Crouch Street Cycle Route - response to questionnaire

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This is the response on behalf of Colchester Friends of the Earth, using the questionnaire provided.
 
Section One:
 
Q1, Q2 and Q3:  Various members, many of whom live in Colchester, who walk, cycle, use the buses or cars in the town centre.
 
Q4:  Some of us use Crouch Street regularly, and the Co-ordinator, making this response on behalf of the group, uses Crouch Street at least twice a week.
 
Q5:  To shop or use Launderette.
 
Q6:  I walk from the bus stops in Crouch Street East to Crouch Street West, catching a bus back into the town from west of Rawstorn Road.
 
Section Two:  Crouch Street Cycle Route
 
Q7:  No, we do not support the proposed Crouch Street cycle route.
 
We represent all of the categories for modes of travel and therefore can look at this proposal from the perspective of the pedestrians, cyclists, bus users and car users.  We have discussed this proposal and do not support it for the following reasons:

1. Colchester council supports the York hierarchy of priority given to pedestrians, cyclists, bus users and car users.  This proposal would be confusing, create many points of conflict between the different modes of travel and particularly disadvantage the pedestrians - who should have priority - and also put cyclists at risk from car traffic.


2. The information leaflet and map does not even show the far more suitable and safe current designated cycle route, part of National Cycle Route 1 from the Rawstorn Road end of Crouch Street into the town centre via the bridge and past the Mercury Theatre.  This safe and quieter route is clearly shown on the Cycle Colchester leaflet which was available at the exhibition.  However, it needs proper cycle route markings and signage to avoid cyclists taking the shortest route from A to B via the unsuitable, congested and tortuous route via Crouch Street


3. The proposed cycle route from the bottom of Rawstorn Road across Crouch Street to the Tesco pavement crosses the path of many elderly pedestrians shopping on both sides, and at various times during the day conflicts with large crowds of students coming to the shops for food, and particularly milling around the bottom of Rawstorn Road and the Tesco Express.


4. The proposed cycle route also goes across the path of cars travelling in all directions at the bottom of Rawstorn Road and twice crosses the path of cars travelling west along the one-way Crouch Street.  This is a recipe for confusion and conflict and hazardous for cyclists, who may well instead cycle along the north pavement of Crouch Street frightening the many elderly pedestrians.


5. Cycling legally through the underpass in both directions will conflict with those pedestrians who use it rather than the road crossing.


6. The stretch of proposed cycle route along Crouch Street East is a mishmash of muddle and confusion in trying to solve a problem being created by this unsuitable, unnecessary and costly idea.  It is a recipe for conflict again between pedestrians, cyclists, bus users, car users, and delivery vehicles.


7. To put a cycle path running east between the pavement and the row of angle-parked cars is clumsy and dangerous.  It will also narrow the usable road width on both sides with cycles going west on the south side.  Delivery vehicles are often parked there on the south side of the road for short times, which already congests the road for the many and frequest buses which use this stretch of Crouch Street East to go south along Maldon Road and west along Lexden Road, both town buses and interurban buses.

The clear and obvious solution is to spend a much smaller amount of money on properly highlighting the route in both directions of the current cycle route from Rawstorn Road, which is part of National Cycle Route 1 into the town centre.  This safe route will benefit cyclists instead of creating mayhem and conflict between pedestrians, cyclists, buses and motorists in the confusion manifest in this badly-thought-out scheme.

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Response from Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
on behalf of Colchester Friends of the Earth.
29th November 2010.
 
 

Objection to Philip Morant new access road

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Colchester Borough Council
Town Hall
High Street
Colchester CO1 1FL

14th March 2010

For the attention of David Whybrow

Application No: 100172
Proposal: New access road to Philip Morant School (Renewal of application F/COL/97/0155 & F/COL/04/2217)
 
Dear Mr Whybrow
 
Colchester Friends of the Earth objects strongly to the proposals in the above planning application for the following reasons:-
 
1. Loss of Public Open Space: Both The Green and Irvine Road Field are designated as Public Open Spaces in the Local Development Framework.  Both Christchurch and Prettygate wards have less than the recommended standard of open space per 1000 population.
2. Damage to the Green link corridor: Both The Green and the Irvine Road Field form part of the Green Link network which would be destroyed if the road were built.
 
