Four Portsmouth streets could be made one-way so drivers don't have to reverse on to main roads
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Plans drawn up by Portsmouth City Council to make Landguard Road, Maxwell Road, Reginald Road and Tredegar Road single direction for all traffic bar cyclists will be considered by its cabinet member for transport next week.
'The problem we have there is is that they are narrow roads and if you have to reverse out to let a car through then you are reversing onto a main road,' councillor Lynne Stagg said ahead of her Thursday (October 20) meeting.
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Hide Ad'This has been done based on requests from the public and we have a scoring system to allow us to prioritise areas where improvements are most needed.'
But nine people objected to during a consultation as part of the traffic regulation required to introduce the change.
'I am of the opinion that this change will increase motorists’ speed down these streets and therefore become more dangerous for pedestrians, especially children,' an unnamed resident of Tredegar Road said. 'Without speed humps I think this will be an ill-advised and potentially lethal step.'
Concerns were also raised about the proposed contraflow system for cyclists and the potential for crashes but Cllr Stagg said it was based on government guidance.
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Hide AdHowever, in response to the objections, she requested council officers run a door-to-door survey of people living in the area to gain a better gauge of opinions.
A council report says three-quarters of the 168 homes to have responded through this favoured the introduction of the one-way system and recommends it be pursued.
'Creating a set of one-way streets will allow residents to drive down the streets more easily, improving the flow of motor traffic in the area and reducing the vehicle conflicts,' it says. ‘Creating a contraflow cycle scheme will allow people cycling to travel easily in both directions with clearly marked information for drivers that this is a two-way cycle route.'
Should Cllr Stagg green light this work next week, a final design will be drawn up and a road safety audit carried out before the new system is brought in. It is estimated it will cost £40,000.