Viking Coastal Trail – Link to Station

A report by the Area Manager to the Thanet Joint Transportation Board on 24 June 2003.

Introduction

1. This report is a follow up to two previous reports on 13 November 2001 and 19 March 2002, and contains the results of a public consultation on a proposed cycle link between Broadstairs railway station and the Viking Coastal Trail.

Background

2. This Board has previously supported an innovative scheme to promote Thanet’s seven railway stations as “Viking Coastal Trail Interchange” points, following an agreement with and Connex. This scheme involves distinctive signs on the railway platforms (see Fig. 1 in Appendix A), and signposted routes from the stations to the Viking Coastal Trail.

3. Since it was opened by Olympic athlete Kelly Holmes MBE on 10 June 2001, the Viking Coastal Trail (a 28-mile multi-purpose circular cycle route around Thanet) has been very successful, enjoying very positive national media coverage. Cafes and pubs on the route have reported increased business, and a key objective in the promotion of the route is as a sustainable tourist attraction in its own right (see Appendix B). The links to the stations are an integral part of this strategy.

4. Signposted routes to Westgate, , Dumpton Park, and Minster stations were relatively straightforward to implement, and are now in place. The route to Birchington station initially involved a contraflow cycle lane in Sandles Road, but that was abandoned after consultation with the Parish Council. A new signposted route (involving no alterations to the highway) has subsequently been drawn up and agreed with the Parish Council, and will be implemented in the near future.

5. The link to Broadstairs station is more difficult to achieve. At present there is a temporary signed link that uses the High Street and Albion Street. However, the retention of this route in the longer term is inadvisable, as it is not suitable for an unsupervised 12 year old (which is the criteria required for any National or Regional Cycle Route).

6. On 19 March 2002 this Board considered a proposal for a permanent link, which included a contra-flow cycle lane in Lloyd Road and Lawn Road. Local residents rejected this proposal after public consultation, and therefore this Board took the view to abandon the scheme, and to consider alternatives as a part of the review of the Thanet Cycling Plan.

Revised proposals for a permanent link

7. A revised permanent link was designed that attempted to deal with concerns raised in the original public consultation. This scheme is shown on Drawing No. 0004969/Y/1, and incorporates Option 1 for the route through the Vere Road coach and car park. It will cost approximately £40,000 to construct, and funding is currently available from the 2003-04 Thanet Urban Package.

8. A consultation document (attached as Appendix C) was sent out in March 2003 to 170 residents living on or close to the route of the cycle link, together with a questionnaire and an SAE for returning responses. These documents were also sent to local district and county members, as well as to a number of local organisations deemed to have an interest in this matter. In total, 64 completed questionnaires were received, representing a response rate of 34%.

9. Three questions were asked, relating to the three major changes to the route from the

previous proposal. The questions were as follows:

Question Reason for change from before Q1 Do you support the new footpath A contra-flow cycle lane in Lloyd through the Memorial Recreation Road and Lawn Road resulted in an Ground? unacceptable loss of on-street parking. Q2 Do you support widening the existing A contra-flow cycle lane in Lawn footway on the north side of Lawn Road Road resulted in an unacceptable for shared use by cyclists, between loss of on-street parking. Carlton Avenue and Vere Road? Q3 Do you support widening the existing The path was previously planned to footpath from Vere Road car park to be unsegregated, which lead to Alexandra Road, and segregating it for safety concerns being raised. use by pedestrians and cyclists?

The response to these questions was as follows:

Yes No Don’t know Q1 36 (56%) 26 (41%) 2 (3%) Q2 33 (52%) 29 (45%) 2 (3%) Q3 35 (55%) 28 (44%) 1 (1%)

1. It can be seen that the new route through the Memorial Recreation Ground has the strongest support amongst residents with 56% of respondents in favour, and is more popular than the contra- flow proposal, which in the previous consultation only attracted 44% support.

2. The new shared use path on the north side of Lawn Road has the least amount of support, with a slim majority of 52% of respondents in favour. It is therefore a slightly more popular option than a contra-flow cycle lane. However, only 30% of residents from Lawn Road who replied favour this shared path option.

3. The views of the public regarding the path through Culmer’s Field (adjacent to the allotments) have not changed a great deal, 55% of respondents now support its conversion to a cycle route, whereas previously 54% were in favour.