The Local Development Framework has to be taken into account when considering this application. In particular:  Core Strategy PR1 states: “The Council will protect and enhance the existing network of green links, open spaces, and sports facilities and secure additional areas where deficiencies are identified”.
 
ENV 1 states: “The network of strategic green links between the rural hinterland, river corridors, and key green spaces and areas of accessible open space that contribute to the green infrastructure across the Borough will be protected and enhanced.”
 
The Local Development Plan policies outlined above should effectively rule out the proposed development across The Green and Irvine Road Field.
 
3. Loss of sustainable and safe walking and cycling routes for hundreds of school children and local people. The proposed access road would bisect Public Footpath 206, reduce Public Footpath 204 to a roadside route, resulting in a reduction of safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
 
The proposed road would bisect the heavily used footpath and cycle path running between Irvine Road and Rembrandt way. The road would destroy what is currently a safe, traffic-free route for residents and the hundreds of children who walk and cycle to the three secondary schools in the area.  This runs counter to the National 'Safe Routes to Schools' Policy. The road layout does not encourage low speeds nor does it segregate traffic from cyclists and pedestrians.
 
This would discourage walking and cycling to school and result in more children being brought to school by car, running counter to Government and local council policies to encourage sustainable transport and discourage the use of private cars.
 
4. Loss of open space and informal recreation area enjoyed by the local community..  Building a road across the entire length of The Green and onto the Irvine Road Field will lead to a substantial loss of greenlink open space and informal recreation area currently enjoyed by the local community.

Planning Policy Guidance 17 on Open space, Sport and Recreation  states: 
i)  Open space and sports and recreational facilities that are of high quality, or of particular value to a local community, should be recognised and given protection by local authorities through appropriate policies in plans. Areas of particular quality may include small areas of open space in urban areas that provide an important local amenity and offer recreational and play opportunities;  and:
iv)  Rights of way are an important recreational facility, which local authorities should protect and enhance.

5. Opposition shown by the local community.   The above Planning Policy Guidance 17 states:  iii)“Developers will need to consult the local community and demonstrate that their proposals are widely supported by them.”

Philip Morant School cannot demonstrate that their proposals are supported by the local community.  A petition in November 2009, addressed to Philip Morant School asked them to reconsider their plans for the road.  It was signed by over 900 people, demonstrating that these areas are an important local amenity much valued by the community.

6. Local community schools should be supported rather than the plans for closing the two schools in the south of Colchester and transporting hundreds of children to huge centralised schools such as proposed for the expansion of Philip Morant School.

The current plans have been opposed by the huge majority of Colchester people consulted.  They would result in the need to transport thousands of children away from their local community schools which many of them can currently walk or cycle or catch a local bus to reach.

7. This runs counter to local and Government sustainable transport and environmental policies to reduce unnecessary car journeys and to reduce climate change gases and pollution both locally and in the UK.  The Government has committed the UK to reduce CO2 and other climate change gases by 34% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.  Transport is a huge and growing source of climate change gases and pollution both locally and in the UK.

Colchester Friends of the Earth urges Colchester Borough Council to reject this application.

Yours sincerely
 
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, CO5 8AR.

Objection to new access road across former allotments

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Colchester Borough Council
Town Hall
High Street
Colchester CO1 1FL

14th March 2010

For the attention of David Whybrow

Application No: 100223
Proposal: New access road to service the Philip Morant School

Dear Mr Whybrow

Colchester Friends of the Earth objects strongly to the proposals in the above planning application for the following reasons:-

1. Loss of Public Open Space: The Green, Irvine Road Field and the former allotment land (Nature Reserve), are designated as Public Open Spaces in the Local Development Framework.  Both Christchurch and Prettygate wards have less than the recommended standard of open space per 1000 population.
2. Damage to the Green link corridor: The Green, the Irvine Road Field and the former allotment land (Nature Reserve) form part of the Green Link network which would be destroyed if the road were built.

