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Consultation closed - City centre access for cycling and loading

Consultation closed 22 August 2017


Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council are reviewing the city’s access restrictions for cycling, contraflow cycling and motor vehicle loading. The aim is to put in place a clearer and more consistent approach across the streets affected.

Current approach and issues

The existing restrictions have developed over many years and current timed restrictions vary across adjoining streets, with the added confusion that some apply seven days a week and others change at the weekend. This has led to confusion around signage and enforcement to protect certain areas from motor vehicles.

Proposed solutions

A clear and consistent approach is needed. This will help those travelling into the city to understand what’s permitted and when, and to allow more effective enforcement. Allowing cycling on these streets, either all or part of the time, will also encourage more people to travel by bike. Experience in Norwich and across the UK shows that these proposals are an effective and safe way of allowing cycling on routes with little motorised traffic and that directly access homes, shops, services and employment.

Options for cycling and loading access

Option 1: access to existing time-restricted areas in the city centre permitted for all vehicles (including cyclists) between 5pm and 10am, seven days a week. This would include allowing cycling between these hours on streets that currently restrict all vehicles at all times.

Option 2: access by motor vehicles to existing time-restricted streets in the city centre permitted between 5pm and 10am, seven days a week. Cycling permitted at all times.

Option 1                 Option 2

City centre access for cycling and loading

Changes are proposed for cycling and loading in all or part of the following streets:

Arcade Street, Back of the Inns, Bridewell Alley, Brigg Street, Castle Street, Davey Place, Dove Street, Gentlemans Walk, Grout’s Thoroughfare, Guildhall Hill, Hay Hill, Haymarket, London Street, Lower Goat Lane, Malthouse Road, Old Post Office Court, Orford Place, School Lane, St Gregorys Alley, St Gregorys Back Alley, St Johns Alley, St Peters Street, Swan Lane, Weavers Lane and White Lion Street.

Contraflow cycling

The second part of this consultation looks at provision of contraflow cycling on one-way streets.

Allowing high levels of accessibility for cyclists is a way to increase capacity of the cycle network and improve air quality.

Contraflow cycling facilities have already worked effectively elsewhere in Norwich. We are proposing to allow this on the following streets:

Bedding Lane, Little London Street, Lobster Lane, Muspole Street, St Swithins Road, Timberhill, Westwick Street (from Charing Cross to Coslany Street, completing an existing scheme) and Willow Lane.

How to comment

We’d like your feedback on these proposals and to find out your preferred options for cycling and loading access in the city centre.

To take part in the consultation, please get in touch with your comments (making sure to include your address) by emailing: transport@norwich.gov.uk or writing to:

City centre access consultation
Norwich City Council
St Peters Street
Norwich
NR2 1NH

For more on Transport for Norwich, please visit www.norfolk.gov.uk/tfn

The closing date for this consultation is Tuesday 22 August 2017.

The cost of the scheme will be funded by the Cycle City Ambition Grant awarded to Norwich by the Department for Transport (DfT). This money is specifically allocated to improving our facilities for cycling.

Detailed review of accident levels in the city support proposals to allow wider access for cycling in the way outlined in this consultation. Accidents between pedestrians and cyclists very rarely occur in pedestrianised areas.

These proposals are in line with DfT recommendations. In its publication ‘Cycling in Pedestrian Areas’, it says: “Observations revealed no real factors to justify excluding cyclists from pedestrianised areas, suggesting that cycling could be more widely permitted without detriment to pedestrians.”

The existing motor vehicle exemptions will remain and access to blue badge parking retained.

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