Autumn Newsletter 2020 (no. 112): Unity Square Public Realm Proposals: Pedals objections rejected This area also marks the City Centre end of one of the most important local cycle routes, the Southern Cycle Corridor We were very disappointed that our recent connecting to Wilford and Clifton etc, objections to the public realm proposals including the major new housing for the Unity Square area by the new development south of Clifton at Fairham HMRC office block at the top of Queen’s Pastures on which work recently started. Bridge Road were rejected. This route has already seen several useful In making our objections we stressed the improvements in recent years, and, if there need for separate provision for cyclists and also the further improvements we would pedestrians at this key location close to like to see, when funds permit, this could be Nottingham Station and the whole one of the most popular cycle routes in the Broadmarsh area where changes have now whole Greater Nottingham area, started to make it far more cyclist- and particularly with growing use of ebikes on pedestrian friendly. longer trips. 1 The need for cycle infrastructure to be Travel Fund allocation from the DfT, was designed to accommodate such growth, and installed in the Carlton Road area recently. for separate provision for cyclists and Several EATP schemes have been installed pedestrians on main urban routes, are both in areas on the north and east sides of the emphasised in the recent revised Cycle City which have historically had relatively Infrastructure Guidance from the little cycling provision of any kind. Department for Transport, Local Transport Note 1/20, so we have been all the more The measures aim to support social disappointed to see the recent planning distancing by making it easier for people to decision failing to reflect this. walk and cycle, and to deter cut-through driving. New pop-up cycle lanes to help people get active during Councillor Adele Williams, Portfolio Holder Covid-19 for Transport, said: “Our pop-up cycle lanes A range of pop up cycle lanes, street have focused on developing new and closures and cycle parking facilities have improved cycling corridors on key routes in been put in place across the city to the north and east of the city. encourage more active travel during the “We’ve also introduced two low traffic Covid-19 pandemic. There has been a wide neighbourhoods, in the Arboretum and range of reactions to these measures, both Derby Road areas, to deter motorists using generally and about specific schemes. these residential areas a cut-through and, by doing so, create a more inviting environment, and more space, for people to walk or ride a bike. “These measures are all about keeping Nottingham moving safely, by encouraging more active travel and reducing demand on public transport while social distancing guidelines are in place. “We are monitoring all these schemes and The last cycle route, funded through inviting residents, businesses and road users Nottingham City Council’s Emergency Active to let us know what they think.” 2 The trial cycle lanes are now signed and As well as making the Embankment a much lined with easy to spot orange paint, and more pleasant place for cycling and walking most of the routes are segregated to some the closure to through traffic has the extra degree. In some locations this has not been advantage of facilitating safe access to the possible, due to access required to bus very popular Child Cyclist Training Area stops, or driveways, or due to impact on opened about 2 years ago, next to the public transport. Playground and Paddling Pool. For more information visit: The fund has also been used to support the https://www.transportnottingham.co provision of bikes to more than 160 m/projects/emergency-active-travel- jobseekers, and to run pop up Dr Bike fund-covid-19-measures/ sessions. A bid to the DfT for further City Council Find out more information and EATP schemes (Tranche 2) was submitted comment on any of the schemes see on 3 September. We understand that this https://www.transportnottingham.co may include the Trent Bridge pop-up bike m/projects/emergency-active-travel- lane scheme deferred from Tranche 1 fund-covid-19-measures/ deferred from Tranche 1 because of various City EATF Tranche 2 details are at complications such as the impact on Trent https://nottinghaminsight.org.uk/Doc Bridge of the continuing repair work on ument-Library/Document- Clifton Bridge and a longer lead time due to Library/aaDfHJCh cross-boundary negotiations The City Council is also inviting suggestions from residents on further areas for improvement. Visit https://keepnottinghammovingsafely. commonplace.is/ Nottinghamshire County Council are also planning to introduce 2 EATP schemes in The latest EATP schemes follow the closure their part of the Greater Nottingham area. to through traffic of Victoria Embankment These are a general road closure, with at the beginning of August, and the creation exemptions for cyclists, on Dovecote Lane in of car-free streets outside eight schools in Beeston, and extension of the cycle path / the city in September. shared path on Regatta Way, West Bridgford. 