The Local Development Framework has to be taken into account when considering this application. In particular:  Core Strategy PR1 states: “The Council will protect and enhance the existing network of green links, open spaces, and sports facilities and secure additional areas where deficiencies are identified”.

ENV 1 states: “The network of strategic green links between the rural hinterland, river corridors, and key green spaces and areas of accessible open space that contribute to the green infrastructure across the Borough will be protected and enhanced.”

The Local Development Plan policies outlined above should effectively rule out the proposed development across The Green,  Irvine Road Field or the allotment land..

3. The former allotment land belongs to the people and does not belong to councils to build a road across. It was planted as a nature reserve at a time when there was less demand for allotments. Building a road across it and parts of The Green and Irvine Road Field will lead to a substantial loss of greenlink open space and destroy important wildlife habitat.

4. Loss of sustainable and safe walking and cycling routes for hundreds of school children and local people and diverting and lenthening the cycle route and footpath around a proposed new school playing field. The proposed access road would bisect Public Footpaths 204 and 206, resulting in a reduction of safety for pedestrians and cyclists and lengthening and diverting the cycle route and footpath to encircle a new school playing field.

The proposed road would bisect the heavily used footpath and cycle path running between Irvine Road and Rembrandt way. The road would destroy what is currently a safe, traffic-free route for residents and the hundreds of children who walk and cycle to the three secondary schools in the area.  This runs counter to the National 'Safe Routes to Schools' Policy. The road layout does not encourage low speeds nor does it segregate traffic from cyclists and pedestrians.

This would discourage walking and cycling to school and result in more children being brought to school by car, running counter to Government and local council policies to encourage sustainable transport and discourage the use of private cars.

5. Loss of open space and informal recreation area enjoyed by the local community..  Building a road across the former allotments, now a Nature Reserve and parts of The Green and Irvine Road Field will lead to a substantial loss of greenlink open space and destroy important wildlife habitat and informal recreation area currently enjoyed by the local community.

Planning Policy Guidance 17 on Open space, Sport and Recreation  states:
i)  Open space and sports and recreational facilities that are of high quality, or of particular value to a local community, should be recognised and given protection by local authorities through appropriate policies in plans. Areas of particular quality may include small areas of open space in urban areas that provide an important local amenity and offer recreational and play opportunities;  and:
iv)  Rights of way are an important recreational facility, which local authorities should protect and enhance.

6. Opposition shown by the local community.   The above Planning Policy Guidance 17 states:  iii)“Developers will need to consult the local community and demonstrate that their proposals are widely supported by them.”

Philip Morant School cannot demonstrate that their proposals are supported by the local community.  A petition in November 2009, addressed to Philip Morant School asked them to reconsider their plans for the road.  It was signed by over 900 people, demonstrating that these areas are an important local amenity much valued by the community.

7. Local community schools should be supported rather than the plans for closing the two schools in the south of Colchester and transporting hundreds of children to huge centralised schools such as proposed for the expansion of Philip Morant School.

The current plans have been opposed by the huge majority of Colchester people consulted.  They would result in the need to transport thousands of children away from their local community schools which many of them can currently walk or cycle or catch a local bus to reach.

8. This runs counter to local and Government sustainable transport and environmental policies to reduce unnecessary car journeys and to reduce climate change gases and pollution both locally and in the UK.  The Government has committed the UK to reduce CO2 and other climate change gases by 34% by 2020 and by 80% by 2050.  Transport is a huge and growing source of climate change gases and pollution both locally and in the UK.

Colchester Friends of the Earth urges Colchester Borough Council to reject this new application and retain the Nature Reserve, The Green and Irvine Road Field as public open space.

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex, CO5 8AR.

letter to the Gazette, 15/6/09

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Published on Monday 15th June as lead letter with big headline 'Bicycle race will not be all that eco-friendly'.

