Buckinghamshire’s first parallel crossing boosts safety for cyclists
Buckinghamshire’s first parallel crossing has just been completed at the junction of Bicester Road and Gatehouse Road in Aylesbury. It is the first crossing of its kind in the county and Buckinghamshire Highways and Thames Valley Police are reminding drivers, cyclists and pedestrians how to use them safely.
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. Both pedestrians and cyclists can cross the road at the same time without a cyclist having to dismount.
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.
Steven Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport 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.”
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.”
