Manchester City Council update on Chorlton to Manchester Cycleway development- what is a CYCLOPS junction?

Work has begun on the next section of the Chorlton to Manchester Cycleway. The construction is the latest step forward in the brand new cycle route. 

The work is a continuation of construction which began at the start of the year. Back then, extensive works had already taken place at the Wilbraham Road/Manchester Road junction, with a CYCLOPS junction being installed to provide better and more seamless transit for pedestrians, motorists and cyclists. 

On September 12, the next stage of construction got underway. This was to construct another CYCLOPS junction at the Sandy Lane/Barlow Moor Road/High Lane junction, accelerating the existing timescale for this project.

This work is expected to last until December. There will also be temporary traffic lights in place as the permanent lights will be decommissioned. 

Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment and Transport said: “We are pleased so far with the ongoing works in Chorlton which, in the long term, will improve the ways in which we get around the city and make it easier for people to walk and cycle safely.

“As the majority of the disruptive work around the four banks junction has been completed we are now turning our focus to Sandy Lane. As always, I would like to thank motorists for their patience during these works and I look forward to the final completion of this project.”

What is a CYCLOPS junction? 

The term CYCLOPS junction has been used multiple times during the on-going construction of the Cycleway. The second junction of its kind is what Manchester City Council have begun construction on. 

The junctions have been designed by Greater Manchester engineers, and CYCLOPS stands for Cycle Optimised Protected Signals. What is unique about these junctions is that pedestrians and cyclists are completely separated from motor traffic at the junction. 

In addition to this, pedestrians are given the chance to get to where they want to go in fewer stages. There si also more space for pedestrians to wait, further reducing the element of danger. 

According to Transport for Greater Manchester, the main difference between the CYCLOPS junction and traditional UK junction designs is that cyclists are offered a safer route around the junction. They are no longer required to position themselves on the nearside of the lane, allowing vehicles to pass on their offside which is often the cause of so-called ‘left hook’ incidents, where cyclists going ahead are struck by a vehicle turning left from the same lane.