Somerset County Council (SCC) have now opened the new J25 Nexus link road from the Park and Ride access to J25 and the M5. The local cycling campaign (Taunton Area Cycling Campaign-https://thetacc.org.uk/?s=j25) made constructive comments to the SCC during the schemes proposals which according to TACC we largely ignored.  Instead we now have a throwback to 1980s road design where the car is king and active transport has been sidelined once again.  This is despite government support for more active travel.  Whilst it will improve access to the park and ride and the new Nexus developments for cars, anyone wishing to commute by bicycle or by walking to the Blackbrook Business Park and/or beyond will be disinclined to take the active travel route.  Let us look at why that might be.

if the modernists are going to plan our cities along with the motorists it will be dead cities

Jane Jacobs (1961) – ‘The Death and Life of Great American Cities’

Taunton Area Cycling Campaigners cycled and walked the route on 19 January 2021, a day after the new road was opened, and experienced the new layout as a mishmash for cyclists and pedestrians.

For example currently there is a little alley to get to multiple crossings at J25 (picture left). Eventually this leads to a new crossing over four traffic lanes to the centre of the J25 roundabout. You have to cross back across it 150 metres on.  Whilst this avoids crossing the motorway slip roads and is controlled by traffic lights so an improvement on road safety it does not make it easy for any cyclist or walker to navigate easily.  

Surely there might be better ways of negotiating the major junction like an underpass.

Well the southern Netherlands city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch has 25 ways to cross a major road by bicycle.

Underpasses like this one in Alkmaar, The Netherlands for example. 

The new infrastructure at the Junction 25 area just appears to be another disincentive to walk or cycle.  If you want to encourage more people to walk and cycle then you have to provide infrastructure that is both safe and direct.