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Moor Lane Area Highways Improvements

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For several years, the council has received numerous requests to provide a safe walking route between East Boldon and Cleadon along Moor Lane. Unfortunately, due to the limited highway width this was previously not considered to be achievable without significant land purchase.

In October 2020, a trial scheme was implemented on Moor Lane to create a safe route for all non-motorised users (NMUs), which includes pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. The road was made one-way, with the eastbound carriageway reallocated to NMUs.

A six-week consultation period was carried out about the scheme and whether it should be made permanent. Traffic data was also gathered to measure the impact of the scheme.

A permanent version of the scheme was designed, taking into account residents’ feedback.

A further three weeks of informal consultation was carried out, during which more than 500 responses were received - both in favour of and opposed to the scheme.

There has been a lot of strength of feeling both for and against the scheme. Officers have taken on board all of the feedback and have been investigating potential alternative options.

The new proposals address the main goals of creating a safer environment for vulnerable road users and promoting active travel, while addressing some of the key concerns raised by objectors

Now officers have devised a potential alternative and are once again consulting members of the public and you can have your say below:

Aims of the proposals

Improve road safety for all road users
Promote Active Travel
Create a safer route for non-motorised users
Reduce speeds and traffic volumes within residential areas
Maintain the rural feel of Moor Lane

Proposed Improvements Include

Making Moor Lane 30mph from a point approximately 110 meters east of its junction with Whitburn Road to its Junction with Broadlands
Making Moor Lane east of Broadlands a 20mph Zone along with the residential area to the north
Making Moor Lane from its junction with Whitburn Road to a point 110 meters east 20mph, including Sandpiper View
Traffic calming measures (speed humps) throughout the 20mph zone to bring traffic speeds within compliance
Changing directional signage to encourage the use of alternative routes
Making the 30mph section of Moor Lane a Quiet Lane create a safer environment for NMUs
Narrowing of the junction of Woodlands Road and Whitburn Road to improve crossing for pedestrians and reduce the speed of vehicles entering woodlands road.

What is a Quiet Lane?

Quiet Lanes are minor rural roads or networks of minor rural roads appropriate for shared use by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other vehicles. The aim of Quiet Lanes is to maintain the character of minor rural roads by seeking to contain rising traffic growth that is widespread in rural areas.

There are three key elements to a Quiet Lanes scheme:

Community involvement to encourage a change in user behaviour
Area-wide direction signing to discourage through traffic
Quiet Lane entry and exit signs to remind drivers that they are entering or leaving a Quiet Lane

Motorised vehicles are not banned from Quiet Lanes and the use of Quiet Lanes is shared. Measures such as lower speed limits and discrete road signs aim to encourage drivers to slow down and be considerate to more vulnerable users are used.

Above: Photo of a quiet lane sign

20mph zone and Traffic calming

20mph zones aim to reduce the impact of motor vehicles on built up areas. Traffic calming measures are used to slow vehicles down to speeds which are deemed compliant with the speed limit. This allows the zone to become ‘self-enforcing’. Speed humps, chicanes, road narrowing, and other measures can be introduced to both physically and visually reinforce the nature of the road.

The proposed road humps are made of recycled rubber in the UK. They have a consistent profile and are energy absorbent to reduce noise and vibrations