Avenue Consultation

Please go to or respond to the The Avenue consultation, as positive feedback is very important.  Complaints (which there will be, as it’s on Common Land) will be weighed up with positives. Suggested points are below. Also please encourage others to attend and respond.

• Tuesday 3^rd March 1730–1930, Main Reception, University of Southampton Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, SO14 1BF
• Tuesday 10^th  March 1600-1900, Student Union, Building 42, University of Southampton Highfield Campus, University Road SO17 1BJ
• Saturday 14th March 0930-1300, Hawthorn Centre Activities Room, The Common, SO15 7NN.
• You can also view the proposals online, and if you have any suggestions or you would like to show your support, there is an online survey you can complete via the website (see the links at the end of this email). All comments must be received by Sun 26th March.

To comment on Lovers Walk proposals, please visit the planning application

To comment on SCN5 Avenue works, please visit the online survey

Alternatively, you can: Email roadworks@southampton.gov.uk or write to Highways, City Depot, First Avenue, Southampton, SO15 0LJ

Positive feedback is very important.

The route in via Highfield Road:

• Register that you agree that worth widening path next to Furzedown Road.
• But add that Furzedown rd onto Highfield Rd pavement could be built out with dropped kerbs so bikes can easily get from Furzedown Rd onto pavement to use crossing, and vice versa.  Build-out could be same as Highfield rd onto Highfield Lane, with Furzedown Rd made one way.  Less car parking at Highfield Lane end.
• Could suggest that uni are encouraged to build a ramp next to the steps – it would just take the place of one car parking place.

Alternative to secluded route parallel to Westbourne Crescent: suggest signs directing cyclists and pedestrians to lit/busier/safer route along Westbourne Crescent, even if Lover’s Walk is planned to be lit parallel to Westbourne Crescent – it’s not an ideal route at night at all.  

From Avenue Church to Winchester Rd – south to north:

• Crossing at end of Winn Rd needs to be as far back as a length of a bus (regular U1 buses and others).  (Bus stop was moved away from The Avenue so this could be done).  Therefore route between Winn Road and Westwood Road can be further from main road. 
• Toucan crossing at dead end of Blenheim Ave for (a) traffic calming, (b) for getting to play area, (c) for access to Common from lower Portswood/Highfield, (d) for getting to bus stop.
• Toucan crossing between dead end of Oakmount Ave and Highfield Rd for (a) traffic calming, (b) for getting to bus stop, (c) for access to Common when subway is icy or flooded (was flooded deep on 16/2) (d) for access to Common from Highfield. (e) Also after a toucan crossing there can be a right hand turn lane for faster bikes to go right into Highfield Road.
• For those cyclists that are happy to turn left and go under subway, the U turn needs to be wider – swing to the left before the big trees (remove some tarmac from there, then add tarmac on the grass on other side so can swing round on a tandem/cargo bike/with a trailer etc. (This would be for slower cyclists – option above needed too)
• Existing pavements need a raised surface where becoming shared use, to clear tree roots.
• Two phase crossing at crossroads with Burgess Road is not good enough – needs to be a green phase for cyclists and pedestrians. Lost opportunity if no diagonal option, and may put cyclists off if this junction is not improved as well as can. 8  On Bassett Ave beyond Burgess Rd, a white line needs to be painted in ‘wing mirror zone’, or railings on edge so vehicles don’t come too close to pavement.
• On Bassett Ave beyond Burgess Rd, a white line needs to be painted in ‘wing mirror zone’, or railings on edge so vehicles don’t come too close to pavement.
• At driveways, minimise any ramps bu just having ramps at the outer edge (in ‘wing mirror zone’).
• At Winchester Road, the route to a toucan crossing needs to be negotiable on a tandem/cargo bike/with a trailer so no u-turn. No point if not an easy route to a toucan crossing. 11 Max 30 mph limit all the way.

The Avenue Cycle Corridor (SCN5) and Lovers Walk.  From Consultation text…  The proposals are in two parts:

• To build a segregated on-road cycle lane along both sides of The Avenue for most of its length. At the major traffic junctions where two lane queueing is required to retain junction capacity, the cycle route will be moved onto an off-road shared use footway with crossing facilities at those junctions. You will be able to see this more clearly on the maps we are providing for the consultation and on our website pages
• Lovers Walk, while not a main commuter route, will continue to provide a desirable route for people walking and cycling between The University of Southampton and City Centre as well as for leisure. Again, plans on our website pages make it much clearer where the changes are proposed. As Lovers Walk proposals requires loss of grassed verge on Common land, this is being proposed under a planning application so commenting on it is slightly different but full details on how you can have a say on each aspect are given below.

All comments must be received by the closing date of Sunday, 26th March 2020.

If you would like to comment, please complete the online survey www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/AvenueLovers . If you just have general enquiries or questions that you cannot find answers to online please email at roadworks@southampton.gov.uk