Strathaven, Stonehouse and Surrounding Villages Active Travel
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages DRAFT Active Travel Feasibility Study
South Lanarkshire Council
Project number: 60647232 April 2021
Aerial Map Source: ESRI, DigitalGlobe, Geoeye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGrid, IGN and the GIS User Community
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ...... 3 1.1 Aims of the Study ...... 3 2. Context and Current Situation ...... 5 2.1 Study Area and Local Context ...... 5 2.2 Deprivation Indicators and Transport Poverty ...... 6 2.3 Commuting Data ...... 8 2.1 Key Trip Attractors ...... 11 2.2 Planned and Future Developments ...... 12 2.3 Current Active Travel Network ...... 13 2.4 Current Network Use ...... 16 2.5 Policy Framework ...... 19 3. Initial Engagement ...... 24 3.1 Online Questionnaire Survey ...... 24 3.2 Placecheck Online Map ...... 33 3.1 Additional Feedback ...... 35 4. Public Life Survey ...... 36 4.1 Public Life Survey Observations ...... 37 4.2 Public Life Survey Recommendations ...... 39 5. Proposed Network and Phased Delivery ...... 40 5.1 Principles of Proposed Network ...... 40 5.2 Proposed Networks ...... 43 5.3 Proposed Cycle Network- Delivery Phases ...... 48 5.4 Key Delivery Principles ...... 50 5.5 Next Steps ...... 52 Appendices ...... 53 Appendix A - Additional Survey Responses ...... 54 Appendix B - Placecheck Full Results ...... 78 Appendix C Public Life Survey ...... 83 Appendix D - Detailed Mapping ...... 92
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1. Introduction
1.1 Aims of the Study AECOM were commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an Active Travel Feasibility Study for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages. The aims of the study were to identify both the physical and perceived barriers to walking, cycling and wheeling (scooter, wheelchair, buggy/pram etc.) for everyday journeys in and around the areas; to help encourage more people to choose these active travel modes; and to promote Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages as Active Travel friendly towns. The Study will: • Identify key destinations and how well they are currently connected on foot or by bike; • Create a proposed cycle network map which connects those key destinations and shows what a complete cycle network for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages could look like; • Identify early priorities and recommendations to make active travel a viable option for everyday journeys in and around the Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages. A number of similar Active Travel Feasibility Studies have previously been undertaken for other areas across South Lanarkshire. This study will use the general approach established in those studies. The results of this Study and associated consultation exercises will be utilised to inform future funding applications to implement the recommendations identified.
1.1.1 Approach The approach followed in developing the active travel network is outlined below. Technical review: • A review of the current active and leisure travel routes, key destinations and barriers to active travel. • Review of the current policy at a National, Regional and Local level along with previous studies develop a greater understanding of the overall policy context. • Review of previous Active Travel Feasibility Studies undertaken previously across South Lanarkshire Public and Stakeholder engagement: • Online Survey to collate public and stakeholder input and views • Use of the online platform Placecheck to gather views on potential desired improvements for specific locations. • A key stakeholder workshop to discuss proposals and identify priorities Network development and recommendation:
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• Identification of a potential cycle network • Identification of other associated measures which will improve active travel and meet the needs of local communities • Identify opportunities for early implementation and proposed phasing for the network development. Feedback from Stakeholders and the Public and proposed network and priorities: • A key stakeholder workshop to discuss the results of the surveys and proposals from the initial engagement phase • An online survey to collate feedback from the general public and share proposals
Figure 1: Strathaven and George Allan Park, Strathaven
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2. Context and Current Situation
2.1 Study Area and Local Context
Figure 2: Map of study area including Strathaven and Stonehouse The study is focused on Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages in South Lanarkshire. Figure 2 above shows the study area and where the network is being developed. Connections beyond the network boundary were also considered alongside other proposed and existing active travel infrastructure to create a coherent and connected wider network. Strathaven and Stonehouse are both situated to the South West of Larkhall in South Lanarkshire. Strathaven has a population of around 7,500, Stonehouse 5,500, and
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are surrounded by Chapelton (640), Glassford (640), Quarter (740), Sandford and Drumclog1. The two main settlements of Strathaven and Stonehouse are connected along the A71 road corridor which connects to the M74 at the south of Larkhall. Strathaven has a thriving town centre with a range of local shops and restaurants with a medieval market square at Common Green and is located around six miles south of Hamilton, close to the Avon Water tributary of the River Clyde. There is one High School and three Primary Schools, a leisure centre, various sports clubs and a golf club. The Strathaven area has many walkways, woodlands and greenery including a large public park and Strathaven Castle. Stonehouse is a rural village also in the Avondale area and to the south of Avon Water. The village is approximately 6 miles to the south of Hamilton, east of Strathaven and south-west of Larkhall. There are a number of residential communities in Stonehouse, a small village square, several shops and businesses, pubs and restaurants, and a hospital. There are two Primary Schools, a public park and a sports ground. The National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 74 runs north-south through Stonehouse town centre connecting via quiet, rural and residential roads. Public transport in the area is limited to Whitelaw’s Coaches that enables the two settlements to connect to key destinations such as East Kilbride, and Larkhall which has the nearest rail station This Active Travel Study provides the ideal opportunity to explore the potential for an active travel network for all journeys, not only linking residential areas, places of employment, retail, education, leisure within the towns, but also linking the towns and villages to each other and to the wider transport network in this rural area. There is great potential for modal shift within the town and it is the aspiration of South Lanarkshire Council to provide a useable active travel network to make travelling actively a viable option for the residents of Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages for everyday journeys.
2.2 Deprivation Indicators and Transport Poverty The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) provides an indication of the areas which are the most and least deprived based on a number of factors which show where people are experiencing disadvantage across different aspects of their lives. Figure 3 on the following page displays the SIMD (2020) for the study area. Strathaven, Chapelton and Sandford all show generally low levels of deprivation. Only one area to the eastern end of Stonehouse was recorded within the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland. In addition, high levels of deprivation are associated with transport poverty, which considers a variety of factors such as income, car availability, access to services by
1 Statistics, Scottish Government, 2021 https://statistics.gov.scot/atlas/resource?uri=http://statistics.gov.scot/id/statistical- geography/S92000003
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public transport, and access to essential services by cycle as well as current levels of cycling. The areas that suffer from high levels of deprivation are often also likely suffer from low levels of accessibility to cars/vans and bicycles, whereas areas with low levels of deprivation will have high levels of access to cars, bicycles and public transport. The level of deprivation, and potential link to transport poverty, for the key areas within the study area will form an important part of the decision for the active travel facilities and improvements.
Figure 3: Extract from the SIMD for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages2
2 SIMD 2020, https://simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/9/-4.0000/55.9000/
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2.3 Commuting Data Commuting data from the last census (examples are present in figures displayed in Table 1 which have been extracted from ‘Datashine Scotland Commute’3). The data suggests that Strathaven and Stonehouse are commuter towns with the main destinations for commuters being East Kilbride, Hamilton, Glasgow and trips between Strathaven and Stonehouse. In addition, Stonehouse does receive a number of commuters who travel to the settlement for work with the commuters traveling from Larkhall, Kirkmuirhill, and Strathaven. Strathaven have commuters traveling mainly from Stonehouse, Sandford and Quarter. Enabling the use of sustainable modes of transport for these trips will mean providing good quality walking and cycling routes to rail and bus stations, focusing on making those modes the easiest way to access public transport. Table 1: Local Commuter Patterns (Datashine Scotland Commute)
Commuter Data: From Area Commuter Data: To Area
From Stonehouse South To Stonehouse South
3 Datashine Scotland Commute, 2021. https://scotlandcommute.datashine.org.uk/#mode=allflows&direction=both&area=und efined&zoom=11&lon=-4.1412&lat=55.6671
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Commuter Data: From Area Commuter Data: To Area
. From Stonehouse North To Stonehouse North
From Strathaven To Strathaven
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Commuter Data: From Area Commuter Data: To Area
From Glassford, Quarter and Allanton To Glassford, Quarter and Allanton
From Chapelton, Glengavel and Sandford To Chapelton, Glengavel and Sandford
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2.1 Key Trip Attractors
Figure 4: Key Trip Attractors in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages As expected, education and retail and industry sites are the dominant trip attractors within the study area of Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages. Other notable attractors are parks, sport and leisure sites. The location of these trip attractors are displayed in Figure 4.
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2.2 Planned and Future Developments There are a number of developments within the study area which are outlined below: Residential Masterplan sites4 • Strathaven West, Strathaven: A residential development that will include a combination of open spaces, structural planting and footpath networks. The development will take in to account a detailed flood risk to determine the precise locations deemed to be free from flood risks. • Westpark, Strathaven: A residential development that will include a combination of open spaces, structural planting and footpath networks. The development will take in to account a detailed flood risk to determine the precise locations deemed to be free from flood risks. Economic Regeneration • Town Centre Development, Strathaven: The development will safeguard and protect the strategic centres whilst adapting to the changing needs of occupiers and advances in technology. In addition, the development will support the appropriate marketing and promotional initiatives to help sustain the centres and improve footfall.
4 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan, South Lanarkshire Council 2015. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200145/planning_and_building_standards/3 9/development_plans/6
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2.3 Current Active Travel Network
Contains OS data © Crown Copyright and database right 2020 Figure 5: Current Cycle Network for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages The current active travel network, displayed in Figure 5, is made up of the NCN74 which operates on-road country roads connecting to Larkhall in the North and Kirkmuirhill in the south. There are also locally signed routes for the rural on-road routes.
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In addition to the cycle network the study area has a wide variety core paths, wider network paths, aspirational core paths and wider network (on-road paths) shown in Figure 6. A potentially key aspirational core path is situated along an old rail line connecting Strathaven and Stonehouse and beyond the Ayrshire Border. These paths provide an extensive network which supports the communities within the study area.
Contains OS data © Crown Copyright and database right 2020 Figure 6: Existing Core Path Network for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages
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In addition to the wider network, Make Your Way Stonehouse5 has a number of trails which provide users an opportunity to explore the local area. The trails are outlined as follows with Figure 7 displaying the routes visually: Picture Trail: A loop around King Street and New Street, going around the conservation area of Stonehouse, including the site of the New Town development. This trail also heads out to the Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park. Stone’s Throw Trail: Exploring the southern part of Stonehouse, this route connects through Stonehouse Primary School, Newfield Primary School, Stonehouse Lifestyles and the Hospital. It connects to more rural areas, and smaller green spaces.
Figure 7: Extract from Make Your Way Stonehouse Trail Map5
5 Make Your Way Stonehouse, https://www.communityactionlan.org/trails/item/make- your-way-stonehouse
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2.4 Current Network Use In South Lanarkshire 73% of journeys were made by car or van either as a driver or as a passenger, with walking accounting for 17% and cycling 1%6. The low uptake in walking and cycling as the main mode of transport in South Lanarkshire is in keeping with the national average with 22.1% of people walking and 1.2% of people cycling. Of those journeys made, in South Lanarkshire, 67% were of10km or less with the top three main purposes for travel in South Lanarkshire being Shopping (26%), Community (24%) and Visiting friends/relatives (10%)7. In regards travelling to work In South Lanarkshire only 1.8% of adults travel by bicycle. For primary school pupils 3.8% travel to school by bicycle but only 0.1% of secondary pupils travel to school by bicycle. This is likely attributed to only 26% of households in the region having access to one or more bicycles for private use. These numbers are displayed in Figure 8 . At the local level households in Strathaven and Stonehouse with no access to a car/van is 17.3%, which is significantly lower than the Scottish Average of 30.5%. Census data shows that in Strathaven and Stonehouse 59% of residents travel to work via car or van be that either as a driver or passenger. 0.1% of residents travel to work via bicycle while 15% travel to work on foot8.
