Overview of the scheme
Lake Road is a busy east-west route from the city centre to the residential areas of Landport and Fratton. This route experiences congestion at peak times, especially in the morning.
These proposals support Portsmouth’s Local Transport Strategy and would provide benefits for all road users, offering safer walking and cycling routes while bus priority measures will ease congestion and will help keep buses running on time.
Lake Road is a busy east-west route from the city centre to the residential areas of Landport and Fratton. This route experiences congestion at peak times, especially in the morning. It is a key route for many bus services travelling in and out of the city, and forms part of a popular cycling route.
Public transport infrastructure improvements will save time on journeys, and improvements to the roundabout will make it safer for people walking and cycling.
To improve this area of the city we will be making the following changes:
- Create a new westbound bus lane for buses, taxis and cyclists between Lake Road Roundabout and Cornmill Roundabout.
- Improve the existing roundabout to create safer and more direct crossing facilities for people walking and cycling. This will involve installing two “tiger” crossings (a zebra crossing with parallel cycle crossing, which allows people on foot and on bicycles to cross safely at the same time) and two “sparrow” crossings (a traffic-light controlled pedestrian crossing with a parallel cycle crossing).
- Add dedicated cycle paths along Lake Road with partial cycle segregation (using bollards) west of the roundabout.
- Improve the landscaping in the area to make it greener and more pleasant.
The works will start on Monday 11 September with planned completion in the summer 2024. Most works will be completed during standard daytime working hours (7.30am – 5pm).
The works will be completed in three phases:
Phase 1, Northern Side – Monday 11 September – February 2024
- Between 11- 22 September, overnight closures will be in place during the setup of the works. This will include setting up temporary lanes and removing 16 existing parking bays on Lake Road.
- Following these night works, there will still be two lanes of traffic with no parking. Works to widen the carriageway and divert utilities will also happen during this time.
- New drainage infrastructure will be installed to help reduce the pressure of rainwater overwhelming the sewers. This will aid the prevention of wastewater being released into the sea.
- Winston Churchill Avenue will be signposted as the diversion route during this phase.
Overview of remaining phases:
Phase 2 – Southern side and Lake Road roundabout – February 2024 – May 2024
- Following the widening of the carriageway the lanes will swap over to enable works on the southern side of the road.
- The works will involve the realignment of the existing kerb line to incorporate cycling infrastructure and a new bus lane. This will also include improvements to the drainage system.
- Improvements to Lake Road roundabout, building out traffic islands to install new pedestrian and cycle crossings and associated infrastructure.
- Works on Alexandra Road junction to improve the pedestrian crossing.
- The existing trodden pathways on Southern side of Lake Road roundabout will be adapted into a public footpath
Phase 3 – Resurfacing works – May 2024 – June 2024
- One junction will be closed at a time during overnight closures for resurfacing works and installation of new road markings.
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Consultation
Our consultation period was open from 17 December 2021 to 31 January 2022. The feedback we received helped us decide where to make specific improvements to this route, and how best to implement these changes. You can see the results of this consultation here.
A formal consultation for the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) for the proposed waiting restrictions and bus lane started on Monday 12 June for 21 days (closing date for receipt of representations is Monday 3 July).
More information on the (Lake Road) (waiting restrictions and bus lane) (no. 39) order 2023 can be found here
This is a legal tool to introduce most traffic management controls on roads and is used to regulate, restrict or prohibit the use of a road, or any part of the width of a road, by vehicle traffic or pedestrians. A TRO may take effect at all times, or during specified periods, and may not affect all classes of traffic. Find out more about TROs at our Portsmouth.gov.uk site.
Next, we will collate and analyse the responses, before releasing a detailed plan for the area. This will then be taken to Portsmouth City Council for approval to proceed, then a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) will be applied for. This is a legal tool to introduce most traffic management controls on roads and is used to regulate, restrict or prohibit the use of a road, or any part of the width of a road, by vehicle traffic or pedestrians. A TRO may take effect at all times, or during specified periods, and may not affect all classes of traffic. Find out more about TROs at our Portsmouth.gov.uk site.