A consultation which asked for the public’s views on the third phase of the Valley Gardens project has received 875 responses. Over 85% of respondents are city residents and 19.5% work in the area.
The third phase of the Valley Gardens project will see the development of the area from the Old Steine to the Palace Pier roundabout on the seafront. It aims to improve connectivity to the city centre and will include simplifying the road layout, making improvements to the bus infrastructure, a new cycle infrastructure and improved lighting and landscaping.
The scoping consultation, which ran from 21 May to 29 June, was designed to gather views as to how the area is used, what issues there are in travelling around it and priorities for improvements to the area. The 875 respondents told us of 4108 top priorities for the area. The responses revealed that:
- Most people use the area to travel from A to B
- The biggest issues people have are difficulties crossing the road and traffic congestion
- Drivers would like to see better road conditions and improved traffic flow; pedestrians more direct walking routes and safer crossing points; cyclists more cycle lanes and improved safety for cyclists.
The council’s transport planning team will take the consultation responses into consideration as they draw up a design option which will be brought before Committee in October. The initial objectives for Phase 3 were approved by the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee in June.
Chair of the Committee, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “Public consultations give us a real insight into what is important to people who live and work in the city and I’d like to thank all those who took part in this consultation.
“This area is one of the main gateways into the city and we will also be looking at what can be done to make transport routes simpler and more accessible for visitors.
“Ultimately, we want to improve connectivity to the city centre, simplify the road layout in that area so that it benefits all transport users, and make the surrounding landscape areas attractive and safe spaces to spend time in.”
More details about the Valley Gardens project can be found here