North Residents’ Association

MARSHALSWICK NORTH RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (MNRA) RESPONSE TO SOUTH CENTRAL GROWTH AND TRANSPORT PLAN (SCGTP) February 2020

GENERAL Rights of Way Improvement Plan (RoWIP)/Sustainability We welcome a strategic approach to improving transport links in and around the City of , including an improved emphasis on sustainability. In this context, we were surprised to see so little mention of the Herts County Council (HCC) Rights of Way Improvement Plan. It is suggested that specific references to this Plan be incorporated into the document, as the extension of multi-user off road routes will be key to achieving modal shift in transport. MNRA and Parish Council (SPC) have worked hard alongside the St Albans Access Forum to update and enhance the RoWIP within the Sandridge parish area. The aim has been to work to achieve real, practical connectivity for those not using private motor vehicles. We would have liked to see more reflection of this priority in an HCC document. North East St Albans/Connectivity In our view, another element missing in the document is sufficient recognition of the particular issues affecting the suburbs to the North East of St Albans where very large housing/school developments are being built or are planned in the near future along the Sandpit Lane/Coopers Green Lane axis. Key to this is the need for a ‘joined up’ approach to connectivity by linking new projects such as the Coopers Green Lane Corridor all the way through to the Green Ring, and pro-actively addressing City Station routes for cyclists and pedestrians from the Marshalswick, and Sandridge Village areas. (See also comments on individual Packages below.) MNRA, along with SPC (through its Neighbourhood Plan), have been working hard with the developer Taylor Wimpey to establish cycling and pedestrian routes leading towards key destinations from their new development on Sandpit Lane (Oaklands Grange). They have met with some success so far. This work needs to be continued by strategic planning and support from HCC to address the transport links onwards towards the City Station and city centre and to meet up with the Green Ring. Bus provision/use MNRA and SPC have also worked hard to try and retain and increase bus provision/use in this area. It was therefore disappointing to see that bus routes serving this area were not specifically included in improvement planning. (For example, extension of the current restricted hours of the new S6 bus service, funded by Taylor Wimpey Section 106 monies, could encourage more people to leave their cars behind when travelling to the station or city centre in St Albans.) We support many of the package elements relating to the St Albans area and have made additional comments on individual ‘packages’ of proposed measures below: Package 24 - St Albans City Centre SM142 – the 653 and S6 buses which serve this area would benefit from options a or b, as difficulty in turning the corner from St Peters Street into Victoria Street without meeting an obstruction can cause delays to services. Package 25 - Green Ring and Albans Way Improvements We welcome the enhancements proposed but they will have limited impact. The route is not walking or cycle friendly in many places and does not address active travel connectivity for those living in the heavily populated areas of Marshalswick and Jersey Farm. It does not assist in the implementation of the Rights of Way Improvement Plan proposals which would provide safer active travel linkage to the village of Sandridge. SM153 – Green Ring – The spokes need to be extended to connect all residential and industrial areas to the Ring & then into the City Centre & stations. To the north & east of the City, we would propose:-  Connect Sandpit Lane & SM67 to Green Ring  Connect Green Ring at Sandpit Lane with City Centre & station  Connect Sandridge village to Green Ring  Connect Green Ring at Sandridge Road with City Centre and station.  Connect potential North St. Albans Broad Location with Green Ring, City Centre & station. In addition, we suggest it is important to provide active travel routes to connect the south of Jersey Farm to the Alban Way. PR 154, 155, 156, 158 and SM157 – we support these proposals to improve the Alban Way. Package 27 – St Albans City Station Accessibility SM163 – we support the principle of improving road safety along Victoria St for pedestrians but the proposals need to be tailored to exclude buses from any additional delays to motor traffic along this stretch. The road between the City Station and the city centre is quite steep and measures should not disadvantage those with mobility or health difficulties. PR167 – the improvement of secure cycle parking would be welcomed by the many cyclists from the Marshalswick area who use the station. Package 28 – Hatfield Road Corridor – St Albans The map provided is not very specific but we assume the measures relate to the stretch of road between the Thrifty garage/Morrisons to the junction by the Crown public house. PR169, PR170 and SM171 – this particularly affects the route of the 653 bus which carries passengers from this area. We welcome measures to ease the passage of the bus and prevent delays and the consequent unreliability of the service. We would not, however, favour priority measures which displaced traffic on to Sandpit Lane as an alternative route into the city centre. Sandpit Lane is already severely congested at peak hours, particularly around its junctions with Beechwood Avenue/Marshalswick Lane and with House Lane and with Coopers Green Lane. The current new Oaklands Grange housing development, together with the large planned Broad Location development/schools on Sandpit Lane and Welwyn and Hatfield’s large planned development at North West Hatfield will only significantly worsen the traffic congestion in future. Cyclists are already discouraged from using this road because of its narrow width in parts and the volume of traffic. Any work on Hatfield Road should avoid exacerbating this situation by displacing traffic. MNRA would welcome involvement in consultation on more detailed plans. PR170 should additionally provide for improved bus stops and more real-time service information along the route of the 653 bus – for example, at The Quadrant – in order to encourage increased bus usage. Package 30 – A414 Highway Improvements (South of St Albans) These measures are supported. SM178 – improvement of the longabout junction to improve safety is long overdue. SM180 – signage improvement and any other incentives to increase usage of the A414 for east-west routes are welcomed. Currently, large volumes of through traffic, including HGVs, are travelling through unclassified residential roads in Marshalswick, Jersey Farm and Sandridge village, which are unsuitable for this purpose. This causes air quality and road safety problems. Package 34 – St Albans-Hatfield Local Connectivity SM67 – this is generally welcomed, although it is unclear how much of Sandpit Lane is covered. To improve connectivity, this Active Travel infrastructure must continue westwards, via a suitable route, towards the City Station and city centre and link into the Green Ring (as per the final version Sandridge Parish Council Neighbourhood Plan). It needs to link in with existing and planned rights of way routes (e.g. alongside/through the new Oaklands Grange estate). Current routes are on very heavily trafficked roads and terminate at the edge of a busy narrow road. A significant number of cyclists currently use the Sandpit Lane/Clarence Road route to the City Station, causing considerable delays to the traffic and putting themselves at some risk. A local survey showed that risk to safety on the road was an important reason why some people did not use their bikes to travel to the station and city centre. PR197 – Bus route improvements must include levels of service that encourage residents of the new developments at Oaklands Grange and the adjacent planned Broad Location to use buses rather than private vehicles. Increased frequencies and extended hours of operation should also apply to the 653 bus service between St Albans and Hatfield/Welwyn Garden City which carries passengers from Marshalswick and Jersey Farm. (The frequency and extent of this service have diminished in recent years despite local protest.) SM180 – Traffic routing to the A414 must include the HGVs servicing the adjacent mineral quarrying sites on Oaklands Lane and Hatfield Road. Some of these vehicles are currently using unclassified local roads through residential areas, causing delays and risking environmental damage. PR68 – A reduced speed limit along Coopers Green Lane is supported. Even more importantly, the speed limit along Sandpit Lane past the new Oaklands Grange development should be reduced to 30mph on road safety grounds.

MNRA would be happy to be involved in any future consultations or planning regarding schemes in or affecting the Marshalswick North area.

Mary Ternouth (Secretary) On behalf of Marshalswick North Residents Association ([email protected]) 24 February 2020