vinegar hill
Striker
I love that fuckin bridge.
Wear crossing
- Thread starter steve30000
- Start date
T
The Hunt
Guest
It's shite mate, if it was in Newcastle it would twice as tall, but our council give all our money to immigrants so it has to be smaller.
zwartekat
Striker
#smallerimmigrantsbiggerbridges
anth
Winger
It's not that I don't like it, and I'm not even bothered about them having to make it cheaper than the original design, it's still going to look impressive. My problem is the whole SSC concept. They are building a dual carriage way connection between the town centre and the A19 to provide fast and easy access, then they are littering it with traffic lights. Between leaving the A19 and arriving at keel square there will be somewhere between 12 and 15 sets of traffic lights. I'd be surprised if it wasn't 30-40mph the whole route, traffic will end up being like the tyne bridge and felling bypass at peak times and you'll still have to wait and loads of red lights the other 22 hours of the day.
zwartekat
Striker
Err, I like the bridge.
Seriously, what do you think they could have done better for city centre access? I'm not judging here because you've obviously thought it through so genuinely interested in your ideas.
Boris Bear
Striker
I'm sure it's the optimal amount of traffic lights and optimal speed limit
Baghdad McBadLad
Midfield
My issue with the bridge is that I don't think it is needed, especially in that area. The bridge will take you to....nothing and coming back over towards Wessington Way the road at the top towards where the Torrens used to be (North Hylton Road?) has lights and this already backs up with current traffic. Add on a massive bridge load of traffic to come to a stand still sounds like a nightmare waiting to happen!
tunstallhill
Striker
so what is the alternative?
Simply not true. There will be 4 or 5 maximum when the bridge is finished.
I'd love to hear your planning suggestions
StiflerPG
Winger
Its definitely needed like, if not to take the strain off the other two bridges.
It's not just for now also. I've seen traffic levels increase significantly in the 20 years I've been driving and I can't image they are going to stop increasing. The bridge is for the future.
anth
Winger
When the bridge is finished there will be 4-5 however that is only stage 2, add stage 3 and it goes up quite a lot. Having a quick watch through of the stage 2 and 3 flyover video I can see these traffic lights
A19 -a1231 roundabout
A1231 onto bridge
right turn as you hit the south side to go towards Pallion/ford estate
pedestrian crossing to walk up to retail park at woodbine terrace
sstc3 down to the ropery
sstc3 road to pallion new road
sstc3 road to beach street
(bus stop blocking 1 lane outside b&q)
pedestrian crossing at b&q
pedestrian crossing at pc world
bottom of hylton road roundabout - undecided.
so maybe 12-15 was a bit of exaggeration, but we are yet to see the plans for stage 4/5 for the A1231, with rumors of those roundabouts becoming lights controlled junctions or light controlled roundabouts, which would take that number well into double figures
Certain lights cant be avoided like the pedestrian crossings, and i suspect the majority wont be used all that often. But deptford terrace and trimdon street could be a round about as could the A1231 onto the bridge. I know roundabouts don't work very well in peak traffic, so put part time smart lights on them also make the A19-A1231 lights part time. Peak times when the traffic flow is heaviest turn the lights on and the throughput is pretty much the same as a standard lights junction, when its off peak turn them off and everyone doesn't have to sit waiting at lights for no one coming in the other directions. This works well at the A1/A690 junction for example.
I am suggesting one solution for the 2 hours a day plus match day traffic isn't the same solution for the rest of the hours in the day so the scheme should be flexible and the design we are getting isn't.
If you watch the video of the SSTC phase 2 and phase 3 flyover it says expected traffic flow peak time in 2035, I think they must be smoking something because it'll be far far heavier than that video shows, its heavier now.
The bridge design is OK, but why the ugly, utilitarian looking lighting?
I'm sure they could do something more aesthetically pleasing than standard road lights. It's like they're skimping on one of the cheapest parts where there was an opportunity to show off a bit.
That's exciting stuff! It looks like they're introducing 150mph speed limits, happy days! I'll be able to blow the cobwebs out of my Golf GTi.
I'm sure they could do something more aesthetically pleasing than standard road lights. It's like they're skimping on one of the cheapest parts where there was an opportunity to show off a bit.
That's exciting stuff! It looks like they're introducing 150mph speed limits, happy days! I'll be able to blow the cobwebs out of my Golf GTi.
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Boris Bear
Striker
I'll go with the experience of the planners personally
tunstallhill
Striker
fair enough, you have clearly put a bit of thought into your response. maybe they have plans for the peak-time traffic lights. can't see anywhere where it says anything specific
anyway, i'm delighted about this project. i can't see what the alternative overall strategy could be, other than 'do nowt'
Boris Bear
Striker
I think the rarely used pedestrian crossings will be on green all the time. It's going to be much faster on all routes
super-niall
Striker
It bypasses the need to use the stupid one-way system at the QA bridge if you are coming from the A19 and going into the City Centre, that will reduce the traffic using the QA bridge and therefore ease traffic around the area. And to say it takes you to nothing is exactly why it's needed, that area is essentially landlocked until the new bridge and roads are built.
I think it's going to be brilliant. It doesn't have to go anywhere directly at each end, it simply makes getting across the river far easier. Mission accomplished IMHO. I hate using the QA bridge, awful little roundabout with cramped little roads to the south, a major dual carriageway and a horrible roundabout that nobody likes to the north. It's a bottleneck.
The new road layout and the bridge combined will divert traffic from one of the ugliest stretches of road in the city, the bit between the retail park at Pallion and the QA bridge. It's not suited to being a busy route into Sunderland, and gives an awful impression of the city to strangers.
StiflerPG
Winger
Not to mention the ground it has opened up for development, which I read somewhere (probably on this thread) has a bigger footprint than the city centre. Its totally needed for now but definitely forward thinking.
Butcher's Coat
Striker
Don't forget the 6000 jobs that it will bring
anth
Winger
I'm happy they are doing it, I'd just have rathered they did it a bit better. But its still going to be better for those going into town from the A19. For those of us on the north side getting to the A19 is going to be worse due to the lights, people already do a rat run round the back of wickes to avoid it.
Do you use the A1231 at all? Those horrible roundabouts are free flowing and usually with no queues, however the roundabout with traffic lights on at the A19 there are always tailbacks, make of that what you will.
