Active Travel Consultation Summary Report Isle of Anglesey County Council

Home , Beaumaris, Benllech, Bodffordd, Caergeiliog, Gaerwen, Holyhead

Supplement September 2016

Contents

1. Introduction ...... 3

2. Delivery Activities ...... 3

3. Supporting Documentation ...... 3

4. Consultation Responses ...... 4

1. Introduction

Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013

This report is a supplement to the report submitted in January 2016. Not all of the designated settlements in Anglesey were covered in the initial report so further route audits have been carried out and a second consultation has taken place to gauge opinion on those routes. This consultation was undertaken over a 12 week period between May 31st 2016 and August 23rd 2016.

2. Delivery Activities

 Make details of the draft Existing Active Travel Routes available on the IACC website throughout the consultation period

 Send letter/email notifying consultees that documents are available on-line

 IACC Facebook and Twitter feed throughout consultation period

 IACC staff and Council Members were targeted by e-mail

 Consult directly with Community Councils in the designated settlements

 Consult directly with those who had asked to be consulted

3. Supporting Documentation

The following documentation was published on the IACC website during the consultation period:

 Information on the purpose of the consultation and a definition of Active Travel.  Draft maps of Active Travel Routes in Llangefni, Holyhead, Valley, Amlwch, Benllech, Menai Bridge and Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.  A map showing the locations of the designated settlements on Anglesey  A link to the electronic survey with the questions being the same as the 2015 survey to ensure consistency.

The above documentation was made available in both English and Welsh.

4. Consultation Responses

Assessment of Responses 24 forms were completed through the Anglesey Council website. 1 form and 2 other comments were received by email. (Total of 27 responses.)

Website Feedback form responses:

Question 1 : Do you agree that the routes identified are suitable to be promoted for Active Travel Journeys?  Yes  No  Comments

Yes 90% No 10%

Comments were made as follows:

 There are not many safe (non road) cycle routes around the town, especially out to the largest school, Ysgol Y graig. Living on the opposite side of town, I have to go by car, although my son and I would prefer to cycle. Lon Las Cefni is fabulous however, and more of these initiatives would be beneficial. (although this particular one is not much use for me personally from a shopping/ work perspective, it is an enjoyable ride for pleasure)  Good link with EZ / Town Centre  First of all, the maps provided are not fit for purpose. Its is really hard to tell the difference between the various symbols/colour combinations used to define differenet types of paths. Second, not actually including the bridges in the Menai bridge routes is a cop-out. Third, there need to be segregated bike paths: if you don't understand why, get on your bike and try cycling at rush hour. You will fear for your life. I certainly would not allow my son to cycle to school on these routes.  They do not provide good-quality door-to-door networks. Promotion may bring out a few people who are prepared to brave the streets or "shared" footways, but we have nothing suitable for mass active travel.

Question 2 : Are there any problems along any of these routes that would stop you from using them?  Yes  The surface is in poor condition  Too many barriers cause obstruction  Not enough lowered (dropped kerbs) on the route to where I want to go  There is not enough space for me  The route is run-down and untidy  It takes me a long time to cross the busy road

 There are not enough / benches / shelters / rest areas for me to use it often  I do not feel safe  No Problems  Comments

Yes 10% No problems 45%

Responses to specific issues: The surface is in poor condition 30% Too many barriers cause obstruction 0% Not enough lowered (dropped kerbs) on the route to where I want to go 5% There is not enough space for me 10% The route is run-down and untidy 5% It takes me a long time to cross the busy road 0% There are not enough / benches / shelters / rest areas for me to use it often 35% I do not feel safe 20%

