Doncaster regeneration inc. M18 -> Robin Hood Airport link

[Pontelad]

Been down to Donny Airport today. Construction of the final bit into the airport has started.

[wrinkly]

There was an item about it on the lunchtime Look North (Leeds) just now. Doesn't seem to be on the Beeb website yet but there's this from the YEP:

http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/n ... -1-8612567

[wrinkly]

There were signs up today about an upcoming closure of the A638 near the A6182 junction. I think it said Dec 1st to 4th. I think it meant full time but it could have been nighttimes only. Clearly it is to tie in the new roundabout, which already has its permanent signs up.

[ronhale]

Having been critical of the lane markings / traffic light phasing on the whole White Rose Way / Great Yorkshire way A1682 I am pleased that they have at least made some improvements.
The off slip from the M18 at junction 3 has been altered to avoid some confusion as to lanes on exit, but the overhead gantry signs have not been altered and now pose a danger as lane 2 of the M18 still shows it as an exit for Robin Hood Airport.
The approach to the Rossington West roundabout travelling west has had the lane markings changed and is now a sensible improvement wikth both lanes now allowed for the "straight on" continuation along the A1682.

Still no change to the traffic light phasing and lane allocation at the Hare and tortoise junction or the lane allocation heading out of Doncaster towards the M18. In both cases the largest flows of traffic are directed into a single lane, leaving a second lightly used lane for the smallest flow.

[Hdeng16]

Having been critical of the lane markings / traffic light phasing on the whole White Rose Way / Great Yorkshire way A1682 I am pleased that they have at least made some improvements.
The off slip from the M18 at junction 3 has been altered to avoid some confusion as to lanes on exit, but the overhead gantry signs have not been altered and now pose a danger as lane 2 of the M18 still shows it as an exit for Robin Hood Airport.
The approach to the Rossington West roundabout travelling west has had the lane markings changed and is now a sensible improvement wikth both lanes now allowed for the "straight on" continuation along the A1682.

Still no change to the traffic light phasing and lane allocation at the Hare and tortoise junction or the lane allocation heading out of Doncaster towards the M18. In both cases the largest flows of traffic are directed into a single lane, leaving a second lightly used lane for the smallest flow.

What are the changes at the M18 junction? Are we talking north or soundbound? I can't see how Lane 2 of the M18 *can't* be an exit for the airport via the Great Yorkshire Way?

[ronhale]

Northbound, lane 1 was designated as exit for Doncaster. This was protected from lane 2 by a tigers tail for several hundred metres.
Lane 2 was also available as an exit with clear arrows on the road showing that the exit was available.
(You can still see this layout on Google satellite view.)

The tigers tail has been removed as have the exit arrows. Moving from lane 2 to exit now risks cars which are undertaking in lane 1. It came as a big surprise for me expecting an easy exit towards Bawtry.

You can still exit from lane 2 but it is now much more hazardous than it was. I now feel it safer to stick in lane 1.

Hope that explains it a little better.

[Hdeng16]

Northbound, lane 1 was designated as exit for Doncaster. This was protected from lane 2 by a tigers tail for several hundred metres.
Lane 2 was also available as an exit with clear arrows on the road showing that the exit was available.
(You can still see this layout on Google satellite view.)

The tigers tail has been removed as have the exit arrows. Moving from lane 2 to exit now risks cars which are undertaking in lane 1. It came as a big surprise for me expecting an easy exit towards Bawtry.

You can still exit from lane 2 but it is now much more hazardous than it was. I now feel it safer to stick in lane 1.

Hope that explains it a little better.

Thanks. I'm still a bit confused, because lane 1 is a forced off lane. I take it you mean undertaking you up the sliproad rather than the mainline. To remove the tiger tail seems a fairly large change to do off the cuff. Tell you what - I'll just go take a look rather than hassle further!

I don't really think the tiger tail was the problem to be honest, and considering the cost of 3-laning it not that long ago.

[Pontelad]

Allegedly the final section has opened today. It certainly looked ready when I drove past yesterday.

[roadtester]

Now they just need to get on with the rail link:

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/ne ... -1-9075514

[Pontelad]

Wouldn't be at all surprised if it was green lit pretty quickly. HMG will want to let their new South Yorkshire Mayor trumpet a major early funding victory for devolution.

It's also badly needed (assuming it attracts some more airlines and routes). The access to LBA is nowhere near adequate, indeed it'll probably be quicker to get a train to DSA from central Leeds than it would to try and get to LBA by any method.

Not to mention the huge untapped potential of the Sheffield/Rotherham/Doncaster area.

[wrinkly]

Allegedly the final section has opened today. It certainly looked ready when I drove past yesterday.

Thanks for the info. I was already thinking of taking a look in that direction this weekend. Now I almost certainly will. Maybe visit the Lincoln bypass too.