6 Transport Scotland, Transport and Travel in Scotland 2019, Local Authority Table 16, 2019, https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/transport-and-travel-in-scotland- 2019-results-from-the-scottish-household-survey/ 7 Transport Scotland, Transport and Travel in Scotland 2019, Local Authority Table 17, 2019, https://www.transport.gov.scot/publication/transport-and-travel-in-scotland- 2019-results-from-the-scottish-household-survey/ 8 Scotland’s Census 2011 Method of travel to work or study. https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/ods-analyser/jsf/tableView/tableView.xhtml
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Figure 8: Extract from Active Travel Trends in South Lanarkshire from the Annual Cycling Monitoring Report 2019 (Note, most data from 2017)9
2.4.1 Hands Up Survey The Sustrans Hands Up Survey results from 2018 and 2019 provide a further indication of the current active travel network use for those travelling to nursery / school. The results show a clear trend that as pupils progress through school, less of those pupils are driven to school by an adult, while the use of public transport increases significantly. Uptake in walking remains high through all levels of education while those choosing to cycle remains low. The results are displayed in Table 2. Table 2: Hands Up Survey Results
Walk Cycle Scooter Park & Driven Bus Taxi Other / Skate Stride
Nursery 34.2% 5.0% 0.0% 0.0% 61.1% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0%
Primary 39.1% 7.7% 2.0% 8.2% 34.7% 7.1% 6.2% 0.0%
Secondary 51.6% 0.0% 0.0% 13.0% 10.3% 22.8% 1.1% 0.8%
9 Annual Cycling Monitoring Report 2019- Cycling Scotland. https://www.cycling.scot/mediaLibrary/other/english/6353.pdf
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2.4.2 Strava Metro Data South Lanarkshire Council has applied for a Partnership with digital activity tracker service Strava and their Strava Metro data. This platform shows data from people tracking their walking, running and cycling through smart phones or GPS devices. The Strava dataset is the largest collection of human-powered transport information in the world. The Metro data service aggregated, de-identifies and contextualises this dataset to help make cities better for anyone on foot or by bike10. It should be noted, that while the Strava data is valuable in helping understand local activity, this data is limited to people tracking their own activities and therefore covers more leisure, recreation and fitness activity trips. This said, the app is increasingly utilised by users during daily commutes and it can therefore provide some insight into locally preferred routes which could be utilised should improved active travel infrastructure be provided. Data for the whole of South Lanarkshire showed that in 2020 there were a total of 172,800 cycle trips recorded by 13,700 people including 7,100 visitors to the local area. Similar data for walking, running and hiking for South Lanarkshire over 2020 showed 16,500 trips by 6,000 people including 2,300 visitors to the local area. The cycling data for the study area showed high levels of use across the study area, on all road types and surrounding areas. This may reflect a high usage of the surrounding rural road network for recreational and sport cycling. While there appears high use of the NCN74 through Stonehouse, the main A71 road corridor appears to be used more frequently than the NCN, including on journeys between Stonehouse and Larkhall. Walking, hiking and cycling data showed high use within the local towns and villages and on the surrounding rural road network. Unlike the cycling data, this showed very little utilisation of the main arterial roads connecting towns such as the A71 between Strathaven and Stonehouse, or the A723 between Strathaven and Hamilton. The quiet, rural road network surrounding and between the towns and villages was highly utilised for these journeys. It should also be noted that there was high utilisation of the walking and cycling paths around Whitelee Windfarm to the north-east of the study area. There was particularly high use of these trails recorded for walking, hiking and running. Once again, this likely reflects the recreational nature of these trails.
10 Strava Metro, 2021. https://metro.strava.com/
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2.5 Policy Framework The Active Travel Network plan for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages will support the delivery of the current policy and strategy objectives across all levels of government and will take in to account the current policy surrounding health and air quality. The following section will outline the key Policy documents that have been reviewed in accordance with the study.
2.5.1 Local Policy and Strategy
A range of policy documents were reviewed and these are outline below. • South Lanarkshire Cycling Strategy, 2015-2020 which forms part of the Local Transport Strategy 2013-2023. The strategy outlines the progress of projects within the study area such as the Raith Interchange to Bothwell / NCN Route 74. The Council have provided an update to the Cycling Strategy showing progress against the actions and projects outlined in the 2015-20 Strategy. • Park and Ride Strategy, South Lanarkshire Council (2018-2027) sets out the Council’s strategic rail-based Park and Ride objectives. The overall aim is ‘to enable multimodal travel to become the more attractive transport option over car- only journeys by providing more options and greater accessibility for our rail network’11.
11 South Lanarkshire Park and Ride Strategy 2018-2027. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/13676/park_and_ride_strategy_2 018-2027
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• Local Transport Strategy 2013-202312 for South Lanarkshire outlines the strategy the Council wish to adopt in relation to transportation in the area over the next 10 years with the aim to provide an accessible and integrated transport network. • Local Housing Strategy 2017-202213 outlines the requirements and strategy in order to produce housing that is affordable, energy efficient, able to support independent living and the promotion of sustainable housing. • Promoting growth and prosperity, an Economic strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-2023)14 acknowledges the challenges South Lanarkshire has experienced over recent years, however highlights that the area is still a base for world leading companies and is a major contributor to the Scottish economy. With this in mind the strategy sets out the vision that over the next 10 years that South Lanarkshire will have the one of the strongest and most dynamic economies in Scotland, where businesses, communities and residents achieve their full potential and prosper. • Sustainable development and Climate Change Strategy (2017-2022)15 outlines South Lanarkshire Council vision for achieving sustainable development across the region in order to tackle climate change. The strategy makes specific reference to enabling and promoting the use of low carbon transport. • South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 (2020)16 seeks to promote the continued growth and regeneration of South Lanarkshire, whilst at the same time protecting and enhancing the environment. The aim of The Plan is to guide future development to improve the quality of life for everyone in South Lanarkshire, following on from the vision set in the Council Plan.
12 Local Transport Strategy 2013-2023, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/7420/local_transport_strategy_2 013-23 13 Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/11758/local_housing_strategy_2 017-2022 14 Promoting growth and prosperity, an Economic strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-2023) https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/8508/south_lanarkshire_economi c_strategy_2013_-2023 15 Sustainable development and climate change strategy 2017-2022, South Lanarkshire Council. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/downloads/file/12055/sustainable_development _and_climate_change_strategy_2017-2022 16 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2, South Lanarkshire Council 2020. https://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/info/200145/planning_and_building_standards/3 9/development_plans/2
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2.5.2 Regional Policy and Strategy
The Clydeplan Strategic Development Plan 2 (SDP2), produced by the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Planning Authority and approved in 2017, provides strategic context for the development in the wider Glasgow city-region. SDP2 aims to support economic competitiveness with a vision to support sustainable development through the creation of high quality places17. The strategy is based around the four planning outcomes from the NPF3. A Catalyst for Change 2008-21, which forms part of the SPT Regional Transport Strategy Delivery Plan, emphasise the need to increase modal shift to walking, cycling and public transport as well as facilitating and promote access to transport requirements for all uses18. SPT is currently in the process of developing a new regional transport strategy.
2.5.3 National Policy and Strategy
The Active Travel Framework published by Transport Scotland outlines the desire to ‘bring together the key policy approaches to improving the uptake of walking and cycling in Scotland’ with the 2030 vision for Scotland to have Scotland’s communities shaped around people with walking or cycling as the most popular choice for shorter everyday journeys. The Scottish Government updated the 2013 Cycling Action Plan
17 Clyde Plan: Strategic Development Plan 2017. https://www.clydeplan- sdpa.gov.uk/strategic-development-plan/current-plan/current-strategic-development- plan-july-2017 18 A Catalyst for Change, The Regional Transport Strategy for the west of Scotland 2008-21, SPT. http://www.spt.co.uk/wmslib/Documents_RTS/catalyst_for_change.pdf
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for Scotland in which they maintain the vision for 10% of everyday journeys are to be made by bike19. The primary investment focus should be on enabling cycling through changing the physical environment for short journeys to enable anyone to cycle. This vision should be supported by local cycling strategies and delivery plans at Council and regional levels. A similar vision is adopted through the Let’s Get Scotland Walking: The National Walking Strategy20 which has a vision for a Scotland where ‘everyone benefits from walking as part of their everyday journeys, enjoys walking in the outdoors and where places are well designed to encourage walking’.
Figure 9: Sustainable Travel Hierarchy (National Transport Strategy 2, 2020) These national policy frameworks are informed by the National Transport Strategy 2 (NTS2)21 which aims to improve the health and wellbeing for all by encouraging walking and cycling which places an importance on place. The NTS2 seeks to
19 Cycling Actional Plan for Scotland: 2017-2020, Transport Scotland. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/10311/transport-scotland-policy-cycling-action- plan-for-scotland-january-2017.pdf 20 Let’s Get Scotland Walking: The National Walking Strategy 2016-2026. https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/mediaLibrary/other/english/final-walking-strategy- action-plan-10-sept-2019.pdf 21 National Transport Strategy 2, Transport Scotland, 2020. https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/47052/national-transport-strategy.pdf
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embed the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy (Figure 9 on the previous page) in decision making by promoting walking, wheeling, cycling, public transport and shared transport options in preference to single occupancy private car use. The National Planning Framework (NPF3)22 also highlights the importance of place with the vision to build a Scotland that is a: • Successful and sustainable places: supporting sustainable economic growth and generation and the creation of well-designed places. • Low Carbon places: reducing carbon emissions and adapting to climate change. • Natural and resilient places: helping to protect and enhance the natural and cultural assets and facilitating their sustainable use. • Connected places: supporting better transport and digital connectivity. Currently there is updated Strategic Transport Project Review under development with published Draft Case for Change reports which currently highlight the problems and opportunities associated with walking and cycling, not only Nationally but also in South Lanarkshire which is incorporated into the Glasgow City Region Report.
22 National Planning Framework 3, Scottish Government. https://www.gov.scot/publications/national-planning-framework-3/
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3. Initial Engagement
This section presents the findings from the first phase of engagement with the stakeholders and the wider public which took place between January and February 2021. A second phase of engagement is planned for March and April 2021 to discuss the proposals included in this report. The aim of the first phase of engagement was to gather views on the physical barriers to active travel, information on the relevant on-going projects and activities, and ideas on local assets and opportunities to improve the walking and cycling and wheeling network. The engagement programme included: • An online questionnaire survey, to collate information on local travel; and • An online map for location-based comments and ideas (Placecheck). The engagement activities took part despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With this in mind, the engagement programme was unable to include a face-to-face workshop for key stakeholders however, key stakeholders were asked to take part in the other aspects of the engagement programme. The findings from each engagement activity are summarised in the remainder of this section.
3.1 Online Questionnaire Survey The online survey had 202 responses which provided a great insight into the Active Travel infrastructure for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, existing issues, barriers and opportunities. It should be noted that findings within the surveys were generally in line with the other Active Travel Feasibility Studies previously conducted across other areas of South Lanarkshire. The full survey results are in Appendix A of this document.
3.1.1 Respondents Profile • 53% of respondents were female, with 42.9% being male and the other 4% preferring not to state their gender. • Figure 10 displays the age range of respondents. Half of respondents were aged between 35 and 64.
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Figure 10: Age Groups of Survey Respondents
3.1.2 Top Local Destinations Survey respondents were able to select their top three destinations when they are travelling either to or within Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages. The top 15 recurring destinations and the percentage of respondents who chose those destinations were:
1. Strathaven Town Centre / Common 9. East Kilbride (2.10%) Green (15.41%) 10. Hamilton (2.10%) 2. Sainsbury’s Strathaven (13.84%) 11. Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park 3. Strathaven Park (4.55%) Stonehouse (1.93%) 4. Aldi Strathaven (4.38%) 12. Co-op Stonehouse (1.75%) 5. Strathaven (4.20%) 13. Glassford (1.75%) 6. Strathaven Academy / Leisure 14. Stonehouse Town Centre and Main Centre (3.50%) Street (1.40%) 7. Larkhall and Shops (2.98%) 15. Chapelton (1.23%) 8. Stonehouse (2.63%)
3.1.3 Purpose for Travel to Top Local Destinations Survey respondents were able to select a purpose for each of their top three destinations. The top three reasons for travelling to all the destinations quoted previously are as follows: • Shopping/Personal Business (44.6%) • Leisure purpose (27.2%) • Commute to work (8.4%)
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• Other notable purposes where transporting children to/from school and visiting family and friends. Please Note: The survey responses for purpose of travel to key destinations showed low numbers of commuting to work at 8.4%. While this may represent a majority of residents leaving the area for work as seen in the earlier commuter data, the surveys were undertaken in January and February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant travel restrictions, during major disruption to regular travel and commuting patterns and with people advised to remain in their local area. It is therefore anticipated that this portion of commuting trips would be likely to rise following the lifting of travel and working restrictions.