Comments were made as follows:  The above comments refer to the lon las cefni llangefni section: should be lovely, but is creepy, grubby and marred by drunks, drug users and general antisocial people and their rubbish. Also, the trees, though beautiful make it feel very hemmed in - coukd do with somre thinning out  not comfortable to cycle on the busy roads with young children ( or even just myself).  Always broken glass at the underpass by Kingsland school. Not safe for children or bike users.  General state of roads on Anglesey (and in Gwynedd is awful - potholes should be fixed quickly and effectively, and should be done to a standard where they do not re-appear almost as soon as they have been 'fixed'.  The cycle routes are not segregated from other road traffic and where they are shared use paths they are not wide enough to allow cycling and pedestrian traffic at the same time. Pubs/Shops are allowed to place advertising boards etc on the footpath obstructing them. Vehicles (eg delivery vehicles and pub goers at the Tafarn Y Bont), are often parked on them...someone needs to control this!I  It's hard to know where to start. I won't bother to catalogue the inaccuracies and omissions of the maps, nor the multiple inadequacies of practically every stretch - your own Active Travel "audits" should have demonstrated these already. They serve only to show that the entire network is unacceptable as an active travel facility.

Question 3 : Are there existing routes you think we may have missed that are already being used as active travel routes?  Yes  No  Comments

Yes 40% No 60% 5

Comments were made as follows:  cycle route from Llangefni town centre to ysgol y graig llangefni (non road)  Caergeiliog  Y Gors Pentre Berw  Would like areas such as south stack Holyhead country park quarry and Rhoscolyn loop to be included  Lon Las Cefni from Gaerwen and Bodffordd  Menai Bridge footways  Star to Llanfairpwll. Good for shopping. Llanfairpwll to Menai Bridge beside A5  The entire road network is used for active travel, though only by a tiny, brave minority. But build it, and they will come.

Question 4 : Are there any more routes you think could be developed as future active travel routes?  Yes  No  Comments

Yes 48% No 52%

Comments were made as follows:  Beaumaris area  Linking the lon las Cefni cycle route car park near Gaewen and gaerwen itself? In order that we can visit the shops, pubs, garden centre etc without having to cycle on the extremely busy roads?  Newborough forest to llangefni  Gaerwen  Quarry country park soldiers point Holyhead.coast road to south starch,The Rhoscolyn loop  The hospital would seem to be an obvious omission from ATR?

Link from Coleg Menai to Town does not follow shortest/desire line which would go through Pencraig.

Walking route from school/sports centre through Pen y Fron to Glanhwfa Road.

Cyclists travelling along Lon Las Cefni to Bryn Cefni businesses use road rather than crossing river twice. Could footpath be made shared use?

There is a bus stop between A5114 and Bryn Cefni roundabout but no AT route shown from it.

The footway route up to the Oriel - can it also be a cycle route (Llangefni Green Transport Plan)?

 A real opportunity for Anglesey would be to establish an 'Anglesey coast cycle route' as an equivalent to the Coastal Path. The latter already brings in lots of active tourism to the island as well as encouraging those of us living locally to get out and walk more, with consequent health benefits.

It would be great to have a cycle lane on the road between Four Crosses (top of Menai Bridge) and Pentraeth. The road should be wide enough to achieve this, as has been done on the road between Four Crosses and Llanfairpwll.

Please also note that the 'Giach' rural cycling route (which I cycled yesterday for the first time) needs additional, or replacement, signs as several of the junctions on this route.  Menai Bridge footways: cycle travel should be on direction only on each side to match the direction of travel on the adjacent road. Between Menai Bridge and Llanfair PG: Foot/cycle path should be constructed running alongside the straits and not the road. Why hasn't any consideration been given to the link between Beaumaris and Menai Bridge? a cycle path could be constructed along the old road connecting Baron Hill with the road near the Antelope thus avoiding the dangerous bends.  Living in Brynsiencyn the best route to Llanfairpwll is on back roads via Star, a much longer route than on the main A4080 which is very dangerous. Ideally a route could be signed from Brynsiencyn via the coastal road/path to Plas Goch then ideally through Plas Newydd. The whole of Brynsiencyn village is dangerous for cycling and in some parts for walking with narrow pavements and high kerbs. At present it is not a place where I would encourage school children to cycle which is a shame.  Yes. A good-quality network in and between the major centres is an urgent priority. Safe pleasant door-to-door journeys should be possible for all routes under ten miles. The Menai Straits crossing offers particularly clear benefits at far lower cost than a new bridge.

