Creating space for safe walking & cycling in Salisbury
Executive Summary
Lockdown, and the transition back to more normal life, provides a unique opportunity to reduce the dominance of the private car and create people-friendly streets in Salisbury. These are longstanding aims of the Central Area Framework (CAF) but have been given much more urgency due to the Covid-19 situation and the need to maintain safe social distancing during the restart period.
Statutory Government guidance issued on May 9th 2020 urges Local Authorities to reallocate road space to encourage cycling and walking and enable social distancing, and instructs that “Measures should be taken as swiftly as possible, and in any event within weeks, given the urgent need to change travel habits before the restart takes full effect”.
The implementation of temporary measures in line with Government guidance requires political will but need not be expensive in the short-term. This report considers the current situation in Salisbury and how measures might speedily be put in place so that business vitality and footfall can safely be restored.
The need and opportunity for change
Walking and cycling helps people make essential trips while staying healthy and active, and
it can be compatible with social distancing, to keep people at least two metres apart. However, there are issues in Salisbury because pavement widths are often inadequate. Current [pre-Covid-19] guidelines suggest that a minimum width of 2000 mm is needed on a footway to allow two wheelchair users to pass (The Design of Streets with Older People in Mind). There are some notable exceptions, for instance Blue Boar Row, but typically pavements in Salisbury, e.g. in Catherine Street or Fisherton Street, are less than this width. Such pavements are below standard for normal use and clearly do not allow for safe social distancing, nor for the situation where there may be queues on the pavement e.g. for shops, or at bus stops, because there will be inadequate space for people to safely pass.
The Central Area Framework (CAF) has proposed the creation of more people friendly streets (Salisbury Central Area Framework) and various factors contribute to making this an ideal moment to take forward interim suggestions to achieve this, focussed primarily on the city centre:
Changes can be put in as temporary measures at minimal cost, as is happening in other cities, both in the UK and abroad. Trials can be reviewed to see what is successful, in terms of the impact measures have on traffic reduction, on footfall and business vitality, on successful social distancing and in public acceptance.
Government have pledged to put walking and cycling at the heart of transport policies to aid recovery from Covid-19 and they are waiving normal procedures to allow Councils to implement changes swiftly.
Public attitudes have shifted, both because of the desire to see a successful easing of the current lock-down and because of the favourable experience during lockdownof quieter streets and cleaner air and people are already walking and cycling more.
This document has been structured with potential solutions listed in Section 2, giving examples of where these potential solutions could be applied. Note that this document is intended for discussion of possible options, which would need to be agreed by relevant
stakeholders, rather than providing definitive solutions. There is more detail, and other options are discussed, in the latest Government guidelines which stress the urgency of getting short-term measures in place as soon as possible. Long-
term measures are also needed and should not be overlooked – it is to be hoped that the Local Walking & Cycling Infrastructure Plan which is scheduled to be consulted on shortly will deal with these matters. However in the short term Wiltshire Council need to swiftly implement measures which will encourage walking & cycling and enable social distancing to ensure the safety of Salisbury’s citizens and the continuing viability of the City Centre.
Potential Solutions
Removing On-street parking
On street parking restricts the amount of road space available, and it is suggested that this should be removed on streets with high pedestrian footfall and on the main thoroughfares into the city. This should be seen in conjunction with providing residents parking in city centre car parks (2.2), making space for pedestrians on the carriageway (2.4) and making space for cyclists on the carriageway (2.8).
Disabled parking spaces would need to be reviewed on a case by case basis, taking account of current provision, nearest available options, and what might be possible in each scenario, in view of the paramount importance of maintaining social distancing.
Examples: Throughout the city centre: streets which would most benefit commercially from allowing more street space to pedestrians are Catherine Street, Fisherton Street and other streets with shops and narrow pavements.
The main thoroughfares into the City, such as Castle Street and Milford Street, could benefit from the provision of cycle lanes if on-street parking was removed.
Changes to loading/unloading restrictions
Loading/unloading restrictions may need to be changed so that this activity is only allowed outside the peak shopping hours. This will avoid blocking the roadway, and pedestrians find it particularly difficult to maintain safe social distancing if they are hampered by a delivery lorry which may be obstructing both road and pavement.
Example: Numerous examples of obstructions caused by loading/unloading at peak times e.g. in Crane Street.
Allocate space for resident parking in City Centre Car Parks
If residents’ cars are displaced from city centre streets then space should be allocated in city centre car parks. Car parks with CCTV would be preferred, particularly in covered car parks. This would be helpful in creating more road space for pedestrians and cyclists. Longer term, as electric cars become more important, it would better to install charging infrastructure in existing car parks rather than cluttering the pedestrian environment on pavements.