3.1.4 Method of Travel to Top Local Destinations Each person was able to select a travel mode for how they travel to each of their top three destinations. The top modes of travel were: • Car/Van, as driver without passengers (37.7%) • Car/Van, as driver with passengers (26.8%) • Walk (20.8%) • Cycle (7.8%)
3.1.5 Cycling and Walking Frequency • 60% of respondents stated that they own a bicycle. • 57% stated that they have used their bicycle in the last year. • Figure 11 shows that the resident’s cycle more regularly during the summer months compared to the winter months which is as expected.
Figure 11: Cycling seasonal patterns
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The walking statistics, displayed in Figure 12, show that seasonal variation does not significantly impact the decision on residents to walk regularly, however higher frequency of cycling was found in the summer months as expected. It may be worth noting that these figures could be impacted due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which has placed restrictions on movement and outdoor exercise.
Figure 12: Walking seasonal patterns
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3.1.6 Benefits of Cycling or Walking Each person was able to select their top 3 perceived benefits from cycling. The top 3 benefits were as follows: • Health benefits / exercise (32.1%) • Better for the environment (24.2%) • Pleasure/enjoyment (23.3%) Figure 13 details the percentage of responses for each perceived benefit.
Figure 13: Benefits to Cycling Each person was able to select their top 3 perceived benefits from walking. The top 3 benefits were as follows: • Health benefits / exercise (33.5%) • Pleasure/enjoyment (29.8%) • Better for the environment (21.0%)
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Figure 14 below details the percentage of responses for each perceived benefit.
Figure 14: Benefits to Walking
3.1.7 Main Barriers to Walking and Cycling Each respondent able to select their top 3 main barriers to walking and cycling. The top responses were as follows: • Condition of roads, paths and cycling routes (including surfaces, lighting and overhanging vegetation) (16.9%) • Lack of off-road/traffic free cycle routes (16.7%) • Safety when cycling (16.6%) • Weather (8.7%) • Destinations not served by walking/cycling routes (7.8%) Figure 15 on the following page details the percentage of responses for each barrier to walking and cycling.
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Figure 15: Perceived barriers to walking and cycling in the study area
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3.1.8 Interest in Walking and Cycling More Often
Figure 16: Interest of Respondents in Cycling More Often Figure 16 displays that of the 202 responses 53% stated they would be interested in cycling more. Respondents each stated which would convince them to cycle more often: • More dedicated off-road/traffic-free cycle routes (68.7%) • More on-road cycle lanes (15%) • Reduce number/ speed of cars (6.8%)
Figure 17: Interest of Respondents in Walking More Often Figure 17 displays that of the 202 responses 65.3% stated they would be interested in walking more. Respondents each stated which would convince them to walk more often: • Better lighting of roads / walking routes (39.2%) • Better information on walking routes (18.7%) • Better pedestrian crossing facilities (12.3%) Note that the category of ‘Other’ obtained 27.5% of respondent’s answers. These ‘Other’ barriers would require further surveys in order to establish them specifically.
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3.1.9 Additional Comments There are a number of additional comments taken from the survey. These comments provide an insight into the nature of the issues associated with active travel in the study area. The comments note a number of physical barriers, however there are number of comments which outline a number of soft measures that can be introduced. The comments displayed below provide an indication of the areas and the types of interventions respondents would like to have implemented. The full list will be presented in Appendix A. • “More traffic free cycle paths would make a big difference. A lot of people do not feel confident amongst traffic.” • “Lower vehicle speeds and reduced traffic volumes would significantly contribute to achieving a more suitable environment for active travel” • “lack of cycle lanes puts me off cycling. toads too busy and dangerous.” • “Widening the footpath from Sandford to Strathaven to enable a safe cycling lane for children and novice cyclists.” • “Lighting on the path between Sandford and Strathaven would encourage activity day and evening” • “Reducing the speed of traffic coming into/out of Strathaven could be improved by adding traffic calming measures” • “The footpath round Sandford spectacle fall sound be improved.” • “The off-road cycling infrastructure needs to be upgraded to allow for safe, lit and signposted routes for walking and cycling.” • “20mph in town would be a big step towards encouraging active travel as would improving roads and pavements”
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3.2 Placecheck Online Map There were 25 unique comments that were added to the map which is displayed in Figure 18. The full list of comments and locations is available in Appendix B; however, some key words/phrases are displayed below to provide an indication of the views of the Active Travel facilities in the study area.
Figure 18: Placecheck map of comments made in the Stakeholder Engagement
3.2.1 Key Positives • Good local parks
3.2.2 Key Negatives • Road condition is not maintained • Prevalence of speeding • Blind and dangerous intersection • Parked cars on street create danger for cyclists
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3.2.3 Additional Placecheck Feedback There were also comments outlining potential improvements in the study area. Below is an indication of the type of words and phrases. • Clear overgrown paths to provide access • Utilise parks for cycle parking • Create traffic free paths on old rail lines • Improve priority signs and visibilities
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3.1 Additional Feedback Additional feedback in the form of online public surveys and key stakeholder workshop input during April and May 2021 will be added to this report following a second round of consultation. This feedback will then help inform the study, future proposals and final recommendations.
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4. Public Life Survey
A Public Life Survey was undertaken for Strathaven Common Green as part of this study. The Public Life Survey Tool method utilised for this study was the Twelve Quality Criteria Method which was developed to as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space. The Twelve Quality Criteria Method is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Architects and Urban Designers: Gehl23 . This section of the report summarises information and the findings of the Public Life Survey. The full Survey Report and results can be found in Appendix C of this report.
Figure 19: Public Life Survey Location, Common Green, Strathaven Figure 19 above shows the location of the Public Life Survey on Strathaven Common Green where the majority of local shops and businesses are located.
23Gehl, Public Life Tools, 2021, https://gehlpeople.com/tools/how-to-use-the-public- life-tools/
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4.1 Public Life Survey Observations
Figure 20: Typical Cross Section of Strathaven Common Green Survey Area Figure 20 above shows a typical cross section of Strathaven Common Green within the survey area, key observations and approximate measurements. The survey looked at the 12 criteria with the three themes of Protection, Comfort and Enjoyment. Each of the criteria were assessed and given a score of 1-3 depending on the criteria. The highest scores represent the qualities of the public space that are strongest. Figure 21 on the following page shows a summary of the scoring and Table 3 shows some of the key observations on site.
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Figure 21: Summary of Public Life Scoring
Table 3: Public Life Survey Observations
Themes Observations
Protection is good, as the area is sheltered from the elements, is protected from traffic by low traffic speed and single lane carriageway Protection and has a range of land uses making the area feel safe at all times of the day.
There are good options for lingering, seating and talking, however the Comfort current design does not provide enough clear crossing points which negatively effects mobility particularly for less able groups.
The space is enclosed to three sides by historic buildings which makes Common Green appear as an urban square at the human Enjoyment scale, however the disproportionate amount of parking to the centre of the space and the mixed public realm materials disjoint the street.
It should be noted that the physical survey was conducted on Wednesday the 27th of January 2021 during a period of national restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely that these restrictions will have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed during the surveys.
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4.2 Public Life Survey Recommendations The historic setting and form of this street create the potential for a high place function, however movement function for pedestrians is low as the wide layout and lack of crossings restrict the flow of movement within the street. The main recommendation is to unify Common Green as an accessible urban square by; • Improving mobility across the space with clear pedestrian routes across the space and reducing the barrier created by parking; • Developing a cohesive public realm materials across the space which is respectful of the historic setting and improves aesthetic qualities; and • Provide features to encourage play, exercise and activities, which supports the function of a town hub.
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5. Proposed Network and Phased Delivery
5.1 Principles of Proposed Network A complete network of walking and cycling routes has been developed using the results from the engagement process, alongside the other associated investigations and consultation work undertaken for the study area. The proposed network demonstrates what a coherent, direct and attractive active travel network in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages would look like. The network will consist of existing paths and routes that will be upgrade alongside with a range of new connections. The aim was to develop a plan and identify opportunities which: • Address the concerns raised, enabling walking and cycling as a convenient choice for all trip types; • Support local businesses and the economy; • Are aligned with best practice in designing people friendly streets and spaces; • Are in line with policy objectives at all levels of government; and • Are likely to attract funding and/or takes advantage of planned changes. The focus has been on developing an active travel network for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages that provides safety and access to those who wish to cycle. The needs of those walking and wheeling will be considered as an essential part of any active travel project. Some key points: • At this early stage of development, the proposed routes are indicative connections and are not proposed alignments. • Where a proposed connection is taken forward, different alignments options will be assessed against feasibility criteria and cycle network design principles, the most suitable alignment will be taken to the next design stage. • When the design for a route is considered, connections to it and across it will be considered in addition to the route itself. • Stakeholder and public consultation will take place at every stage of the development process.
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Design principles for a good cycle network reflect the issues raised during the consultation period. The first five core design principles shown in Table 4 below are taken from Cycling by Design guidance. While these were principally developed and applied to cycle networks and cycle infrastructure, the core principles are also highly relevant and applicable to walking infrastructure and networks. In addition to the core design principles from Cycling by Design, the additional two core principles shown below at the bottom of Table 4 should be considered. At this early stage of development, the most relevant principles are Cohesion and Directness. The other three principles become key criteria in the latter stages of the process through feasibility and design stages. Table 4 - Cycling by Design Core Design Principles
Design Principle Areas to Consider
1. Cohesion • Interconnections between routes (250-500m density) • Interconnections between modes • Connections to the wider network (regional and national)
2. Directness • Time • Distance
3. Safety • Road safety • Personal safety • Health
4. Comfort • Easy to navigate • Reasonable gradient • Smooth surface
5. Attractiveness • Varied, busy environment • Personal safety
6. Adaptability / • Proposals should take into account potential growth in Future Proofing walk and cycling and future expansion of networks.
7. Accessibility • Proposals should consider and cater for the needs of all types of users including those with a range of disabilities.
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South Lanarkshire Council will work in partnership with funders Sustrans to develop and deliver active travel projects through the Sustrans: Places for Everyone framework and funding programme. In addition to the core design principles set out on the previous page, proposals must also consider the following Places for Everyone design principles which have been developed in order to ensure that projects receiving funding make the largest possible impact: 1. Develop ideas collaboratively and in partnership with communities. 2. Facilitate independent walking, cycling, and wheeling for everyone, including an unaccompanied 12-year old. 3. Design places that provide enjoyment, comfort and protection. 4. Ensure access for all and equality of opportunity in public space. 5. Ensure all proposals are developed in a way that is context-specific and evidence-led. 6. Reallocate road space, and restrict motor traffic permeability to prioritise people walking, cycling and wheeling over private motor vehicles. All designs will be assessed against how well they achieve the design principles and will have to run through the following Design Stages: • Stage 0 – Strategic Definition • Stage 1 – Preparation and Brief • Stage 2 – Concept Design • Stage 3 – Developed Design • Stage 4 – Technical Design • Stage 5 – Construction • Stage 6 – Handover and Close Out • Stage 7 – In Use More detailed information about the Sustrans Places for Everyone fund and project framework is available online including more detailed information about design stages, requirements and both stakeholder and community engagement24.