4. The following views were also received from non-resident consultees:

Consultee Comment (brief summary) Response Broadstairs Recommends that the cycle route uses the High The route cannot use the High and St Peter’s Street. The Town Council has commissioned a Street unless cycle lanes are Town Council transport study by Babtie for the town centre; any introduced, which would result resultant traffic plan could incorporate this in a loss of all on-street parking. proposal. States that an area of land in Vere There is no mention of any Road car park has been earmarked for development for the Vere Road development. car park in the Local Plan. County Not enough detail to give a formal response, Should the scheme proceed to Constabulary although this draft is more suitable than that detailed design, the Police will previously submitted. be consulted in due course. Ramblers Cyclists travelling at speed through the open Cyclists already use the path, Association space may create a hazard for walkers and the segregation is an attempt to should have a separate path. formalise the current situation.

Thanet There is room for a short section of contra-flow Contra-flow cycle lanes require Cycling Forum cycle lane in Lawn Road where cyclists enter the protection by a refuge island at

Memorial Rec. Rather than a shared use path in their commencement, which Lawn Road, there is room for a 1.5m contra-flow reduces the amount of lane, leaving 2.9m for vehicles. All in all a good carriageway width available. job that will compliment the recent installation of cycle lockers at the station. The Grave concerns over the suggested use of Lawn The terms under which Broadstairs Road and Culmer’s Field. The current temporary Culmer’s Field is administered Society route using the High Street should become needs to be rigorously permanent. examined if the scheme is to proceed. As previously discussed, the existing temporary route cannot remain permanent. Wheelchair These cycle routes have given wheelchair users New cycle paths can also Users Group access to areas that were previously dangerous benefit pedestrians as well as or impossible to get to – keep up the good work. cyclists.

1. Residents who were consulted were also given the opportunity to make specific comments. A summary of those with relevance to the proposals is attached as Appendix D.

Conclusion

15. The revised scheme is more popular amongst residents than the previous proposal, however, a significant minority still remain opposed.

16. The scheme does not enjoy the support of either Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council or The Broadstairs Society, who would prefer to see the route use the High Street. For reasons previously discussed, this will not be possible without major changes to traffic management in the High Street.

17. The temporary signed route (High Street / Albion Street) is not suitable for an unsupervised 12 year old, which is the criteria required for any National or Regional Cycle Route. The temporary route was not intended to remain in use for the longer term. Therefore, if a permanent link cannot be agreed, the temporary link will have to be removed. This will leave Broadstairs as the only station in Thanet without a link, or the signs that are shown in Appendix A, and the opportunity to involve the town in this innovative tourism initiative will be lost.

18. As a result of the consultation, it has come to light that Culmer’s Field belongs to the Thanet Parochial Charities, who currently lease the land to Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council. Therefore, any further progress on the scheme is dependent upon their future co-operation.

19. Subject to the views of this Board, it is proposed to enter into further discussion with Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council, and the Thanet Parochial Charities, and then report back to the Board at the earliest opportunity.

Accountable Officer – Steve Darling 01227 825362

Background documents :

Appendix A: Photo examples of a railway station sign, and a motorcycle barrier that allows wheelchair access. Appendix B: Cycle tourism statistics. Appendix C: Public consultation document. Appendix D: Summary of additional comments of consultees.

Drawing No: 0004969/Y/1 (on display).

APPENDIX A: PHOTO EXAMPLES OF A RAILWAY STATION SIGN, AND A MOTOR CYCLE BARRIER THAT ALLOWS WHEELCHAIR ACCESS

Fig. 1: Digitally created impression of how the platform station signs will appear at each of the Viking Coastal Trail Interchange points

Fig. 2: Photo of motor cycle barrier that allows the free passage of wheel chair users

APPENDIX B: CYCLE TOURISM STATISTICS

Table 1: Average spending by UK Cycle Tourists

Cycling holidays Domestic cycling holiday visitors £146 per trip 1 (£30-35 per night) Overseas cycling holiday visitors £300 per trip 2 (entire holiday) Holiday cycling / cycling day visits Average spend per head £9 per trip (per day) 3 Local leisure cycling trips Average spend per head £4 per trip (per day) 3

1Sustrans estimate derived from United Kingdom Tourism Survey 1997. 2Sustrans estimate. 3Sustrans estimate based on expenditure figures for Countryside Visits in UK Leisure Day Visits Survey 1996.