Buses as important as bikes?

Gazette, Postbag.

Dear Editor,

Next Thursday the council has allowed the main town centre roads to be used for a Bike Race at 7pm. OK, except it means the evening bus service will be disrupted as buses can't use Head Street, High Street, St. Botolph's, Osborne Street or the bus station.

Now we are told there will be no buses running through the town all day after 9.30am as they are going to use the whole town centre for cycle fun and games. These could easily have been held in the permanently trafficfree centre around Culver Square and Lion Walk.

Sustainable transport includes buses and trains as well as cycling and walking. Unnecessary cycling activities should not displace vital public transport services. Many bus users will be severely disadvantaged and the bus routes will be severed and chaotic.

Car drivers will have their many multi-storey carparks to use so it is unlikely car traffic will be reduced. No doubt some of the thousands of bus users will revert to their cars for the day and add to congestion. Many bus users will be stranded far from their destinations.

Buses will have to negotiate Brook Street, Southway and its roundabouts, also Headgate and Crouch Street to drop passengers off and will clog up Balkerne Hill in both directions.

So this day will be neither 'eco-friendly' nor friendly to bus users, especially elderly people who rely on buses and some with mobility problems who live in the town centre. Perhaps Colchester council officers don't know that a 'sustainable transport policy' includes buses?

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea.

letter to the Standard, 30/6/09

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Standard Letters.

Let's get the terminology right as well as the right solution to the High Street! A Carfree High Street, not 'pedestrianised' or 'trafficfree'.

Dear Editor,

Let's get the terminology right as well as the right solution to the High Street please! The Standard article last week title suggested 'a traffic-free town centre' and said 'a project to partially pedestrianise Colchester High Street is being actively investigated'. We hope not!

Cllr Lyn Barton was quoted "We are actively looking at pedestrianisation of High Street" but that taxis and buses "would be allowed in to let the transport system work". Indeed we would certainly hope so! That isn't pedestrianisation, that is a 'Carfree High Street'.

She said "Nothing has been done for 20 years". That is nonsense. A traffic survey showed 95% of cars using the High Street were just making a short cut from one side of the town to the other. The Carfree High Street was planned. A survey showed 52% of Colchester residents supported a Carfree High Street.

It was narrowed to one lane a decade ago to limit the traffic using the High Street, ready for banning private cars using it. This gave pedestrians priority and safe crossings. We have been campaigning for the 'Carfree High Street' to be completed ever since.

Taxi-driver Kim Naish said "We are just proposing to close off High Street .. There is really no need for traffic to go down the High Street". Pardon? I hope he doesn't mean that! Traffic includes buses which have to use the High Street, whereas private cars do not.

Cllr Naish said "Chelmsford and Ipswich have got pedestrianised high streets and shopping centres". But their topography is different from ours, and they have both got central bus stations with all bus routes running through and into the middle of their towns.

Colchester is quite different from the other two towns. We are on a steep hill, bounded by Cowdray Avenue, the river, our Castle Park and two polluting dual carriageways for car traffic and lorries, which cut through close to the heart of the town like modern castle walls.

Colchester has had a daytime pedestrianised town centre for many years from Culver Street to Eld Lane, Trinity Street and Sir Isaacs Walk, with private shopping centres at Lion Walk and Culver Square.

We are also surrounded by far more large villages and towns as well as huge council estates which need bus access into the town centre from all directions, bringing people in to work, to shop, to schools and colleges and - traders, don't forget - spend their money!

I know people who rely solely on their cars, have never caught a bus and don't come into the town at all - it is a revelation to them what is in the High Street! But more people are using the buses now, which will cut traffic, pollution and, vitally, climate change gases.

Essex transport department reported that instead of Essex traffic rising by 2% annually it dropped over the last couple of years and bus use has increased by 10 per cent. Peak hour traffic into Colchester town centre has dropped too. Now is the time for change.

Yours sincerely,
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea.

letter to the Standard, 9/10/09

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Standard, Letters page.