3 Conversation to encourage people to take a fresh look at the whole future of the area, gives a new opportunity to improve further conditions for cyclists. Cyclists have already benefitted from the removal of motor traffic on Collin Street since August and work has now started on the segregated cycle route to run along the south side of Canal Street between Castle Boulevard and the BBC Island at the top of London Road, connecting the Western and Eastern Cycle Corridors. This would improve access to the National Water Sports Centre and Country Park at Holme Pierrepoint and to the planned new foot-cycle bridge across the Trent between Lady Bay and Trent Basin (Poulton Drive), to be built by the City Council within the next 3 The new pop-up bike lanes on Station Street years following their success in obtaining and London Road-Canal Street-Trent Street funding from the DfT’s Transforming Cities also now help cyclists in the area close to the Broadmarsh. Fund (Tranche 2). The County Council’s EATP Tranche 2 bid is available at https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/tran sport/emergency-active-travel-fund Further opportunities to There is now an opportunity to revive improve cycling in the Pedals longstanding idea of providing Broadmarsh area proper cyclist as well as pedestrian access The abandonment this summer of the Intu into the City Centre from Carrington Street proposals for the redevelopment of the via Listergate, something that the now Broadmarsh area and the recent launch of abandoned Intu proposals for the the City Council’s Broadmarsh Big Broadmarsh would have precluded. 4 For more information on the The further development of the whole Broadmarsh Big Conversation visit: Island Quarter site over the next ten years www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/Broadm or so offers great potential to improve arshBigConversation active travel links in the area and Pedals is working closely on this with the Nottingham Local Access Forum to help the developers and the City Council to make the most of this potential. We understand that the Canal and River Trust are also interested in further towpath improvements in connection with these plans. These will include lighting improvements between Castle Marina and Trent Bridge and improvements to the Island Quarter scheme includes Lenton Lane ramp, west of the City Centre. extension to canal towpath near London Road Planning consent was recently granted for the Canal Turn, the first major new building in the Island Quarter, the major regeneration site between London Road and Manvers Street, Sneinton. Broxtowe Cycling Survey and Broxtowe Cycling Forum initiatives by Darren Henry MP Darren Henry who was elected MP for Broxtowe in 2019 seems very keen to As well as including a restaurant and public promote cycling. space this will include a welcome extension to the canal towpath north of Great He accompanied the PM, Boris Johnson, on Northern Close, enabling cyclists to avoid a cycle ride in the Beeston Rylands area in having to carry their bikes up and down the July to help promote the launch of the steps if they wish to continue across the Government’s new “Gear Change: A Bold Island Quarter. However, at the Planning Vision for cycling and walking” Committee meeting the view was expressed https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/gov that it would be useful to keep the existing ernment/uploads/system/uploads/attachm channel on the steps for cyclists who might ent_data/file/904146/gear-change-a-bold- still prefer that route. vision-for-cycling-and-walking.pdf 5 and accompanying revised Cycle To find out more about future plans Infrastructure Design Guidance, DfT Local and for information on the outcome of Transport Note 1/20: the first meeting contact Carl Husted, https://www.gov.uk/government/publicatio Constituency Support Manager, ns/cycle-infrastructure-design-ltn-120 Office of Darren Henry MP, email: [email protected] For more information on the Chilwell & Toton Neighbourhood Forum cycling suggestions contact Iain Craik: [email protected] For more information on the consultation on the Strategic Following this he launched his Broxtowe Masterplan for the Area of Toton Cycling Survey to gather information from (closing on 22.11.20) see constituents on the cycling improvements https://virtualengage.arup.com/toton they would like to see, and arranged an -masterplan/ online Broxtowe Cycling Forum on 21 October, with 64 participants from a wide range of groups. These include the Chilwell & Toton Neighbourhood Forum who have already done much useful work on the Chilwell Barracks / East Midlands Hub & Growth Zone area, including detailed cycling suggestions.