South Parade Walking and Cycling Consultation

Following conclusion of the consultation earlier this year the Council has considered the responses of residents and businesses within the affected area and summarised its position below:

Consultation process

The Council engaged in consultation to gather opinions on the scheme and explore the potential issues. 250 letters were sent to all directly impacted (front facing) businesses and residents within the scope of the proposal; along with other stakeholders. All were encouraged to submit a response to the Transportation Unit inbox or attend a drop in session to view their opinions. The consultation was live between the 25th April 2022 and 23rd May 2022.

Findings

50% of respondents were in favour of the current proposals
19% in favour of proposals in general but with design changes
15% were against the proposals
15% supplied no specific answer to the consultation
73% of respondents agreed that the number of vehicles on our roads needed to be reduced
66.6% of respondents did not feel that the condition of the roads and pavements were safe enough to encourage walking or cycling

Mitigation

Following the consultation Doncaster Council have tried to incorporate some of the suggestions raised in the consultation process into amended proposals for the scheme The table below shows issues that have been raised through the consultation process and how the Council have addressed them.

Theme Raised	Number of times mentioned	DMBC Response
For more people to cycle into town secure cycle storage is needed	6	A new active travel hub within the train station has been opened since consultation begun with space for 60 cycles
Active Travel infrastructure must comply with LTN 1/20	5	Minimum widths for footways and cycle ways are maintained throughout proposals. Junction treatments give priority to active modes. Unable to provide a level difference separation due to residents needing to access parked vehicles and this would cause a trip hazard. Partially sighted society have indicated this as a preference.
Maintenance of road/footway/cycleway	4	Funding is ring fenced and cannot be used for revenue activities To be built into existing maintenance schedule.
Cycle/pedestrian conflict	4	Cycle and Pedestrian conflict has been reported by residents of Albion Way following the installation of Bennetthorpe. This is because the current footway is the quickest route into town. The scheme proposes a safe area for cycles and pedestrians into the town centre segregated with white line delineation. The installation of the cycleway adjacent to the roads edge should minimise pedestrian conflict with residents leaving their gates.
Speed reduction for South Parade	3	A review of the speed limits will take place alongside this scheme with the lanes narrowing this should have a natural slowing effect on traffic.
Bus frequency poor	3	Comments have been passed onto SYPTE
Continuous footways and cycleways	2	The scheme incorporates continuous cycle ways and footways as suggested within LTN 1/20
Routes must be connected	2	The South Parade Scheme connects the existing infrastructure on Bennetthorpe to the infrastructure on Hall Gate and in the City Centre, The Thorne Road TCF scheme will also connect users to South Parade allowing users a connection all the way to Kirk Sandall should this scheme be progressed to build
Improved access to garages on Albion Way	2	After consultation with residents the access to Albion Way garages will be addressed improving the access for users