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September 5, 2005
Council staff take notes
A preliminary meeting has been held with City of York Council staff to look at the overall concept of the Crossroads scheme. Chris Newsome - Community Planning Officer, and Fran Manancourt - Transport planner, came to the meeting along with local library staff and the Parish Council chairman. Six people from the project group attended.
We looked at the project and how it might be taken forward. Some key issues emerged:
It is important to get the design principles right, both in terms of aesthetics (the 'streetscape') and in technical terms. However issues remain as to the 'rules' by which roads are designed.
There is an absolute need to coordinate information about the project, and ensure that all concerned are aware of any plans and proposals. This includes data already to hand or being gathered as part of current activities, such as the review of the 20 MPH zones, the village traffic study, the safer routes to school work, and the increasing emphasis on the needs of all road users, not just those in motor vehicles.
The first question is 'is the proposed new road layout feasible?' Council staff have gone away to consider how this might be answered.
Assuming a change to the road layout is possible, how can this be designed, and what is the process for this? One answer is to continue to provide input from the village. A forum of all those with an interest - including the Parish Council - may be one way forward.
The crossroads scheme is not just about the road layout, although our research showed that many people are dissatisfied with how it works and how it looks. Any changes to the layout will have to be phased in according to both the planning cycle for work and the availability of funding. This will impact on the implementation of all aspects of the scheme - which of itself is not just about highways and traffic but seeks to make radical improvements to the centre of the village to everybody's benefit.
Project staff are very grateful for the time taken by Council staff to consider the issues, and are looking forward to further steps to take the project forward.
Posted by martin at September 5, 2005 9:45 AM
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