Vital to support bus use

Dear Editor,

So, with the latest High Street mirage plans did officers forget to tell the artist that all the buses are supposed to be running down the High Street (and also cars in the evening)? Or is the 'artist's impression' of people sauntering in the road correct?

It is time this council and its officers got serious about climate change and the need to cut emissions by 80% within forty years to avert local and global catastrophes. We are committed to this by the Climate Change Act. We have to start now.

Friends of the Earth is calling for councils to commit to a 40% cut by 2020. A third of these gases are from transport. We must support public transport. We need our town centre bus and coach station far more than a Vaf or a hotel or flats.

We already have a pedestrianised town centre. Buses running across our town need to use the High Street. Passengers need to be dropped close to the shops. Traders should value their custom, especially the thousands going to and from the bus station!

Can we have our shopping trolley base back at the bus station please Cllr Tim Young? I saw a kind Sainsbury's assistant helping an elderly mobility-impaired lady to a bus with her shopping, and then taking the trolley back for her.

Park and Ride is not the answer - we need to encourage more people to catch the real buses into town which are already running close to most people's homes. Park & Ride costs the taxpayer huge sums. It cuts real bus use, but not congestion.

Inner Zone bus passes cost £15 weekly or £52.50 monthly and give people unlimited bus use for the services around the main urban area including Wivenhoe. Not bad compared to car fuel, parking costs and traffic congestion!

The Outer Zone pass covers the whole borough and costs £23.50 weekly or £81 monthly. While students use the early buses why don't more town workers use them? One of the 8.10am buses from Mersea in August only had eight passengers!

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney,
Co-ordinator, Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea, CO5 8AR.

letter to the Gazette, 29/3/10

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The Gazette, Postbag.

Time for Colchester council to Get Serious about transport to fight climate change

Dear Editor,

So. We had a whole week to respond to a 'questionnaire' on the costly Park & Ride after the county council put a little display in the library. £3.4million to be wasted on a greenfield site on the other side of the polluting A12 - a mere three miles from the town centre through some of the most congested roads in Colchester!!

From 650 car spaces to a future 'potential' 1000 would be encouraged to drive further to reach it and provided with a posh bus to take them past all the real bus and rail users for a couple of pounds each. Bear in mind that the road from Mersea alone has 14,000 vehicle movements per day, which puts the Park & Ride spaces into perspective.

It will discourage car users from using their local buses into Colchester town centre and the faster rail services from Chelmsford, Ipswich and the towns and villages in Tendring. It will cost all council taxpayers - including carfree sustainable transport users - to pay for the Park & Ride privilege instead of improving public transport.

It is time for councils to stop pandering to the users of these polluting personal metal boxes and move into the 21st century. It is no longer possible or wise for everyone to go everywhere any time they want to in their cars. The UK is breaking its transport emissions limits, the A12 and town centres are suffering bad air quality.

The UK is legally bound to reduce its climate change gases by 34% within ten years, which must include drastic cuts in traffic. But experts are warning the Government the cuts must be greater. Friends of the Earth is calling on Colchester council to Get Serious about Climate Change and commit to 40% reduction by 2020.

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & North East Essex FoE,
4 Shears Crescent,
West Mersea, Essex, CO5 8AR

letter to the Gazette, 13/5/10

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The Gazette, Postbag.

Improve bus station to give Vaf a boost

Dear Editor,

The only party campaigning for a pedestrianised High Street has just lost three seats. This would destroy our local through bus routes, disadvantage elderly and mobility-impaired bus users and reduce town centre bus shoppers from the 100,000 plus people using the buses every week at the moment. It would lose trade in High Street and in the already pedestrianised town centre.

Let's hope the new administration insists on the county council finishing the almost-completed carfree High Street which council tax payers have paid for and were promised a decade ago? This would cut towncentre congestion and pollution and improve bus reliability.

The discredited and misplaced Vaf was built on part of public land designated by the county council by legal covenant for our bus station. Yet the county council now says the vital central bus and coach interchange must close in 2012 with no alternative site.