Table 2: Characteristic of UK cycle tourism trips

Cycling holidays Average length of stay 4 2.0 nights (short breaks) 7.1 nights (long holidays) 4.4 nights (all breaks / holidays) Percentage of domestic visitors who 3% participate in cycling on holiday 4 Percentage of overseas visitors who 3% participate in cycling on holiday 5 Cycling day visits 6 Average distance travelled to start 39.3 miles point of journey Average duration of trip 3.6 hours Average size of party 4.6 people

4Sustrans estimates derived from United Kingdom Tourism Survey 1997. 5Overseas Leisure Visitors Survey 1996. 6Figures for Countryside Visits for UK Leisure Day Visits Survey 1996.

APPENDIX C: PUBLIC CONSULTATION DOCUMENT

Viking Coastal Trail Cycle Route Link to Broadstairs Railway Station

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Public Consultation March 2003

KCC logo was here TDC logo was here Sustrans logo was here

Proposals

The Viking Coastal Trail was opened on 10 June 2001 and has become one of Kent’s most successful cycle routes. It is a 28 mile circular route that follows the Thanet coastline from Minnis Bay to Pegwell Bay, and linked inland via the villages of Minster, Monkton and St Nicholas at Wade.

It is intended that the Trail will be linked to Thanet’s emerging commuter cycle network, tourist attractions, civic amenities, transport interchanges and other main attractions. Cycle parking will be provided at all these locations.

County and District Councillors have approved a scheme to link the Viking Coastal Trail to each of Thanet’s seven railway stations. In most cases this has involved little more than sign-posting existing roads, but more extensive engineering measures will be necessary in Broadstairs to create a continuous, safe and attractive route.

You may have already commented upon a previous proposal in December 2001, which was rejected by councillors following a similar consultation exercise. A new design has therefore been produced, to take into account many of the concerns that were raised by local residents and organisations at that time. This is your opportunity to comment on these revised proposals for Broadstairs .

The scheme is shown diagrammatically opposite, but there are three key elements that we would particularly like your views on:

1. A shared use footpath for cyclists and pedestrians through the Memorial Recreation Ground. This avoids the need for the previously proposed contra- flow cycle lane in Lloyd Road / Lawn Road, thereby maintaining the existing amount of available on-street parking; 2. The widening and conversion of the existing footway (on the north side of Lawn Road between Carlton Avenue and Vere Road) to shared use by cyclists and pedestrians. Again, this avoids the need for a contra-flow cycle lane in Lawn Road, thereby maintaining the existing amount of on-street parking; 3. Widening the existing footpath from Vere Road car park to Alexandra Road, to create a segregated path for cyclists and pedestrians (with a central white line down the middle).

The results of this public consultation will be reported to the next available meeting of the Thanet Joint Transportation Board, expected to take place in June 2003.

If the scheme is approved, construction work is likely to take place during the financial year 2003-04. The estimated cost of the scheme is £40,000.

Please spend a few minutes to look at the proposals and to complete the enclosed questionnaire. Your views are important.

What happens next?

December 2001 Original public consultation takes place ê March 2002 Thanet Joint Transportation Committee rejects the original scheme and recommends that a revised design is formulated ê Autumn 2002 Revised scheme design drawn up ê March 2003 Public consultation ê June 2003 Thanet Joint Transportation Committee considers objections ê Summer 2003 – Spring 2004 Construction of scheme, subject to results of public consultation (note this is the time period within which the scheme is expected to be constructed, not the duration).

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For further information, please contact:

Steve Darling Transportation Engineer Kent County Council 2 Beer Cart Lane Kent CT1 2NN

Tel: 01227 825362 Fax: 01227 464765 e-mail: [email protected]

Viking Coastal Trail Cycle Route Link to Broadstairs Railway Station

Public Consultation - March 2003

Question 1 Do you support the new footpath through the Memorial Recreation Ground?

Yes ? No ?

Question 2 Do you support widening the existing footway on the north side of Lawn Road for shared use by cyclists, between Carlton Avenue and Vere Road.

Yes ? No ?

Question 3 Do you support widening the existing footpath from Vere Road car park to Alexandra Road, and segregating it for use by pedestrians and cyclists?

Yes ? No ?

Do you have any other comments or suggestions? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Name …………………………………………….……………………………………….. Address ………………………………………………………………………………….….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Please return your completed questionnaire in the envelope provided by 28 March 2003 . Thank you for your time.