24 Sustrans, Places for Everyone, 2021, https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our- blog/projects/2019/scotland/places-for-everyone
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5.2 Proposed Networks The proposed networks have been split into the following three categories: • Core Routes – will include the proposed strategic cycle connections linking both within and beyond the study area along main arterial routes. The core routes could consist of fully segregated cycle infrastructure along main roads, improvement of existing traffic-free links or on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds. Generally, most communities within the study area will be within 500m of one of the proposed Core Routes. • Main Routes – will include further connections to major trip attractors such as schools, shopping centre and areas of employment and link to the wider and more strategic Core Routes. The main routes could consist of fully segregated cycle infrastructure along main roads, improvement of existing traffic-free links or on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds. Most communities within the study area that are not within 500m of the core routes will be within 200m of a proposed Main Route. • Local Links – will include additional links to local destinations and connect communities and local destinations that are not within close proximity to the proposed Core and Main Routes. The local links could consist of new and improved traffic-free links, on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds or quiet, rural roads. The proposed links above could utilise a range of the following toolkit of infrastructure improvements which could be implemented: • Segregated cycle lanes • Shared use paths and traffic-free links • Traffic-calming and speed limit reduction • Cycle-friendly neighbourhoods and quiet streets • Filtered permeability and traffic management changes • Contra-flow cycle lanes • Improvement of active travel signage and wayfinding • Improvement of existing access controls and barriers • Secure cycle storage and parking • Accessibility and crossing improvements • Streetscape and urban realm improvements The map overleaf in Figure 22 displays what a comprehensive and coherent active travel network would potentially look like for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages. It provides connections to key trip attractors and neighbourhoods in the study area. A large scale map of the proposed routes is provided in Appendix D of this report.
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Figure 22: Proposed Active Travel Network for Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding Villages
5.2.1 Core Route Proposals Figure 22 shows proposals for an east-west Core Route which would provide a spine link both between Strathaven and Stonehouse and eastwards to Canderside Toll linking with similar proposed routes in Larkhall. Outside of Strathaven and Stonehouse the proposed route could follow the alignment of the A71, or alternatively utilise the surrounding path and core path network.
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5.2.2 Strathaven Proposals
Figure 23: Proposed active travel network for Strathaven. The proposed Core Route for Strathaven shown in Figure 23 centres on Common Green, heading east along the A71 Stonehouse Road and north linking through John Hastie Park, George Allan Park and Kirkland Park, providing key links to the north of Strathaven. Proposed Main Routes link: south from the town centre to Sandford village, west from the town centre through neighbourhoods to the west of the town and to Kirkland Park and north-east from George Allan Park through the Flemington neighbourhood to the northernmost part of the town. Local Links are proposed by Strathaven Academy; to the west connecting the Healds Drive and Napier Crescent neighbourhoods; through Kirkland Park; to the north of Flemington linking with paths by Overton Avenue; from Strathaven into Flemington; and from Flemington to the new Glassford Road development. Proposed Links connecting Strathaven to the wider area will be discussed in the following sections of this report.
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5.2.3 Stonehouse Proposals
Figure 24: Proposed active travel network for Stonehouse. The proposed Core Route for Stonehouse follows from the south-west to the north- east of the town providing a core spine that could connect a great number of journeys through Stonehouse. The proposed Main Route continues north-south along the existing alignment of the NCN74 corridor linking through the town centre at The Cross. Local Links are proposed to provide permeability and active travel access in the following neighbourhoods: west of the A71 and along the currently unused former rail line; south of the A71 to the west of the town between Udston Mill Road and Sidehead Road; north-west of the town centre linking under the A71 to Station Park and Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park; and connections to the streets and neighbourhoods around Murray Drive to the east of the town centre.
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5.2.4 Surrounding Area Proposals In addition to the proposals for Strathaven and Stonehouse, there are several proposed routes between villages and in the surrounding areas. These proposed links can be seen in Figure 22. Main Routes are proposed linking the village of Quarter to Hamilton; Sandford to Strathaven; and Glassford to the A71 Stonehouse Road. It is recommended that these are mostly off-road or traffic-free routes given the nature of the current roads connecting to these villages. Several Local Links are proposed across the study area which would seek to utilise the existing quiet, rural road network. These routes include: • Strathaven, Lethame Road to Lindsayfield (East Kilbride) via Leaburn; • Strathaven, Lethame Road to Benthall (East Kilbride) via Ardochrig Road and High Cleughearn Road; • Dykehead (Rightfoot Moss) to Chapelton (linking with Strathaven Lethame Road to Benthall link); • Chapelton to Glassford; • Glassford to Quarter; • Quarter to Larkhall via Millheugh and Avon Water; • Stonehouse to Sandford via Sandford Road; and • Strathaven to Allanton via Gilmourton, Drumclog and Dungavel.
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5.3 Proposed Cycle Network- Delivery Phases In order to develop the existing and proposed network in a coherent and efficient way, key routes and areas have been identified as priorities for implementation. The following proposed delivery phases are not set proposals at this stage, but a demonstration of how a comprehensive network of routes could be developed over time. Many of the proposed routes utilise existing NCN routes or other existing cycle routes which will be reviewed and further developed where required. These proposed phases are intended to assist in discussions and decision making. The following section of this report provides an outline of the proposed delivery phases and how these could build to create a cohesive and integrated active travel network in the study area. The proposed phasing order would help build a comprehensive network that provided increasing connectivity to all communities across the study area.
5.3.1 Phase 1 This delivery phase will include targeting many of the issues raised within the public and stakeholder surveys including looking at some of the smaller interventions which could be delivered sooner and some already planned works. Proposals could include • Review of existing NCN and cycle route conditions and improvements • Signage and Wayfinding improvements across study area • Minor area based improvements including smaller local traffic calming improvements • Delivery of signage only on-road routes.
5.3.2 Phase 2 This delivery phase will look to introduce a number of the proposed routes that are likely to utilise the existing quiet, rural road network, requiring limited infrastructure works to develop. These will include: • Local Link: Strathaven, Lethame Road to Lindsayfield (East Kilbride) via Leaburn; • Local Link: Strathaven, Lethame Road to Benthall (East Kilbride) via Ardochrig Road and High Cleughearn Road; • Local Link: Dykehead (Rightfoot Moss) to Chapelton (linking with Strathaven Lethame Road to Benthall link); • Local Link: Glassford to Quarter; • Local Link: Stonehouse to Sandford via Sandford Road; and • Local Link: Strathaven to Allanton via Gilmourton, Drumclog and Dungavel.
5.3.3 Phase 3 This phase will focus on delivering Core Routes which will form the main spines of the Active Travel Network. These routes will take the longest amount of time to
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develop and will include stakeholder and community engagement and significant design works. This Phase will also look to incorporate some of the recommendations outlined in the Public Life Surveys. These Routes should therefore be programmed in earlier. Phase 3 includes: • Core Route: Strathaven to George Allan Park and to A71 Stonehouse Road via Common Green; • Core Route: Strathaven to Stonehouse; • Core Route: Stonehouse spine route connecting with A71 Stonehouse Road in the south-west and the A71 by Lockhart Street in the north-east; • Core Route: Stonehouse from Lockhart Street to Canderside Toll, Larkhall; and • Local streetscape and urban realm improvements recommended through the Public Life Survey.
5.3.4 Phase 4 Phase 4 will focus on delivering the Main Routes which will develop further access from the proposed Core Routes. Phase 4 will include: • Main Route: Strathaven town centre to Sandford; • Main Route: Strathaven town centre to Kirkland Park; • Main Route: Strathaven town centre to George Allan Park; • Main Route: Strathaven, George Allan Park to Flemington; • Main Route: NCN74 through The Cross, Stonehouse from Millheugh, Larkhall to Spital Road south of Stonehouse; • Main Route: Quarter to Hamilton; and • Main Route: Glassford to the A71 Stonehouse Road.
5.3.5 Phase 5 Phase 5 will look at providing the Local Links which will provide permeability within communities including on-road links on streets with low traffic volumes and speeds and traffic free paths. Phase 5 will include: • Local Link: Strathaven Academy to the west connecting the Healds Drive and Napier Crescent neighbourhoods in Strathaven; • Local Link: Kirkland Park to the north of Flemington linking with paths by Overton Avenue in Strathaven; • Local Link: Strathaven town centre into Flemington; • Local Link: Flemington to the new Glassford Road development, Strathaven; • Local Link: west of the A71 by Manseford Road and along the currently unused former rail line to Sandyvale, Stonehouse;
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• Local Link: south of the A71 to the west of the town between Udston Mill Road and Sidehead Road, Stonehouse; • Local Link: north-west of the town centre linking under the A71 to Station Park and Alexander Hamilton Memorial Park, Stonehouse; and • Local Link: connections to the streets and neighbourhoods around Murray Drive to the east of the town centre, Stonehouse.
5.4 Key Delivery Principles For people in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages to see active travel as a natural choice for short everyday journeys, the network of routes needs to be coherent and direct. Routes also need to be (and feel) safe, comfortable and attractive as highlighted earlier in the Core Design Principles. The development of the network should also incorporate the following principles and considerations.
5.4.1 People-focussed design Community engagement and stakeholder consultation activities will continue to be undertaken to ensure that proposals meet the needs of local communities. Design proposals must seek to deliver benefits to all users in a balanced way and deliver people-focussed designs. In the context of a motorised traffic dominated town, this will mean prioritising the needs of people travelling on foot and by bike and in accordance with the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy set out in the NTS2 and shown earlier in this report in Figure 9. The design should aim to support the needs of all categories of users, across age groups, or journey purposes.
5.4.2 Neighbourhood permeability Active travel networks must provide connectivity both to and within local neighbourhoods to facilitate journeys to local destinations schools, parks or local shops. These local journeys and local destinations which are often removed from key commuter corridors such as the school run have great potential to be undertaken through active travel. Walking, wheeling or cycling through a local neighbourhood should be easier, more direct and convenient than driving (if through traffic is allowed).
5.4.3 Multimodality The proposed network and its design should facilitate connection and pay particular attention to interchange points with public transport, as well as considering the impact of any proposed changes on bus provision and journey times.
5.4.4 Information, promotion and behaviour change activities Incomplete, missing or lack of signage and wayfinding along existing routes and local destinations has been highlighted by stakeholders as an issue within the study area. Any proposed routes must be accompanied by a communications strategy to maximise their use and benefits. This could include engagement events during the
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design process, mapped information and signposting of the build route, and ongoing promotion and behaviour change campaigns to sustain growth in use. Continued delivery of cycle training in schools, the Junior Road Safety Officer Programme and School Travel Plans across the area will also provide a key opportunity to provide information, promote proposals and deliver behaviour change activities. The creation of dedicated cycle hubs within the local area could also be a valuable addition to promote active travel and provide opportunities for community-led initiatives.
5.4.5 Maintenance and enforcement A lack of maintenance of the existing walking and cycling network was also highlighted as an issue within the study area through the public surveys and stakeholder input. The design of active travel infrastructure should seek meet good quality standards after initial construction including surface condition, cleanliness, lighting, tree root encroachment, dropped kerbs etc. Encroachment by vehicles on dedicated active travel infrastructure ideally should be prevented through design features and street layout to prevent obstructions to people walking and cycling. Where this is not possible, ongoing enforcement requirements should be considered at the design stage.
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5.5 Next Steps The proposals in this report will be presented to stakeholders and the wider public for feedback through: • An online questionnaire survey advertised to the wider public to gauge levels of support for the proposals; • Digital Workshop Sessions with key stakeholders to present the proposals, discuss priorities and opportunities. Following these events, the network and priorities will be reviewed and comments incorporated into the final report. It will then be for South Lanarkshire Council and key delivery partners to take forward any proposals.
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Appendices
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Appendix A - Additional Survey Responses
Question 14 of the online survey allowed respondents the chance to rate a number of walking and cycling facilities in the study area. The following graphs below display the percentages of responses for each of the following 11 types of facilities.
Figure A 1: Changing facilities (i.e. at your place of work/education/leisure facilities
Figure A 2: Amount of cycle parking
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Figure A 3: Security of cycle parking (i.e. from vandalism/theft)
Figure A 4: Condition of the roads/paths cycle routes
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Figure A 5: Lighting on roads/paths/cycle routes
Figure A 6: Number of walking / cycling routes
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Figure A 7: Signage
Figure A 8: Widths of pavements/paths/cycle routes
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Figure A 9: Pedestrian and cycling crossing faculties
Figure A 10: Ability to take bicycles on trains
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Figure A 11: Walking/cycling routes to destinations I want to travel to.
Question 15 of the online survey allowed respondents the chance to rate the perceived impact traffic volumes, speeds or through traffic had on in preventing them from walking cycling or wheeling for their everyday journey. The results are displayed below.