Now they just need to get on with the rail link:

https://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/ne ... -1-9075514

Wouldn't be at all surprised if it was green lit pretty quickly. HMG will want to let their new South Yorkshire Mayor trumpet a major early funding victory for devolution.

It's also badly needed (assuming it attracts some more airlines and routes). The access to LBA is nowhere near adequate, indeed it'll probably be quicker to get a train to DSA from central Leeds than it would to try and get to LBA by any method.

Not to mention the huge untapped potential of the Sheffield/Rotherham/Doncaster area.

The general view of informed posters on the Rail UK Forums is that its chances of happening are somewhere between negligible and zero.

[ronhale]

The road is now open.
As to the rail link, the diversion of the main line via the airport is unlikely although as part of a plan to increase capacity for the ECML it could make sense.
It is much more likely that a new station on the existing rail line (which had a halt to serve the RAF base) with trains running through from Leeds and \ or Sheffield would make a lot of sense.

[wrinkly]

I had a look today (though contrary to my post above I didn't also get to Lincoln).

Although the airport itself now seems to have dropped the Robin Hood name, all the road signs still call it that, even the newest ones.

The topmost bit of the ADS approaching the Rossington roundabout from the west along the A6182 has yet to be added.

I was expecting the junction at the east end of the new road to be a signal-controlled crossroads, because on my previous visits it showed no indication of beginning to look like a roundabout, but to my surprise it is a roundabout after all. They built that one quickly!

[ronhale]

I have driven FARRRS (The Great Yorkshire Way) several times and the road itsself is good.
BUT
The Parrots Corner junction however is poor.

Travelling from Doncaster on the old A638 as the junction is approached the two lanes show right turn for Rossington and the M18. The left hand most lane splits a few yards before the traffic lights to give an extra filter for Bawtry and the airport. Hence, Bawtry and airport traffic is prevented from using the green left filter by Rossington and M18 traffic.
Worse, when the Rossington traffic turns right there's only 1 lane for that traffic and cars are getting stranded in a lane designated only for the M18.
The phasing of the lights is such that cars turning right then left to Rossington are blocking the main route through towards the motorway, You could say they shouldn't enter unless their exit is clear, but it's not possible to see this from their position.

Back to the drawing board with a new sign(s) needed and some changed road paintwork and altered light phasing.

I'm pleased to say that the third bodged junction has been altered as I suggested quite a while ago. They've changed the M18 eastbound exit, they've changed the signage on the westbound Great Yorkshire Way at the Rossington West roundabout and finally they've altered the Bawtry Road lane controls at the Parrots Corner junction. Now the left lane is entirely used for traffic turning left towards Bawtry. The right lane is shared between traffic turning right to turn immediately left to Rossington and traffic turning right to go west on the Great Yorkshire Way. I don't know how much extra the signs and altered lane marking must have cost but these three alterations were obvious from the start.
All we need now are the silly lane markings on the White Rose Way approaching the M18 roundabout to prevent 80% of the traffic using one of the lanes and vehicles changing lane as they approach the roundabout and we'll have a full set.

Then there's the lights needed at the end of the M18 westbound sliproad to enable traffic to leave the motorway. I never use that movement but I can see the queues building up.

[SteveA30]

Was your suggestion to them or to us or, both. It would be nice to think that they listened to yourself and others who may have commented.

[ronhale]

Both, but I didn't seem to get anywhere.

[the cheesecake man]

All we need now are the silly lane markings on the White Rose Way approaching the M18 roundabout to prevent 80% of the traffic using one of the lanes and vehicles changing lane as they approach the roundabout and we'll have a full set.

They' ve finally done this. It's now right lane for M18 west, left lane lane splits into straight on and M18 east.

[danfw194]

On the A6182 roundabout (the first one after J3), as you hit the roundabout there are speed limit signs of 30, and then straight away after roundabout you have NSL signs.
Forgive me if I'm being simple or ignorant here, but is that not strange? I don't recall ever seeing that before.

[Johnathan404]

On the A6182 roundabout (the first one after J3), as you hit the roundabout there are speed limit signs of 30, and then straight away after roundabout you have NSL signs.
Forgive me if I'm being simple or ignorant here, but is that not strange? I don't recall ever seeing that before.

In theory it is very common and very normal. If you had a crossroads between a 40mph road and an NSL road, one of them will have to change speed limit briefly, and current policy/trend is that it is the higher speed limit that will be broken up.

That theory doesn't make sense in this scenario, because the two 30mph approaches will carry barely any through traffic, and the iPort road immediately drops down to 20 anyway. Presumably someone considered having the roundabout as NSL and panicked at the idea.

Still it's just nice to see some new NSL signs.

[the cheesecake man]

It's quite common as above. In practice you need to slow down for the roundabout and accelerate afterwards so if done properly it makes no difference to your actual speed or compliance.