Bath & North East Somerset Council (B&NES) is seeking views on changes to the crossing on London Road East at the Fiveways Roundabout and has provided the following information:
The existing signalised crossings in High Street (near The Batch) and London Road East (near Fiveways) have reached the end of their serviceable life. Much of the equipment is now obsolete and it is no longer possible to keep them maintained in working order. Due to their condition, there is a risk that if either of these crossings develop a fault it might not be possible to switch them back on again, which is why we are intending to replace them this year.
When signalised crossings have reached the end of their life, we look at whether the equipment should be replaced on a like for like basis or if a different type of crossing would better serve local needs. We must be mindful of what is the most cost-effective way of providing a safe crossing. Signalised crossings generally cost twice as much as a Zebra crossing to install and maintain.
Both crossings were installed before the bypass was open to traffic, when the road carried heavier volumes of traffic than today.
Signalised crossings are provided when speeds are too high for a Zebra crossing or when there are large numbers of people needing to cross the road where a Zebra crossing would cause too much delay to traffic. Zebra crossings are used when the number of people needing to cross is lower or in locations where frequent disruption to traffic caused by people crossing the road is not an issue. Analysis of collision records shows that Zebra crossings are as safe as signalised crossings.
B&NES engineers have been observing the usage of these crossings and in both locations, due to the general low volume of traffic, the majority of the time people do not push the button and wait for the green person signal to cross. Most people crossing do not push the button at all. Based on the speed and volume of traffic and number of people crossing, we should replace both with Zebra crossings. However, due to the brow of the hill and the slight bend in the road in High Street, which can restrict visibility, we will retain this as a signalised crossing.
For the London Road East / Stambridge crossing (near Fiveways) we are proposing to remove the existing Pelican crossing and replace it with a Zebra crossing. The main benefit of a Zebra crossing over a signalised one is that people always have priority over vehicles. Other than checking that a vehicle is stopping, a person using a Zebra crossing does not need to wait for a signal. This means it’s much quicker to cross, especially at this location, which is effectively two crossings. Currently, to get priority to cross, you have to press the push button at the side of the road, wait for the signal and then press a second push button on the island to wait for another signal.
We have looked at whether the large island in the middle of the road could be removed in order that a single crossing can be provided. Unfortunately, there are utility services beneath the island that would need to be diverted before it could be removed. The cost of doing this would be significant and we cannot justify such an expense.
Another benefit of providing a Zebra crossing here is that it would require less equipment than a signalised crossing, improving the appearance of the High Street. A Zebra crossing will only need 4 Belisha beacon poles whereas a signalised crossing would require 6 poles with signals and a large cabinet housing the signal controller equipment. We will also take the opportunity to tidy up the island and remove the guard railing. The road will be resurfaced, including the Fiveways junction, and the road hump at the crossing will remain in place. If we were to re-provide a signalised crossing here, this work would be delayed until 2025/26 or possibly later because of the additional cost.
If you wish to comment on the proposal, please email batheaston_crossings@bathnes.gov.uk or write to B&NES Highways by 22 March 2024.
A detailed plan, including the re-surfacing of the roundabout, is available here