Figure A 12: Perception of general traffic volumes, speeds or through traffic on residential streets in your local area preventing you from walking, cycling or wheeling for your everyday journey
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Respondents were also asked to provide an additional comments they had about walking and cycling in the local area and how these could be improved. The following table outlines these comments Please note, a very small number of comments received in the survey have been removed where personal data was recorded in order to protect privacy. Where possible, the rest of the comments which do not identify personal data have been retained. Table 5 - Online Survey Results for Question 16: If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages please let us know Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Reducing the national speed on rural roads between villages would encourage safer commuting for cycling and cycling for exercise. Safe walk ways off main roads between villages would have the same affect. Terrible pavements. Some pavements on New Trows Road appear to have been stolen by house owners. Parking on pavements. Bins left out on pavements. This is a pretty terrible tick box exercise survey. The speed limit in the towns and villages must be reduced to 20 mph, especially on the A71 though Strathaven, as they have recently implemeted in the borders Too many cars / lorries on the roads and Commercial Road Speed limit too high especially in roads from the centre (eg:Lethame Road, Townhead Street, Kirk Street, Glasgow road, Hamilton road Drivers not allowing enough room when passing cyclists Many pavements far too narrow for people, prams, disabled scooters etc. Need to have 20 mph for all roads in/around Strathaven and speed bumps also. Far too many cyclists on these small roads as it is There is a real lack of monitoring on some of the speed limits, A71 for example often has high-speed traffic coming into the town and with no safe space to cross ie zebra crossing, traffic lights. There are far too many cars for the narrow streets and a general lack of encouragement to not drive. Too many cars at school drop- offs and few safe routes for children to get themselves to school by foot or bike as there aren't enough safe crossings. Traffic speed in residential areas is more an issue for allowing my children to cycle. On my street (B road), speeding is commonplace. Strathaven is well served with windfarms and off road trails, but the links to get to them are extremely poor, and so the biggest challenge to getting the family out cycling is leaving town. All routes are dangerous for younger riders. There are a wealth of windfarms and gravel trails in and around South Lanarkshire now, each having been built in isolation. With the massive growth of "gravel" cycling, a bit of planning to link up many of the offroad trails could encourage cyclists with choices of longer routes completely avoiding the road network. This is a big opportunity to develop cycle networks, promote riding etc.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know The roads especially kirk st are narrow congested and giant lorries come thundering through the A71. Many cars also speed n this road. Peoples pets have been run over at the A71 at the Kilmarnock end. The common green should just be pedestrianised but where would people park? Not enough bike racks, put some in the Allison Green. Generally seems to be the speed of traffic is quite fast in town. Perhaps some flashy 30mph reminder signs like those in chapelton would help remind those that it's no longer a 50 on kirk Street! 20mph in town would be a big step towards encouraging active travel as would improving roads and pavements (especially nearest 1m to pavement on roads. Traffic free cycle/walking routes could be created roughly following the three old railways from Strathaven. There are no paths/cycle routes between strathaven and Glassford/Stonehouse or Hamilton. The path to Sandford is not suitable for road bikes and from Sandford to Deadwaters would be suicidal on a bike or walking... Dedicated provision for pedestrians and cyclists is desperately needed to encourage more active travel
Cycling on the main roads is very dangerous - traffic is far to fast As a parent of young children, and a keen cyclist, I would like my children to be able to walk and cycle safely around strathaven. There are footpaths in poor condition next to busy roads, such as the A71 near Colinhill grange, which is a popular route with families. Roads such as threestanes road do not feel safe as they are narrow, as are the footpaths. As Strathaven gets bigger with more houses being built a train station would be more appropriate to allow people to commute and also bring bikes Reducing the speed of traffic coming into/out of Strathaven could be improved by adding traffic calming measures and reducing the speed limit to 40mph within 1/2 a mile of the surrounding area on national speed limit roads. The volume and speed of traffic that goes through Strathaven is increasing to the point that it is getting dangerous. Due to the width of the main through routes more and more cares are parking on the pavements. On many occasions I have had to leave the pavement, while pushing a pram due to vehicles parking on the pavements. Generally speaking many of the pavements are in very bad condition. Road rage towards cyclists is also on the increase. There is a lot of intolerance from drivers. I’m not sure how the can be changed.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Weather is a fundamental issue especially in Scotland so a balance approach which includes improving public transport should be considered. There is no commuter bus currently. The pavements are poor and if made wider could slow traffic down which would promote more walking and cycling. I like the idea of 20mph zones in town centre. Could common green become a pedestrian area at certain times like weekends? I like cycling and find road conditions to be poor. Traffic speed is a big issue and more so outside the villages. If only the drivers of cars had patience. Not sure how you change the attitudes of drivers. I don’t like cycle lanes as they tend to be under used and full of grit which can cause punctures. The A71 in particular is a road I would never cycle on due to road conditions (poor drainage on road between Strathaven and Stonehouse- bad enough in a car) and traffic speed. There are no signs of walking or cycling routes in existence with in central areas in any of thesevtowns .. pavements in terrible states..only walking routes are on well used traffic roads.. The past few weeks have been awful for walking. Pavements and roads have been covered in compaced ice and snow. Then came a thaw which was followed by more ice. I have fallen twice and I know 6 people who have ended up in A&E because of falling trying to get some exercise as its all they have to do during this lockdown. I think the council have a lot to answer to in a time when the NHS needs all the help they can get and could do without the extra work of dealing with broken bones and concussions because of untreated roads and pavements. If the dumped salt on some pavements had been spread around more to areas untreated we all would have got on a bit better. It has made getting out and about a scary experience, I'm not particularly old and I found it treacherous so I dont know how older folks managed. Just because we are more rural doesnt mean we should be at a disadvantage to places like E/K.
The roads are in a poor condition with pot holes etc. There are huge lorries coming through the town. Massive amount of traffic from new home. Pavements that are too narrow. Not a single bike lane in Strathaven at all. It’s frankly a joke. Maybe instead of building the pointless new road in EK you could spend some money in Strathaven and the villages. God knows we pay enough Council Tax
The traffic calming is very dangerous. Lethame Road Children have to walk on the road going to school as pavements are so narrow and trees over hanging. Road is far too narrow to have this ridiculous addition. The lack of gritting in the winter in residential roads stops us from leaving our house as it is too dangerous. Grit bins empty most of the time. There are occassional footpath signs for paths across fields but seldom used as they are often unconnected and in a poor state. Suspect that as they are seldom used and not promoted they are probably unuseable. Would love to see a circular walk around STRATHAVEN.
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 62 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know There is too much heavy traffic on Kirk St. the town needs a bypass. ( Strathaven) Remove parking from the centre of Common Green, Strathaven. Improve the approach to Kirkland Park Primary School from Letham Rd eg create a pedestrian footpath across the Glebe field. Improve the junction at Letham Rd and Threestanes Rd, and the junction at Letham Rd and Crosshill Rd, both have very poor visibility for pedestrians and motorists. Improve the footpath access to KP Primary School at Letham Rd gate as the footpath is always flooded and very muddy after not very much rain. The water runs off the fields and onto the path. Provide more drop off parking for KP Primary School at Letham Rd gate. The ash pitch, which is now outside the school boundary would be perfect for this purpose. Safety is compromised by overgrown garden and countryside hedges. Thet over hanging pedestrian paths and blocking the view of on coming traffic on country roads. Roads themselves are in awful condition I would like to know more about local walking routes around local wind farms etc too as many are only a few miles from the town and give lots of cycling/walking opportunities but I know little of where to go or if we’re allowed to go in certain places. The main roads between villages are far too dangerous to walk/cycle especially if you have children, there is no way I’d let my kids walk/cycle the a71 or the a726! If the footpath from Sandford to Strathaven were upgraded to a combined cycle / foot path with an appropriate surface and lighting I would be encouraged to walk and cycle into Strathaven more often. I would also be more confident in letting my children do this. For example, they might be able to walk to and from the Academy a couple of days a week. We’re slowly losing all our walking / running areas in Strathaven. I have to run on roads now unless I drive to whitelee or dungavel. It’s getting more and more unsafe due to many cars lorries the speed they go and the state of the road. This morning the newish junction at Hamilton rd Glassford rd is at a standstill because of the snow and the ignorant changes that were made changing the priority at this junction despite strong objection from the residents. The priority in Strathaven is profit and land sales and new houses with no forward planning for schools medical centres or road use. Cyclists runners and walkers don’t stand a chance. And as for our public transport - it’s shocking no transport to Glasgow takes hours by bus and then train.
With the exception of Sandford, safe walking and cycling paths are non existent. The main road, À71 is moderately dangerous to drive a motor vehicle, nevermind risking one's life on a cycle or foot journey. This forces the inhabitants and guests or tourist to use a motor vehicle to access all of the villages and settlements outside of Strathaven.
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 63 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know I have had a great interest in monitoring and reporting on the state of the routes and in general have had good response to the Roads Authority to requests for urgent repairs and to be fair the state of the roads throughout the route in the past two or three years has been very good. However there are often serious potholes and these can develop quite quickly especially after the worst of the winter weather and it is essential for the safety of cyclists these are repaired quickly. With regards walking I am concerned that the area of Strathaven and other parts of the town away from the main roads are seriously neglected when it comes to clearing snow and ice from roads and pavements and these can become extremely hazardous and almost impossible to negotiate on foot - as over the past few days this year ( early January) With the exception of the road from Sandford to Strathaven and within the village itself there are no pavements. Surrounding roads are single track with bad visibility and I’m too scared to walk on them. More traffic free cycle paths would make a big difference. A lot of people do not feel confident amongst traffic. The pavement from Sandford to Strathaven is terrible, really needs new path. Sandford to Strathaven footpath is of poor quality, cracked at many places and difficult to negotiate a buggy or pram. The width of the path is narrow with a lot of grass to the side that can be taken away to extend the path. There is no barrier between the footpath and road where traffic can be passing at excessive speeds whilst families are walking. There is no lighting so in winter months especially can be difficult to see due to this and can be daunting for walkers due to how dark it can be. Within Sandford, traffic on School Road (new builds to school) and from Sandford Road onto Stonehouse Road passed the school entrance drive at excessive speeds with nothing in place to prevent this. Chicanes would be an idea to slow down traffic. No street lighting at new builds side of School Road (residential street with children) and visibility poor at night. Drivers don’t take this into consideration and do not slow down for pedestrians and have seen some near misses. Has been reported with no action taken. It is of concern that this will not be dealt with until someone is seriously injured. In winter months, gritters do not grit the street on School Road (new build side) making it hazardous at times for families when walking or driving. Have contacted the council to arrange a grit bin on the street and nothing was done. Despite chasing up, still no response. The footpath round sandford spectacle fall sound be improved. We get alot of walkers and the footpath is poor condition Would be great to have lighting between sandford and strathaven Would be great to have a wider pavement between sandford and strathaven
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 64 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know I live in a rural area 5 miles from town centre so have no choice but to drive for shopping and to get to safe walking routes I would not even consider walking the A71. Minor routes in winter are sooooo icy they are dangerous for walking or cycling Cycling competitions should be kept off A71 Cyclists should have to complete a road safety awareness course There is a poor path beside the road between Strathaven and Sandford. If this path were made into a proper cycle path with separate pedestrian path and barriers protection from the road many residents from Sandford would use this regularly for cycling and walking. There is sufficient space for this and it really is a no-brainer.
I like to walk and would welcome improvements. Your survey seems skewed towards cycling and I would be concerned that more inconsiderate cyclists might have a negative impact on other road/path users. No connecting footways/cycle paths from Strathaven to Stonehouse or to Limekilnburn (onwards to Hamilton). I am a keen runner and would you these routes, if they were available, very frequently. Also, not safe to take young children on bikes outwith Strathaven due to lack of routes. Especially during the current circumstances when there is not much else for families to do except go for a walk or a bike ride. Strathaven & surrounding villages seems forgotten in the council plans! Half the footpaths are poorly maintained & are not wide enough especially now with COVID- 19 & attempting to social distance! The roads are poorly maintained & even the main roads are full of potholes with drainage systems not working properly resulting in flooded areas! If you are trying to encourage people not to drive I suggest you look at the poorly maintained environment with regards to footpaths & roads and the fact that public transport is unreliable & at its best arrives when it suits the driver & not the timetable! The bus service is non existent at the weekend!