Examples: City Centre car parks such as Culver Street (ground floor), Salt Lane, Brown Street and the Maltings. The allocation of some residents’ parking in the Station car park, to enable cycling lanes to be established on Churchfields Road, should also be explored,
Making space for pedestrians on the carriageway
Wider footways are needed, particularly on streets with shops, to allow for the possibility of people having to queue as well as enough space for others to safely walk past while socially distancing. Pavements cannot be widened in the short-term, but it would be possible for space in the street to be reallocated or cordoned off (using cones for example), in conjunction with the removal of on-street parking.
Examples: Could be considered for streets where there is space, which may be created by measures 2.1 – 2.3 above, e.g. Catherine Street, Fisherton Street
Restrictions on access by private cars
Streets could be closed to private motor traffic, with buses, delivery vehicles, blue badge holders and taxis having access as normal. With a lower volume of traffic there is a reduced risk of collision when pedestrians are obliged to step off the pavement. It should be noted that guidance on the publicity requirements for traffic regulation orders (TRO) has been changed to facilitate the making permanent or temporary TROs during the current crisis.
Examples: This might be something which could be trialled quite widely in Salisbury, where there is ample car parking provision in car parks. Needs to be used in conjunction with measures to remove on-street car parking and restrict loading/unloading activities (2.1 – 2.3 above)
Changes to Salisbury’s one-way system
Making streets one-way can increase the amount of space which can be made available for pedestrians, although it should be noted that these are not generally recommended “To create a permeable network, it is generally recommended that streets with one-way operation are avoided. They require additional signing and result in longer vehicular journeys” (Manual for Streets, para 4.2.8). In the longer term traffic flows, including one-way systems in the City Centre, may need to be reviewed across the board to explore possibilities (e.g. if Brown Street were to become two-way it might be possible for Catherine Street to be completely pedestrianised which would benefit the environment for shoppers and other businesses inCatherine Street).
In the short term there is the possibility of introducing traffic lights over a stretch of highway to introduce single lane working where there are high pedestrian volumes in order to make space for pedestrians on the carriageway.
Example: Crane Street is getting high levels of pedestrian and cycle traffic – e.g. coming from Harnham on Town Path. The pavements between Crane Bridge and the High Street are extremely narrow, especially on the north side and the traffic includes overheight HGVs bound for Churchfields, with the problem compounded by parked delivery vehicles (see 2.2 above). People step off the pavement to pass other pedestrians, which maybe into the path of an oncoming cyclist. The solution could be to move the traffic light controlling traffic coming from the west, currently at the junction with High Street, so that it is on the western side of Crane Bridge. This would then mean that the section between High Street and Crane Bridge would be one way only enabling road space to be allocated for pedestrians (solution 2.4 in the short-term, widening pavements in the long term). Cyclists should be given a green light at all times so as not to disadvantage this mode of transport.
Changes to speed limits
Reducing the speed of traffic makes streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, particularly when pedestrians may find they have to step into the road in order to maintain social distancing from others. In general there is limited scope for changes within Salisbury, since the majority of the city centre is within a 20mph zone already. There may be some scope for extending this however, and enforcement of the 20mph speed limits, parking restrictions and strict enforcement to prevent parking on the pavements would be beneficial for vulnerable road users.
Example: Exeter Street would benefit from the extension of the 20mph zone
Making space for cyclists on the carriageway
In general when traffic volumes and speed are low it is recommended that cyclists are ‘on road’ with the traffic. See various guidelines such as Local Transport Note 2/08. However, there are numerous roads, including approach roads to Salisbury, where separate cycle lanes should be considered where road space allows for this.
Examples: A36 from Wilton, Churchfields Road
Within the Ring Road, there would be space for cycle lanes on streets like Castle Street and Milford Street if car parking was removed (see 2.1 – 2.3 above)
Giving pedestrians priority at traffic lights
A ‘green man’ as the default on traffic signals can help to indicate that pedestrians have priority as well as stopping crowds of people building up at signalised crossings.
Example: One junction which might benefit from this treatment is the High Street/New Street/Crane Street junction, where high levels of pedestrians cross to and from the Cathedral Close.
Making pedestrian routes one-way
There are instances (e.g. within Marks & Spencer) where one-way systems are being produced within shops. However in general the making of pedestrian areas one-way is not likely to be favoured: people like to be able to follow their ‘desire line’ particularly when on foot, and one-way pedestrian systems can particularly disadvantage those who are mobility impaired. In general the re-allocation of road space or the reduction of traffic so that pedestrians can step into the roadway in order to pass is preferred.
Many thanks in particular to Margaret Willmot for writing this document and to all the COGS committee members who contributed. Please forward any comments on the documents to salisburycogs@gmail.com