asda into Valley Park & North Baddesley to the west and Eastleigh to the... east... have had their priorities adjusted in favour of pedestrians and cyclists, especially the crossings going around the Asda roundabout. Getting into Southampton by bike is... not a doddle, but it's a darn sight easier than it ever has been before. I personally will be using it, although if they revert the changes it would put me off cycling into Soton.

I'd feel uneasy completely shutting The Avenue off as it's still a major artery (albeit not as big as the Redbridge Causeway or Thomas Lewis Way). There will still be the need for buses, essential works vehicles (SSE, Southern Water etc) and delivery drivers. It's the main route to reach Glen Eyre, Highfield and Bassett. Even in places like Utrecht there's still major arteries for motor vehicles. The key thing is that these major routes are supplemented with safe cycleways for people to use their bikes, e-scooters or even mobility scooters above the standard 4mph for pavements. Junctions that carefully balance the needs of motor vehicles, cycles and pedestrians. Infrastructure that allows you to best match the journey you're making with the most approriate mode of transport.

No idea sorry, I'm not that familiar with that part of the city. My best guess for queiter roads would be the boardwalk up to Horseshoe Bridge, Belmont Road and Grosvenor Road up to the Uni, cross over Burgess Road then Dahlia & Primrose Road. Alternatively if he's able to get to Onslow Road, the U6H will take him most of the way.

Out of interest what time of day was this? I live a bit too far from Bassett Avenue to make any use of it, but I've been keeping tabs on Google Maps and havent't seen any patches of dark red (and not even that much red). I appreciate that there will be differences in what Google reports and what's actually happening on the ground, mind.

@@thecyclewaysofsouthampton This was about 3pm.