The pavements are very narrow and a very high volume of dog dirt on them. Lack of safe footpaths that don't have vehicles on so u would feel safe walking village to village Many roads in this area do not have pavements and when pavements are in place, most are very narrow and/or unfit for purpose. There is also a lack of trails in the area. Cyclists need to be more aware of vehicles if on roads - many cyclists have no understanding of large vehicles who cannot drop to any lower gears / lower speed any further while cyclists command the road. Off road paths / cycle lanes are essential as vehicles require the full B road width and lack overtaking opportunities on A roads around Strathaven
The drivers drive far to fast co.ing through Strathaven from Hamilton and the junction at Glassford Rd is nightmare if walking or on a bikr
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 65 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know there is no proper path for walking from strathaven to stonehouse or cycle lane and the same for the road to Hamilton also very poor lighting these roads are 50 and 60mph roads and are not safe for pedestrians. Paths next to roads to walk on would be great (just look at Stonehouse Road or A726 or any other road around the villages). Cycle lanes also great. Traffic speeds are regularly excessive in Strathaven - BIG ISSUE. Some walkways are not conducive to disabled use. some dedicated cycle routes with signage and lighting would be amazing No signed paths out of town No cycle routes out of town No bicycle parking anywhere (including Sainsbury s where you used as a trolley park) Lower vehicle speeds and reduced traffic volumes would significantly contribute to achieving a more suitable environment for active travel It’s virtually impossible to commute from Strathaven to glasgow without a car, or to visit shopping hubs or hospitals without a car,therefore more people have cars The main roads through the town are too narrow as it is, due to age/design and parked cars. It is frightening on a bike and unsafe to cross. I think the town would benefit from a one way system through North street/ Kirk street / Townhead street etc. Also, most people don’t work in the town and public transits poor so it means lots of people have to drive. Strathaven is at least seven (hilly) miles from nearest big town or train station and not feasible for most people to cycle.
There is good back roads and lots of right of ways in Stonehouse these could be updated for bike use. And the old railways one.hoing to lesmahagow and one going to strathaven both could be utilised as excellent path ways and cycle routes. Would happily cycle to work if there was a safe cycle lane Road conditions are about as unsafe as the car and van drivers The road between Stonehouse and Strathaven is too dangerous for this, and other routes often take much longer/are much longer distances Need for a comprehensive review of transport with disruptive solutions which go beyond tinkering at the edges like putting the odd cycle rack here and there. We need pedestrian friendly streets, play streets, cycle only routes and lanes, safe routes to school, tight parking controls, end to rat runs and longer distance routes connecting communities. The roads around Drumclog are terrible. They need a lot more maintenance and the traffic needs to be slowed in order to make it safe to consider walking / cycling
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 66 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Signed Cycle routes tend to be a lot longer than if opting to use the main roads, therefore, distances required to travel by bike is much further, therefore adding further to journey time when already opting for a slower mode of transport. Many routes are not lit which, especially in Winter, are just not safe because of fast vehicular traffic. Employers should be encouraged to install bike storage and changing facilities, in the same way installation of electrical charging points were subsided to encourage electric vehicle ownership. Safe cycling/walking routes should run parallel with existing roads, but kept separate, like I’ve seen in Finland.
Roads very busy and lack of wide paths Strathaven has always had areas of very narrow paths or no paths. It is only 4 miles from Strathaven to Stonehouse but there is no path. The A71 is also the main road from Ayrshire to the motorway meaning alot of traffic so very unsafe to walk, cycle. The same is true between Chapelton and Strathaven, and there has been more people out walking due to the pandemic on the main roads as either no buses or don't want to use them. The road conditions are also very bad with potholes making it even more dangerous for cyclists. In Stonehouse the Sustrans 74 route passes right through the village, and it should be celebrated, but it is almost a secret. There should be decent bicycle parking, bike repair stand, air pump etc. at the Cross area and in Stonehouse Park to encourage people to use the route.
Cycling on the rural roads can be great but can be hazardous; then there's the A71, utter torture Please build some cycle paths using old railway lines or something away from traffic and fumes Both Vehicular and human traffic prevent walking and cycling. The town is too busy and it is not enjoyable to walk or cycle due to numbers on the roads, back roads and pavements. The route to the Heron farmshop is now like a training track for cyclists and walkers. To enjoy the countryside it is now preferable to drive to another destination and walk or cycle in peace. While cycling and walking should be encouraged - lack of respect for others or the countryside has made both nearly impossible in Strathaven. Making cycle lanes in the town will only exacerbate the problems with vehicle, as will making cycle parking bays that decrease the amount of car parking spaces. I live near a school and despite encouragement to walk and cycle to school, the numbers of parents who drive and park inconsiderately is quite shocking. We simply do not have the climate for commuting by bicycle- while cycling is great it is not practicable to cycle to Glasgow every day, given the time involved, the necessity to shower and change at your destination and the added problem of spare clothes, laptop and other daily essentials you would need to transport.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Maybe look into including e-bike charging points along side car charging points or on selected lamp posts I would much welcome increased and improved cycling routes in and around Strathaven where I live. It allows faster, cleaner and healthier commutes especially with children who are able to cycle. However the lack of bicycle parking and cycle lanes puts off the use of bikes to access the town centre. For now we stick to back country ones for cycling pleasures and active times, and taking the bikes to town are sometime inconvenient if we want to go to shops due to parking logistics and traffic volumes. The road from Blackwood to larkhall has no cycle path or lights on the road As mentioned previously. By way of example I was cycling yesterday on the B7078 at Lesmahagow. I already had a puncture due to debris on the path near Auldtoun Farm. So I decided to go on the road. A motorist stopped and started to shout and swear at me to use the cycle path. I was actually afraid for my safety in case I was assaulted by him. If the bypass was extended in Stonehouse it would make the roads quieter therfore safer when taking children's on walks and out on our bikes lack of cycle lanes puts me off cycling. toads too busy and dangerous. I would like to cycle to work in uddingston from strathaven but there isn’t a safe cycle pathway for me to use. I walk and cycle a lot and the condition of the roads and pavements in Stonehouse and surrounding areas are an absolute disgrace, the council should be ashamed of themselves at letting this happen, traffic on the roads are terrible and strathaven road, surrounding roads are death traps with speeding vehicles, I am surprised there is not more accidents, it’s a sad day when you have to often get in the car to get to somewhere safe to walk or cycle without fear of injury. Often wonder what the council do with themselves and they have a cheek to demand council tax,no wonder parents drive kids to schools etc cause I would not let a kid walk or cycle anywhere now, it was different when I was a kid, and that was only 30 odd years ago. Sort out the paths and the lights for year round use and they will be used. Signs, walking routes and bike parking spaces are great, but rather ridiculous token gestures if paths are covered in ice, cracks or pitch black after 4pm. As a keen cyclist, the conditions of some of the country roads in the council area is disgraceful. It borders on dangerous in some places. The pothole reporting system is cumbersome. I notice a pothole, say, while cycling and have to identify almost the exact spot to report it. On the plus side, there are a number of good cycle paths. Pedestrians, especially dog walkers using extendable lesdsbshould be made more aware of shared paths. Pity,also,that many cyclists don't use the paths.
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 68 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Lack of pavements from Stonehouse to Strathaven / Glassford prevent easy access for walking. There is NO WAY to access these routes by pavement. Despite repeatedly reporting potholes and road surface defects especially highlighting dangers to cyclists, nothing has been done (example Brown's Bridge on Strathaven to Muirkirk road, Cot Castle bend on Stonehouse to Strathaven Road). Both areas are extremely hazarous and no way to negotiate without hitting potholes.
A pavement or dedicated pexestrian/cycle path along A726 from Strathaven to Chapelton would not only allow residents to walk into Strathaven safely but provide a further safe circular pedestrian route around Strathaven. I’d love to walk and cycle more. I’d be happy to make most journeys to Strathaven by bike / walking but there is no traffic free walking route and the roads are very busy for cycling or walking. Good for leisure but there is no chance of people walking or cycling to places that they need if they don't exist locally There are no walking/cycle routes, let alone safe ones to Larkhall or Strathaven and a large amount of haulage and farming traffic coming through which makes it impossible for me to travel safely to either of the surrounding towns let alone my children too. We each own at least two bikes each within our household but usually have to drive a good distance in order to safely use them. Disappointing when I have a 4 and 6 year old who can easily cycle 6 miles so cycling to another town would be easy but they are not able to due safety and lack of facility.
There are no crossing facilities near our house causing primary age children to have to cross a very busy main road to attend school on a daily basis and no crossing patrol provided either. Many more people would walk and cycle between stonehouse and strathaven if there was a proper cycle lane. It would have a huge impact on lessening car traffic and improving the environment and the health of the population. The road is simply not safe to cycle or walk at any time of day or year.
There's no pavement to walk on stonehouse Road which would be safer for people wanting to walk from Glassford to Strathaven as the main route between them is unlit, windy, has no pavement and vehicles travel too fast. Traffic calming measures would help this, also within Glassford entrances. It's also not secure in Strathaven in terms of parking your bike plus you're not allowed to take it on the bus.
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 69 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Roads from Glassford to Strathaven, Larkhall and Stonehouse are too narrow and too busy to be enjoyable and safe to cycle or walk. The distances are perfect for cycling and I would get an ebike to deal with the hills, but I don't feel safe on the roads. The only thing that will make a difference is segregated cycling and walking paths, close to the roads but not right alongside them. Would be great if some country roads were blocked as through routes - I've heard of local authorities who fit barriers and give key fobs to residents on local farms etc so they can open them.
Traffic volume is not significantly high, however drivers willingness to drive safely is lacking. I would like to see road modifications that discourage fast driving, and encourage/ focus on pedestrian and cycling activities. I would also like to see parking facilities dotted through out Stonehouse for people who only have on street parking, and I'd like these parking areas to have electrical charging points. There is not many routes to safely cycle to Larkhall. A train platform would be nice, make it easier to get to Glasgow. Good to reinstate the train lines as cycle tracks. Slow down cars. Put in protected cycle lanes around Strathaven Mostly there aren’t many safe routes to walk either towards strathaven or larkhall. Most routes are on back roads which have less traffic. Shopping limits how much walking you can do if you need to carry items. I am a cyclist but the volume of traffic and the quality of the road surface deters me from cycling for everyday use. Traffic volume in Strathaven are now unsustainable. A bypass road to divert the huge lorries thundering through the town would help to reduce risk for walking and cycling. Local regular bus service would also help to remove traffic from the town. Stonehouse Townhead Street/ King Street needs traffic calming measures to slow traffic. Stonehouse Park needs repairs and new paths. We have no pavement for miles, can be very dangerous walking or cycling on the road our to my home at Dungavel I enjoy walking but can't go too far from the house as I have a medical condition that means I can need the toilet fairly frequently. If the toilet facilities were restored in Strathaven I could walk much further. Alternatively, if the scheme that local businesses can sign up to with the council that allows members of the public to use their toilet facilities that would at least be something. I enjoy cycling also, some cycle paths or cycle lanes would also be very useful and would make me feel safer whilst cycling. It's unrealistic for most people. Hills weather routes. Just impractical.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Given the substantial increase in new homes in Strathaven area, with corresponding increase in traffic, a comprehensive "public education" programme (perhaps in form of leaflet drop to all households) on driving, cycling and walking on rural roads would be advantageous to all. This should show how to walk on rural roads without a footway, the courtesy's of driving on single track rural roads ie use passing places, and for cyclists the benefits of having and using a bell. I'm sure roads and Transportation Services would be grateful for anything that would deter motorists from driving blithely on soft roadside verges. I am a confident cyclist & cycle to work East Ren March to September 1-2/ week on back roads, but I think more safety measures & better maintenance of back roads would encourage more cyclists. Traffic on Townhead Street where there is parking on one side (of necessity) heavy vehicles can be threatenly close when you are walking. Similarly on Kirk Street. Local off road walking routes should be created or improved. No pavements on the A71 road to strathaven or even to Glassford bridge I hope SLC isn't about to go down the route of Edinburgh/London and turn our area into a lycra paradise for those idiots!!!
Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Page 71 Active Travel Feasibility Study
Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Walking in the town. I am a keen walker and my observations are all from a pedestrian point of view. The main reasons residents are not encouraged to walk rather than used a vehicle are the poor state of repair of pavements and the number of vehicles parked, and other obstructions, on pavements throughout the town. I’ve noticed this year a growing number of hedges which have expanded well into the pavement through lack of maintenance. Many of our road drainage systems appear to be in a poor state as puddles form and pedestrians are in danger of vehicle spray. I hope these observations don’t sound like an old grump moaning as born and bred in Strathaven and now a pensioner I wish all residents the experience of walking around our town and locale and enjoying our beautiful neighbourhood. As I say these factors may discourage walking but I walk a few miles every day and do not let these difficulties prevent my excursions but if I were in a wheel chair or pushing a pram that would be a very different story. The pavement on Stonehouse Road beyond the graveyard and the pavement along the Ayr Road from the roundabout at Kirk Street and Townhead Street cause me concern as the width of road force vehicles very close to the walkway, this is particularly frightening when large heavy goods pass. Walking in the countryside. In general cars are very good at giving walkers space to walk in confidence, oncoming traffic giving a good gap between them and a pedestrian especially where there is little verge or no verge to mount. Cyclists are not so obliging even although they now benefit legally from distance between them and a motor passing them. Rights of Ways should be marked as per South Lanarkshire Core Paths Plan, some land owners do not welcome/accept this document. Entrances to fields without a hard core result in tractors depositing muck on the road and some farms are less than careful about moving dung on the public highway, both inconvenience walkers. These difficulties can be overcome by encouragement and planned regular road maintenance. Perhaps meeting places with seats and refuse bins on countryside walks. One thing which disturbs me regarding countryside walks is the amount of rubbish which is thrown away rather than being binned on return home – I’m embarrassed that my fellow residents of the town care so little for our environment. The plastic which is dumped in great quantities of bottles, wrappers and boxes will pollute our world for the coming decades and I believe will become a major concern to our children. Great opportunities to improve routes like Sandford to Strathaven paved footpath, both width and surfacing. Old railway line from Strathaven to gilmourton and Strathaven to Stonehouse potential for cycle and footpath routes off A71. River Avon riverside footpaths - opportunity. Spec Falls walk needs some work along riverside footpath. Joined up access routes - suitable parking, cycling routes planned better. Lack of joined up thinking in planning at present.
Widening the footpath from Sandford to Strathaven to enable a safe cycling lane for children and novice cyclists.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Create more cycle or walkways to allow walking. RTail ines can be converted. No pavement areas to get to Strtathaven or glassford or sandford road. You need to walk on the A71 Need cycle lanes to travel safe Main roads generally and some rural roads bear unreasonably fast vehicle traffic. While some roads have improved surfaces in recent years, the condition of many streets and roads is often poor to actually dangerous for cyclists, especially within a metre of the verge/kerb: cracked and broken surfaces, sunken manholes and gulleys and awkward cambers. Pavements in Strathaven are often poorly-surfaced and trap covers are often missing, for many months - what inspection regimes are in place? The A71, the A723 and the A726 are all actively dangerous for cyclists and walkers, thanks to heavy vehicular traffic at times and unreasonably-rapid, "competitive" or simply incompetent driving. Rural roads often have potholes and badly broken carriageway edges, while verges have been damaged by vehicles, causing there to form a drop below the road surface - a hazard for walkers and cyclists. Our town streets are mainly 30mph limited, 10mph too fast for safe crossing and cycling, especially with on-street parking. Streets in Strathaven are often narrow, exacerbating the folly and danger of poor driving, added to which, even "small" cars are nowadays much larger than before (eg Mini - a joke!). Talking of irony, a previous page in this survey asked about taking one's bike on the train ..... Strathaven enjoyed a total of 3, yes, 3, railway stations, until the final service, to the once-magnificent Strathaven Central, was withdrawn and destroyed in 1964- 65. Bus services remain scarce and slow. We have already suffered lost opportunities to convert the former railway solums to cycle routes, since successive local Councils have shown a marked lack of internal departmental liaison and have permitted building upon the old railway routes. If you want to increase the walking and cycling habits, you need to make walking and cycling an easy choice: safe, readily-functional, enjoyable, sociable. It has to be easier and more satisfying to bring one's bike out of the garage for the Saturday morning (light" shopping trip into Strathaven, instead of firing up the car, contending with traffic, finding a parking place. And there must be no shame in pushing the bike up our steep hills!
Pavement between Blackwood and Larkhall, kirkmuirhill and strathaven, too dangerous to walk on those roads especially in dark winter months due to traffic.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know THERE ARE PLENTY OF EXCELLENT COUNTRY LANES IN AVONDALE, ESPECIALLY IN AULDHOUSE, BUT THE ROADS ARE VERY POORLY MAINTAINED IN TERMS OF REPAIRING POT HOLES PROPERLY, THE COUNCIL SEEMS TO JUST FILL IN WITH TEMPORARY MEASURES. ALSO BECAUSE THE COUNCIL CONTINUALLY BUILDS HOUSING ESTATES NEAR TO VILLAGES, THERE IS MORE AND MORE TRAFFIC, WHICH IS DETRIMENTAL TO CYCLISTS AND WALKERS. ONE OF THE ATTRACTIONS FOR CYCLISTS IS THE COUNTRY ROADS ARE WIDE ENOUGH TO CYCLE ON BECAUSE THERE ARE NO PAVEMENTS AND THIS SHOULD REMAIN. REAL CYCLISTS DON'T WANT NARROW HALF HEARTED CYCLE LANES BECAUSE THE TRAFFIC JUST PUSHES YOU INTO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE SOLUTION IS DON'T ENCOURAGE TRAFFIC TO USE THESE VILLAGES AND THEN THEY WILL BE IDEAL FOR WALKERS AND CYCLISTS. Strathaven needs a train station. The beeching cut lines (to Hamilton to Larkhall) should have a feasibility study conducted to assess their viability for reopening In general, using a bike to commute outwith the town means sharing 'A roads' with high levels of motor vehicle traffic which is fairly stressful. The fact that only main routes are gritted has an impact at this time of year and dissuades me from using my bike for these type of journeys. Even getting out onto the main road from the estate I live in has been out of the question because of ice recently. If funding was available I would approve of the old railway lines being utilised as off road routes for people walking or cycling. Likewise in the town in which I work (Hamilton) it is not easy to avoid traffic and at some junctions there is no provision for cyclists at all e.g. Peacock Cross area, I am a very confident cyclist and the main thing that stops me using my bike more is the lack of parking and security facilities. As a father I have a young family and would love to take them cycling however the volume and speed of traffic through Strathaven and Stonehouse on the A71 is terrible and makes the though of having a cycling family an impossible dream. This means I will never allow them to cycle to the shops or my office in Strathaven. Leading by example and using my bike more feels like leading my children to an early grave due to the blatant disregards for the safety of cyclist on the roads. Until Cyclist are respected by other road users it can never be a viable solution for travel in our society. The traffic travelling through Sandford moves far too fast. There is no lighting between Sandford and Strathaven so walking is very limited. Paths aren’t well kept for prams to move easily on. The pavement from Sandford into Strathaven could benefit from being widened to let at least 2 people walk side by side and for pram wheels to avoid damage from broken plates of tarmac.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know Another comments about condition of footpaths. I walk a fair bit for exercise around Strathaven and the surrounding area. I've no issues with lack of footpaths on rural roads. However, in Strathaven itself, clearly footpaths are required and their condition in many places is very poor, to the extent that I often prefer to walk on the road. I see many others do the same. Although I see lots of resurfacing of roads around Strathaven, I cannot remember the last time a footpath was resurfaced. Glasgow Road was closed for a few days last year for resurfacing. SLC could have taken the opportunity then to improve the poor footpath sections in the closed section at that point. However, despite spending a large amount of money on the road (probably into 6 figures), no improvement to the footpath was carried out. This would have added relatively little to the overall cost. It does nothing to encourage people to walk.
In particular the pedestrian walking route Strathaven to Sandford could be improved in order to make it safer for academy pupils waking to and home from school, it’s dark in the morning and after school in winter months additionally if there were to be an off road cycle track this would be ideal for all ages to get to and from Strathaven from Sandford and encouraged shopping , getting to school leisure etc. This would be the case for all outlying villages really should be a priority now with the climate crisis upon us. Free walking routes guide would be handy to pick up in health centres, leisure facilities and local shops. Lighting on the path between Sandford and Strathaven would encourage activity day and evening Dedicated cycle lanes on the main roads would be very helpful and might inspire confidence to use them more often. The speed of the cars is a major concern, and the proximity to me when some of them pass me is also a worry for my personal safety. Personally, I prefer to use back roads and farm roads and avoid main roads as much as possible given the speed which some drivers attain. I have a mountain bike which is perhaps more suited to a leisurely pace on back roads rather than main raod use. No dedicated cycle lanes in Strathaven and path from Sandford to Strathaven not suitable for bikes or for children to walk especially during winter. As a result, many cars travel from Sandford to Strathaven daily transporting academy children. A71 route through Strathaven brings heavy traffic volumes at times, often in excess of speed limits; road bumps would slow traffic effectively. Its clear that narrowing carriageways is ineffective in slowing traffic [EG Colinhill Road]. Barn Street, Green Street, Townhead Street and Kirk Street are arterial throughways where cycling and walking are both adversely impacted upon by vehicle volumes, weight and speed.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know The main road from Sandford to Strathaven has a completely inadequate pavement/ cycle path with no lighting, and is a source of daily punctures for children cycling on it. We gave up in the end. I cycle on the road and that brings significant risk as traffic overtakes at 60 mph on the bendy road. There is nothing here to encourage safe cycling for young people or beginners.
Very narrow pavements in many parts of Strathaven. Have to walk around badly parked cars at times. Some narrow streets feel unsafe with traffic, like Bridge St, Strathaven at pub on corner where there's no pavement (should be 1-way or pedestrianised). Possible to cycle to Strathaven on backroads but should have off- road cycle routes using old railway lines to Stonehouse especially but also Quarter/Hamilton. Old central railway could link to Sainsbury's car park to help people shop by bike and cut car trips. Also need safe cycle routes to schools and Strathaven Park. Would love to see the old railway lines cleared and put to use for cyclists & walkers please ,please , please? Be such a benefit fir the communities. The lack of effective public transport means that in order to access some walking routes you have to drive. Most of the local roads, for example Muirburn Road in Glassford, are in extremely poor condition meaning that cycling and walking can be dangerous due to deep potholes and poor verge condition. There is a lack of a joined up public transport strategy with only two bus routes serving Strathaven and one serving Glassford and Chapelton. There is no public transport for Sandford, Drumclog or Gilmourton. There is no effective access to trains from the villages, only from Strathaven and Stonehouse, based on lengthy bus journeys. There is no access by public transport to the Clyde Valley. There has been an increase in walking and cycling over the last year but there remain barriers to this increasing further. Public transport is poor meaning few options for commuters who can have a two hour trip to get into Glasgow and significantly longer for other destinations in South Lanarkshire. Road conditions on local roads are also shocking in some places, limiting the interest in cycling in particular due to potholes and poor verges. This can make cycling dangerous. Speeding on local roads is also an issue, especially through villages and on single track roads. Lack of signed cycling and walking routes is also an issue.
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Q16. If you have any other comments about walking and cycling in Strathaven, Stonehouse and the surrounding villages, please let us know There has been an increase in walking and cycling over the last year around Glassford and into Strathaven, but there remain barriers to this increasing further. Public transport is poor with only one bus an hour to either East Kilbride or Hamilton. There is no public transport option for Larkhall station expect for going through Strathaven which is a journey that can take an hour to travel 3 miles. There are few options for commuters who can have a two hour trip to get into Glasgow and significantly longer for other destinations in South Lanarkshire. Road conditions on local roads are also shocking in some places, for example Muirburn Road, limiting the interest in cycling in particular due to potholes and poor verges. Local roads tend to flood make cycling dangerous and in winter those roads freeze making even walking dangerous. Speeding on local roads is also an issue, especially through villages like Glassford and on single track roads. Lack of signed cycling and walking routes is also an issue.
The off-road cycling infrastructure needs to be upgraded to allow for safe, lit and signposted routes for walking and cycling. Introduction of cycle lanes on roads would help too, as would introducing some form of speed restrictions for cars.
