First parallel cycling crossing completed at Aylesbury junction

The first parallel cycling crossing has been completed in Aylesbury.

Bucks Council announced on Friday (January 28), a new cyclist-friendly crossing has been launched at the junction of Bicester Road and Gatehouse Road.

It is the first crossing of its kind in the county, the council confirms.

Councillor Steven Broadbent said: “This new parallel crossing helps to improve connectivity for cyclists. The last couple of years have taught us just how important our health and wellbeing is, and if we can encourage more people to cycle by making the roads a little safer and more convenient for cyclists, then this is an excellent start.

“We encourage all pedestrians to think about where they choose to cross the road and make good use of crossing facilities provided for their safety, even if it is slightly further to walk.”

A key feature of parallel crossings is it allows cyclists to cross the road with pedestrians without having to dismount.

A Bucks Council spokesman said: "Parallel crossings - sometimes referred to as ‘tiger crossings’, enable cyclists to cross a road safely and are designed to make cyclists’ journeys easier and more reliable.

"They look very similar to a zebra crossing with Belisha beacons and white zig zag markings, but the crossing includes a cycle crossing area ‘parallel’ to the zebra crossing area, which is marked by broken white lines.

"Drivers must give equal priority to pedestrians and cyclists and should slow down when approaching the crossing, look well ahead for pedestrians and cyclists about to cross and stop before the give way line.

"Cyclists will need to check that traffic has seen them and stopped before attempting to cross the road, in the same way that pedestrians must at a zebra crossing."

PC Liz Johnson, road safety officer for Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “We welcome the introduction of this parallel crossing in Aylesbury in order to improve safety for all road users.

“Pedestrians and cyclists should always ensure that other road users have seen them, prior to crossing, having slowed down ready to stop.

“These crossings enable pedestrians and cyclists to be given the same priority when crossing the road.

“Making the roads safer for all is a priority for us and this is just one way in which we can work to achieve this.”