Cyclists celebrate safety improved junction in Ellesmere Port

Members of the Chester Cycling Campaign are among the first to ride along 8101 Highways England’s (HE’s) £1.1m ($1.5m) safety-enhanced cycle path located at the Two Mills junction in Cheshire. The project is part of a £100m ($142m) government investment across England to make it easier for cyclists to cross motorway junctions and use major A roads.

The cycle path, which is shared by cyclists and pedestrians, runs along the southbound A540 and crosses two new islands on the A550 before continuing along the A540. It also features a new high-friction road surface to help reduce the risk of collisions.

Work will also start later this month on a new 400 metre shared cycle path under junction 9 of the M53 at Ellesmere Port, providing a cycle link from the town to the National Waterways Museum and canal towpath.

Phil Tyrrell, project manager at HE, said: “We’re committed to significantly improving safety across our road network, and the new cycle path as well as the wider and longer right turn lanes at Two Mills will make it much easier and safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to cross the junction.

“We want to provide cycling facilities that give people a genuine choice about whether to travel in their car or to get on a bike instead. If we can encourage more people to use their bikes for local journeys then this should also improve the flow of traffic for drivers travelling longer distances.”