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Appendix B - Placecheck Full Results
Table 6 below provides the full results of the Placecheck online mapping where respondents could add: Things I like, Things I don’t like and Things we need to work on. Please note, a very small number of comments received in the survey have been removed where personal data was recorded in order to protect privacy. Where possible, the rest of the comments which do not identify personal data have been retained. Table 6 - Placecheck Online Map Full Comments and Comment Locations
Category What is it? Why am I adding it? Latitude Longitude
Things I don't Road to Larkhall No feasible public 55.7023 -4.01602 like transport option to Larkhall Station
Things I don't Millar Street There is a prevalence of 55.6995 -4.03065 like speeding through the village
Things I don't Muirburn Road The condition is dreadful 55.7007 -4.01988 like and is not maintained
Things I don't No pavement on Blind corner where you 55.7008 -4.03009 like Bridge St have to walk in the road. Would be better if filtered or at least one-way.
Things I don't Thompson Parked cars and busy 55.6924 -3.99701 like Street/Townhead street makes exiting Thompson Street dangerous for cars and bikes
Things I don't Pedestrian Busy intersection of A71 55.6806 -4.07001 like Lights - Station where parked cars Road/A71 obstruct the views and cars regularly go through red lights. Entering onto the A71 from Station Road is blind and dangerous.
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Category What is it? Why am I adding it? Latitude Longitude
Things I like Strathaven Park Nice place to visit and go 55.6729 -4.06929 for a walk but paths can be busy.
Things we Glassford Poor roads and dreadful 55.6766 -4.06441 need to work access to public transport on
Things we Rough paths at Scope to create all- 55.6348 -4.07119 need to work Whinriggs weather, traffic free paths on on old rail lines to link past hospital and to park.
Things we Former railway As much as possible of 55.6729 -4.0776 need to work the old railway/goods yard on should be made into a cycling/walking path. A gentle ramp up to Sainsbury's could make it a traffic free route to shops as well as a leisure route off A71.
Things we Lack of parking There is a lack of parking 55.675 -4.06451 need to work to allow walking within the on wind farm to auchengillock monument.
Things we footpath on A71 Poor drainage 55.669 -4.05181 need to work maintenance means that on pedestrians likely to get soaked by passing vehicles. Path covered in mud and silt (perhaps linked to drainage maintenance). Surfacing also poor as well as excessive speed by many vehicles.
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Category What is it? Why am I adding it? Latitude Longitude
Things we Footpaths Many broken and sunken 55.6739 -4.07027 need to work slabs make this difficult to on walk on- vehicle parking on slabs perhaps cause this but many trip hazards
Things we Footpath This path is well used by 55.6764 -4.06368 need to work between many, not just those from on Strathaven and Sandford, but also from Sandford Strathaven walking to the Falls and Sandford. The path in places is very poor with surface breaking up. It was cleared of overgrown vegetation a year or so ago, but further work needed
Things we Sainsburys Visibility not good for 55.6766 -4.06428 need to work roundabout people travelling on north/East on A71. Better signage to warn of roundabout needed
Things we Castle Street The road layout here is 55.6753 -4.07082 need to work and roundabout not clear for people on coming out Bridge Street and Castle Street. Priority is not clear
Things we Bridge Street Road too narrow and 55.6763 -4.06824 need to work visibility poor to see on oncoming cars
Things we Bowling Green Only access/egress to 55.6756 -4.06567 need to work Road School and leisure centre on and only 1 car wide make traffic spill onto Thompson Street and causes danger to pedestrians
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Category What is it? Why am I adding it? Latitude Longitude
Things we Vehicle An inconvenience for 55.6757 -4.0694 need to work obstruction on walkers but an assault on pavements. course for wheel chairs and prams.
Things we Drains Traffic spray great 55.6759 -4.06666 need to work throughout the inconvenience to walkers. on town blocked and over flowing.
Things we Poor condition of Traffic so close to 55.6773 -4.06116 need to work walkway. pedestrian it can be on frightening.
Things we Poor walkway Water spray from traffic 55.6734 -4.07473 need to work too close to HGV inconvenience for on traffic. pedestrians.
Things we Main Children living at this 55.6877 -4.00094 need to work Road/Roundabo estate attend either on ut at Barratt Stonehouse or Newfield Estate Primary. This means they have to cross the very busy Strathaven Road within 50 yards of a 50 mph section of this road but there are absolutely no crossing facilities provided.
Things we Stonehouse Park The park is just off the 55.7014 -3.98828 need to work Sustrans 74 route so on would be good if there was cycle parking, allow people to stop off here when the weather is nice.
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Category What is it? Why am I adding it? Latitude Longitude
Things we Cross Area This is on the Sustrans 74 55.6984 -3.98127 need to work Route. It would be good if on there was cycle parking here, as well as a bike repair stand, air pump etc. This would mean people would stop on their way through from Blackwood to Larkhall and spend time in the village. At Stonehouse Business Association we offered to seek funding for this but were told by SLC that we couldn't due to safety issues.
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Appendix C Public Life Survey
Public Life Survey: Introduction and Method AECOM has been commissioned by South Lanarkshire Council to undertake an appraisal using the Gehl ‘Twelve Quality Criteria’, to inform the Strathaven, Stonehouse and the Surrounding Villages Travel Feasibility Study. This report provides an appraisal of Common Green in Strathaven and the study area is shown in Figure C.1. The report has been carried out by a Chartered Landscape Architect using professional judgement in response to the criteria. The structure is as follows: • Location plan; • Summary of analysis against the Twelve Quality Criteria, including scoring; • Annotated photo record; • Typical section; • Summary diagram of scoring; • Observations; and • Recommendations. Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Method Gehl’s Twelve Quality Criteria has been developed as a ‘tool for researching how public spaces are experienced by their users’ and to assess if a space has features which are protective, comfortable and enjoyable, as without these functions the quality of public space is reduced and people are less likely to want to use the space (Gehl, 2021). It is part of a suite of Public Life Survey tools developed by Gehl. The study area was decided on to reflect the main commercial area and area of public life within Uddingston and the boundaries were refined following the on site appraisal to focus on the main area of activity. The AECOM Landscape Architect used the Gehl Twelve Quality Criteria to conduct an independent appraisal of the study area, looking at the three themes of Protection, Comfort, and Enjoyment. The appraisal took place on Wednesday 27th January 2021. The full Quality Criteria Assessment criteria can be found online25. Each of the criteria have been scored as below. • 1 = No • 2 = In-between • 3 = Yes
25 Gehl 12 Quality Criteria Method Public Life Survey https://gehlpeople.com/tools/twelve-quality-criteria/
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Therefore, the highest scores represent qualities of the public space that are strongest. Figure C.3 illustrates the spread of the scores. Public Life Survey: Limitations The findings of this appraisal are limited to observations at the time of the site survey. The survey was conducted on Wednesday 27th January 2021 and the weather conditions were as follows; 2-4°C between morning and mid-afternoon, light fog clearing to cloudy and light rain. There were light winds through the day. The survey was also conducted during the COVID-19 global pandemic and at a time in which Scotland was under National Lockdown restrictions, which is likely to have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed. The survey was conducted from publicly accessible locations and no technical or practical problems were incurred.
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Public Life Survey: Location
Figure C.1 Public Life Survey Location, Common Green, Strathaven
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Public Life Survey: Twelve Quality Criteria Summary Table C-1 Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Protection
Criteria Summary Score
Protection Single lane traffic, low traffic speed and islands help 2 against pedestrians to cross the carriageway safely. traffic and In locations pavements are narrow, making passing difficult. accidents
Protection The area is busy during the day with commercial uses 3 against providing footfall. harm by The area is well lit and there are a number of pubs and others restaurants as well as residential flats to upper storeys which help to make the area feel safe in the evening. The area is sheltered from the elements as it is enclosed by Protection 3 against buildings and located at a low level relative to its surroundings. unpleasant Some shops have awnings to provide shelter. sensory The low speed of the road reduces traffic noise. experience
Table C-2 Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Comfort
Criteria Summary Score
Options for For less able groups in particular, mobility is restricted by the 1 mobility lack of clear safe crossing points; with just one designed central crossing point. Narrow pavements and high kerbs at the junction with Bridge Street reduce mobility. Cars park to the centre of Common Green which can cause tension between drivers and pedestrians. Options to People were observed to congregate to the front of Scotmid 2 stand and supermarket where there is a wide footway and bus stop. There are options for standing/lingering close to the above linger area against adjacent walls and next to the seating area south of the car park. Options for There are 5 no. benches within Common Green. They vary in 3 sitting style but are all timber with backrest and armrests. There is commercial seating to the front of a few restaurants and cafes. Options for There are attractive long distance views of Strathaven 3 seeing Cemetery and War Memorial from benches located to the south side of Common Green. This area is part of a Conservation Area and contains historic buildings of visual interest.
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Criteria Summary Score
Options for People use the pedestrianised Strait Close and Main Street to 3 talking and stop and talk as they are quieter and set back from the road. listening/ The low speed of the road reduces traffic noise. hearing
Options for There are no specific features included for play, exercise or 1 play, activities. exercise, The pedestrianised streets of Strait Close and Main Street and provide the opportunity for events. activities There are links to the John Hastie Park from Bridge Street.
Table C-3 Twelve Quality Criteria Summary: Enjoyment
Criteria Summary Score
Scale Buildings are 2 to 3 storey and enclose the space to three 2 sides. The proportions of Common Green allows for views across the street and there is a sense that both sides of the street are unified as an urban square. Opportunities The street has a northwest to southeast orientation and 3 to enjoy the therefore the southwest side gets the morning sun and the positive northeast side gets the afternoon sun. The centre of the street gets open sunlight all day. aspects of Benches and commercial seating are located in areas that get climate open sun light at varied times of the day.
Experience The historic buildings create visual interest. 2 of aesthetic Public realm materials vary in quality, with high quality natural qualities and stone paving along Main Street and the entrance to Strait positive Close. sensory experience
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Public Life Survey: Photo Record Table C-4 Public Life Survey Photo Record and Summaries
Planting Parking at the centre Planting is mostly provided by a Parking to the centre of Common Green collection of planters and one street tree. reduces the unity of the space and negatively affects pedestrian movement.
Main Street Crossings Main Street is a pedestrian only route There is only one crossing across the which creates an interesting urban centre of the street, which is not clearly sequence connecting to the south east of defined. Common Green.
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Exercise Seating There are no specific features for There is a seating/meeting space to the exercise and no cycle lanes or stands. east of the car park which is well located for views across Common Green and towards the War Memorial.
Public Life Survey: Typical Section
Figure C . 2 Typical Cross Section of Uddingston Main Street Survey Area Please note: all measurements are approximate
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Public Life Survey: Scoring Summary Diagram
Figure C.3 Summary of Public Life Scoring
Public Life Survey: Observations Table 7: Public Life Survey Observations
Themes Observations
Protection is good, as the area is sheltered from the elements, is protected from traffic by low traffic speed and single lane carriageway Protection and has a range of land uses making the area feel safe at all times of the day.
There are good options for lingering, seating and talking, however the Comfort current design does not provide enough clear crossing points which negatively effects mobility particularly for less able groups.
The space is enclosed to three sides by historic buildings which makes Common Green appear as an urban square at the human Enjoyment scale, however the disproportionate amount of parking to the centre of the space and the mixed public realm materials disjoint the street.
It should be noted that the physical survey was conducted on Wednesday the 27th of January 2021 during a period of national restrictions resulting from the COVID-19
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pandemic. It is likely that these restrictions will have had a strong influence on the public life activity observed during the surveys. Public Life Survey: Recommendations The historic setting and form of this street create the potential for a high place function, however movement function for pedestrians is low as the wide layout and lack of crossings restrict the flow of movement within the street. The main recommendation is to unify Common Green as an accessible urban square by; • Improving mobility across the space with clear pedestrian routes across the space and reducing the barrier created by parking; • Developing a cohesive public realm materials across the space which is respectful of the historic setting and improves aesthetic qualities; and • Provide features to encourage play, exercise and activities, which supports the function of a town hub.
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Appendix D - Detailed Mapping
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