The information you provide will be processes by Kent County Council in conjunction with the Viking Coastal Trail Links to Railway Stations and will not be disclosed to a third party. Data Protection Act 1998

APPENDIX D: SUMMARY OF ADDITIONAL COMMENTS MADE BY CONSULTEES Comment Response Alexandra Road is too small for a cycle path. Cyclists will only use the existing road, no cycle lane is proposed. Cyclists could use The Pathway instead of The Pathway is a less direct route, cyclists are Alexandra Road, which is less busy. unlikely to follow this diversion. A drop kerb is required at the end of Alexandra Rd. Agreed. Alexandra Rd is busy and hazardous for cyclists. It is less hazardous than the High Street. More prominent ‘no-through’ signs for Alexandra Worth further consideration. Road, to dissuade non-resident traffic. Objections to the widening of the path through A difficult balancing act, as the cycle path is Culmer’s Field and the loss of green space. intended to promote sustainable tourism. Any path widening would be kept to the minimum width required for segregated use i.e. 3.1m. The high cost makes this a waste of money. The path is intended to help attract visitors to Broadstairs from a wider area. Cyclists should use the roads. There is no suitable alternative that utilises the existing public highway. Why can cyclists not use the road in Lawn Road, Lawn Road is a one-way street. A contra-flow rather than a shared use path? cycle lane was previously rejected. The only other alternative is to make Lawn Rd two-way. Culmer’s Field is a safe traffic free area, and needs Agreed. Special gates can be considered that to be kept from use by cars. prevent access by motorcycles, whilst allowing passage by wheelchair users (see fig. 2 in Appendix A). The entrance into the Memorial Rec should not be Agreed – see above response. too wide so as to allow traffic into the park. General concerns over cyclists and pedestrians This is the only option other than a contra-flow sharing the same path in Lawn Road. cycle lane, or reversion to a two-way road. Send station-bound cyclists up Carlton Avenue The route through the Memorial Rec is a much and right into the High Street, to avoid the steps up safer option. to the station. The path interferes with areas of the Memorial Rec Consultation was undertaken with the relevant used by youngsters in summer. TDC department regarding use of the park for a cycle path. Widening the footpath in Lawn Road will leave less The path will be widened using the adjacent road space. grass verge, with no loss of carriageway width. Measures are required in Carlton Avenue to alert Agreed. This would need to be addressed in drivers to the presence of cyclists. any detailed scheme design. The wheeling ramp on the steps leading up to the Wheeling ramps are helpful for pushchair station will be used by skateboarders. users. High quality facilities for skateboarders are available elsewhere in Broadstairs. Residents Parking Schemes requested for These requests will be passed on to the Alexandra Road, Lawn Road and Vere Road. relevant officers at . It would be safer to cross the Memorial Rec, and The passageways leading from the Memorial then cycle down Bradstow Way and emerge in Rec to Masons Rise / Carlton Avenue are too Nelson Place. narrow, as is the one from Bradstow Way to Nelson Place. Concern over the use of Fort Road by cyclists. Fort Road already forms a part of the Viking Coastal Trail. Take cyclists through the Memorial Rec past the There is a narrow pinch point near to the bowling green, to avoid the need for a wheeling bowling green. Due to physical constraints on ramp on the stairs. both sides, unfortunately it is not possible to improve visibility here. Traffic calming required in Vere Road to protect Vere Road is less busy than Carlton Avenue cyclists exiting Lawn Road. and so this is not considered necessary.

Has consideration been given to using the path Yes it has. It was considered that the route behind the public conveniences, to avoid the need chosen is less intimidating for the lone cyclist. to go through the coach and car park? There may also be potential problems associated with tree roots in building this route. What evidence is there of the unsatisfied demand Experience of constructing new routes such as for this route? the Viking Coastal Trail and others has shown that the facility will be used if provided. See also Appendix B. Hopefully the route will be lit up, as at night it is Unfortunately the scheme does not include very intimidating. additional lighting. Culmer’s Field was bequeathed to the community Further clarification on this matter will be sought and is leased by the Town Council, a cycle path before the scheme proceeds any further. would violate the conditions under which the land was left to the town. Funds involved could be better used, and cyclists The scheme is intended to promote sustainable who neither pay tax or insurance should not take tourism in Broadstairs, spending the money on preference over the motorist. the motorist would not achieve this aim. Safety comes first, the path will also bring more Encouraging more people to visit Broadstairs is visitors to the community. a primary objective of the scheme.