Other Comments One form was received through the post: Question 1 : Do you agree that the routes identified are suitable to be promoted for Active Travel Journeys?  Yes   No Question 2 : Are there any problems along any of these routes that would stop you from using them?  Yes  No Problems  Question 3 : Are there existing routes you think we may have missed that are already being used as active travel routes?  Yes  No  Question 4 : Are there any more routes you think could be developed as future active travel routes?  Yes  No  7

One email response was received, the comments are as follows: I’d like to add a comment that a cycle path is desperately needed from LlanfairPG to Newborough, there are so many cyclists on this very busy road and once they get to Newborough they can go on the cycle path from Malltraeth to Llangefni.

Community Councils One Community Council responded to the consultation formally and this was Cyngor Cymuned Llanfair Mathafarn Eithaf. Their response states: The contents of your letter were discussed in our recent meeting and it was decided that the two routes that were proposed are unsuitable to be given the description ‘Active Travel’. One path runs parallel to the A5025 from one end of Benllech to the other, and the second path runs parallel to Lôn Llangefni from Benllech square to the edge of the village. These two roads are very busy with the area around Benllech Square being dangerous at busy times. The Community Council isn’t being negative but reporting the situation as it is.

Schools The Sustrans Schools Officer for North Wales worked with two schools in Holyhead taking pupils on a walk from their existing school to the new Ysgol Cybi site.

Ysgol Llaingoch (6-6-2016) Vulcan Street-Seiriol Street-South Stack Road. Good: - Pelican/pelican crossing on South Stack Rd - About half the lengths of pavement wide enough. - Speed bumps near High School Poor: - cars parked on the pavement near shop on South Stack rd. - Stinging nettles on side of path. - Poor surface throughout. - Dog mess - bins and recycling boxes in the way of pedestrians on pavements. - Lack of off-road cycle routes in to the school. - Suggestion from pupils and staff to move Ysgol Llaingoch lollypop person nearer to Ysgol Cybi, eg. Garreglwyd Rd/South Stack junction suggested – especially if school opens prior to the roundabout being built for new development at this junction. - Suggestion from pupils and staff to reduce the speed limit to 20mph in teh area around ysgol Cybi-

- At the Garreglwyd Rd/South Stack Rd. Junction – especially before the roundabout is built. If pupils cross here it is difficult to see what is coming from the direction of the middle of town. - Along Garreglwyd Rd as this is where most traffic for the school will be.

Ysgol y Parc Pupils’ assessment of the walking route from the corner Garreglwyd Rd/Vulcan Street, along Seiriol St, and then along South Stack Road, and crossing Thomas Street and Cambria Street. Pupils were asked what was good, bad and what would they change. (24/05/2016) - 21/75 pupils think it is a good route. - A good route since there are pavements the whole way. - Poor junction at Cambria St./Thomas St./South Stack Road – lots of roads coming together and lots of traffic, especially at school drop off and pick up times. - Narrow pavement – needs widening. - No dedicated crossing – needs new and a lollypop person. - Ani-scoial area outside the Cambria Inn and Holyhead High School. - Dog mess and broken galss – need bins. - Poor surface of paths – needs resurfacing. - Pathways narrow, with thorns/nettles/vegetation. - Drains with big gaps not good for bikes/scooter – need new covers or similar.

Sessions were also held in secondary schools in Holyhead and Menai Bridge to discuss existing and proposed Active Travel Routes as part of Sustrans’ Active Travel project funded by Welsh Government. Information from these sessions will feed into the Integrated Network Map.