Nottingham City Council have recently (January 2016) published a Supplementary Planning Document to guide the regeneration of the big Island site between the top of London Road and Manvers Street (Sneinton). The consultation documents includes some suggested cycle links.

Pedals has drafted a response to this, emphasising the need both for improved cycling provision within the site and connecting to and from it. We welcome comments on this before we finalise it before the deadline of 18 February:-

Draft of 19 Jan: for finalisation by 18 Feb

Nottingham City Council Island Site Draft Supplementary Planning Document consultation: response from Pedals (Nottingham Cycling Campaign), February 2016

Introduction

Pedals welcomes the recognition in this consultation document of the key importance of this site in sustainable transport terms, as well as the general recognition that priority should be given to the needs of people on foot and cycling. This means both upgrading and extending provision within the site and improving external links.

Given the increasing problems of poor air pollution in Nottingham (most of which derive from motor traffic), including on London Road and the other main routes to and from Trent Bridge and Lady Bay Bridge, it is very important that the opportunity is taken in the regeneration of this major site to provide attractive alternatives to encourage walking and cycling, linked to other new and improved connections. This will also help the promotion of cycling to and from the new workplaces on this site, as well as to encourage use of bikes by people living in the new residential parts of the development (especially if linked to secure bike storage as an integral part of these developments).

Cycling provision with the site

The existing cycle path on City Link is substandard, especially towards its London Road end. This should be upgraded, and the opportunity should also be taken with the new east-west road to the south to provide a more direct link for cyclists between London Road (opposite the eastern end of Station Street) and the new toucan crossing near the western end of the Sneinton Greenway. Links to and from the proposed Eastern Corridor route within the site are also important.

It is also important within the site that all the new roads are designed with a layout to give priority to safe movements on foot and by bike

External links

At the west end of the site, by the BBC Building, there is a pelican crossing of London Road, which is used unofficially by cyclists, and which does connect, a little indirectly, to the existing City Link cycle path. This is a useful way of avoiding cycling on the very busy roundabout at the north end of London Road.

At the east end of City Link the present crossing arrangements to and from Sneinton Hermitage are unsatisfactory but the new toucan crossing already proposed will help to improve this situation and to provide a better connection to and from the Sneinton Greenway as well as to the rest of the new Eastern Cycle Corridor to the east via the Manvers Street extension and Daleside Road, etc. This improved route, together with the proposed new sections of riverside path between Meadow Lane Lock and Colwick Park, will help also to serve the new major Waterside (Trent Basin) housing developments on which work has now started, and help to alleviate the extra traffic congestion (and consequent worsened air pollution) that could be generated by these major developments.

However, further external link improvements are needed including:-

• A direct link between the west and south-west sides of the Island Site and Station Street, particularly in view of its importance as a key access route to and from Nottingham Station and the Station Street Secure Bike Compound, etc.

• Direct links between the Island Site, near the NHS Walk-In Centre, and the northern end of the canal towpath (part of the Big Track circular route) parallel to London Road. The current access at this point, involving steps and crossing from one side of the canal to the other, is very unsatisfactory. This part of the canal towpath is likely to become more popular in future, once it connects with the new stretches of riverside path on the north bank of the Trent, east of Meadow Lane Lock, over the next few years, and extending not only to and from Colwick Park but also the proposed foot-cycle bridge between Trent Lane and The Hook (Lady Bay), as well as to other parts of the Big Track route further west via the Victoria Embankment, etc.

• Direct links between the Island Site, near the NHS Walk-In Centre, and the rest of The Big Track site to the west, past Nottingham Station and the Magistrates’ Court etc. Given the narrow width and poor visibility of the towpath on the corner just north of Great Northern Close (the most substandard section of the whole Big Track route), it would be very helpful to provide a new foot-cycle bridge at this point, if this could be agreed with the Canal and River Trust. Although the proposed Eastern Cycle Corridor scheme will improve cycle links between the Island Site and the Lace Market and City Centre, this would be a very useful improvement in cycle access to and from the south side of the City Centre (Broad Marsh etc.), connecting to the new Western Cycle Corridor on Castle Boulevard etc, as well as to the rest of The Big Track towpath route west of the Magistrates’ Court.