To improve the public acceptability of the Vaf we should retain and upgrade the current bus station for the 21st century as set out in Colchester's transport plan and approved by the Inspector in the apparently sacrosanct Local Development Framework. It should re-open the access for buses from East Hill under the canopy of the Vaf and would provide coach access for visitors to the Vaf.

During the pre-election frenzy other crazy unworkable mirage transport plans were hyped up for the town centre, at North Station and - finally - a ridiculous and costly bus-only lane from the Hythe rail station to the town rail station at St Botolph's. Could the hidden agenda here possibly be to get rid of the well-used towncentre rail station instead of doubling its frequency and use?

Yours sincerely,
Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent,
West Mersea, Essex, CO5 8AR.

letter to the Standard, 18/3/12

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Essex County Standard, letters page.

Carfree High Street

Dear Editor,

A huge amount of nonsense has been written recently about the Carfree High Street which we hope is going to start this summer after being promised for over a decade. Traffic congestion and pollution in the town centre has become very serious. More people in the UK die from traffic pollution than road accidents.

It is repeatedly wrongly called 'pedestrianised' which it could not be because of the need for our buses to have access down the High Street. The centre of Colchester is already pedestrianised within Head Street, High Street, Queen Street and St John's Street.

We oppose restricting disabled vehicle parking which is not a problem. And if all delivery vehicles are forced to deliver before 10am as proposed it would bring daily gridlock in the morning peak hours - so leave them out of the ban.

However, the car ban must start at 8am not 10am to cut morning peak congestion. We did a traffic count on a Friday last November from 9am to 10am. 366 private cars drove into High Street, causing four snarl-ups in Head Street and on North Hill as traffic and buses were gridlocked.

Some correspondents are unaware of the long planning process and positive public consultation some years ago. There was also unanimous support for a carfree High Street from a forum of different transport users, business representatives, local and county councillors.

More people are using the good bus services from all the outlying large villages and towns as well as within the urban area of Colchester. Buses bring over 100,000 people into the town centre every week which benefits our businesses which are doing even better than Ipswich or Chelmsford.

Colchester has many central carparks. Bus and coach users need and deserve their one small bus park interchange in Queen Street, which was granted a legal covenant in the 1960s by the county council for public use for a bus park. It was also featured in the Colchester Transport strategy with a predicted 60% increased bus use.

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & NE Essex Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea.

letter to the Gazette, 26/3/12

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Gazette, letters page.

Carfree High Street and carfree travel!

Dear Editor,

Colchester already has a large pedestrianised town centre. A Gazette article and letters have been suggesting we should also have a pedestrianised High Street which would exclude buses which bring in many shoppers including elderly and disabled people, workers and students.

As I said in my previous letter, buses bring over 100,000 people into the town centre each week, which helps keep our town centre vibrant and cuts the number of individual polluting car journeys across the district. Public transport is by far the most used alternative to private cars.

We have many bus routes within the urban area and from towns and large villages on all sides of Colchester. Buses have to have access round and across the town via High Street, Queen Street bus station, St Botolph's Street, Osborne Street, St John's Street and Head Street.

Compared to the 83 buses a day which a retailer counted going down the High Street (Gazette Friday 23 March), we did a traffic count for just one hour from 9am on a Friday last November which showed 366 individual cars turning into the High Street. This caused four traffic jams, holding up the buses and other traffic on North Hill and Head Street.

Apart from 47 police cars, taxis and Royal Mail vans, 13 motorbikes and 6 cyclists, there were also 137 delivery vehicles in just that one hour. Imagine the chaos if cars and the whole day's deliveries are allowed during the peak congestion hours of 8am till 10am!

This is why we believe the car ban should start at 8am - not 10am - until 6pm. This will also cut congestion around the town centre. Necessary deliveries should be permitted during the day; they could be limited from 10am till 4pm to avoid peak congestion times if this could be effected.

Yours sincerely,

Paula Whitney, Co-ordinator,
Colchester & NE Essex Friends of the Earth,
4 Shears Crescent, West Mersea.