Travel Ipswich (Ipswich Borough Council/Suffolk County Council have a new consultation re proposed designs for the junction of Woodbridge Road and Argyle Street. It is a t-junction of which 2 arms are one way and part of the gyratory.

Maybe it's been a long week, but it looks to me as if the ASL on the Westbound lane ends several car lengths before the actual traffic lights? I presume this is just an issue with the drawing?

Would be nice to see something done about this junction as I suspect the current layout gives rise to quite a bit of the rat-running which goes on in surrounding roads to avoid it.

There are no lights at this junction currently.

More information available at http://www.travelipswich.co.uk/what-is-happening-and-where/woodbridge-road-argyle-street-junction/ copied below:

Woodbridge Road / Argyle Street junction

The proposals for changes at this junction can be viewed at Tower Ramparts shopping centre

Consultation dates:
Monday 27 January – Monday 10 February

Proposals:
* New traffic signal controls to be provided at junction of Woodbridge Road and Argyle Street
* Pedestrian crossings across Woodbridge Road to be provided at junction
* Woodbridge Road stop line set back to allow large vehicles to be able to turn into Argyle Street without overrunning the footway
* This will allow a more controlled flow of traffic into Argyle Street and improve movement for pedestrians and cyclists.

How to get involved:
If you would like to make comments on the proposals there are comment cards available in Tower Ramparts shopping centre, or please email:travelipswich@suffolk.gov.uk Please return your comments by Monday 10 February.

I am concerned that there is no pedestrian crossing on the south side of woodbridge road across the top of argyle street. Does this mean that there is no 'all stop' phase proposed ?

Also it would be helpful on the stretch of woodbridge road from the mulberry tree pub to argyle street to it feels like an ooave a 20 mph limit as this tends to be a bit of a racetrack. I am also concerned that traffic lights will make it worse as drivers attempt to get through the lights before they change.
As this eastbound route is fairly dire for cyclists., especially the narrow section East of argyle street it feels like an opportunity was missed to improve the situation . ( the nearest East bound route is eagle St /rope walk/ St Helens St)

Also it would be helpful on the stretch of woodbridge road from the mulberry tree pub to argyle street to have a 20 mph limit as this tends to be a bit of a racetrack. I am concerned that traffic lights will make it worse as drivers attempt to get through the lights before they change.
As this eastbound route is fairly dire for cyclists., especially the narrow section East of argyle street it feels like an opportunity was missed to improve the situation . ( the nearest East bound route is eagle St /rope walk/ St Helens St)

There is a 'desire line' one block over in that I regularly see people on bikes riding East on the pavements of the first section of St Helens St from the regent to grimwade St.

I am just about to send some comments through to the council, but it looks like my original thought that the ASL is a long way before the actual lights and the left turn is correct as this has been "set back to allow large vehicles to be able to turn into Argyle Street without overrunning the footway".

Firstly, I don't understand how setting the stop line back has this effect (can anyone enlighten me?) but more importantly it seems to me that cyclists moving off from the lights are then in a prime position to be close-passed by drivers trying to squeeze past before the left turn. Or having to take a position in the middle of the road to avoid this and thus holding up a whole procession of frustrated cars.

I presume this is so large vehicles can swing out to the right as oncoming traffic will have been stopped by the lights and take a wider line around the corner (which they couldn't do from a stop line right by the lights), but couldn't cycles filter through to an ASL much further ahead by the lights and thus get a head start?

As an example where vehicles need to be kept back from the junction, take a look at turning from Fore Street into Orwell Place, as the buses have to use the full width of the road to make the turn. However they use the space on the street they are turning into to be able to get the space to make the turn wide enough, and is what they have done up until now.
http://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=52.05541&mlon=1.15938#map=19/52.05541/1.15938

The problem with a longer ASL is that drivers will just flout it, as there's practically no enforcement.

As far as I'm concerned there's not a lot that can be done at this junction to improve things for cyclists. To improve things requires much more wide ranging changes such as traffic reduction, which will need to happen through many more people cycling or walking, which will need to use other alternative streets initially.