Annex C - Summary of Consultation Comments Received by Email
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Officer’s response |
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Long before Covid arrived on the scene I would often say to friends why don't they make Copperate one-way, surely it's better the way it is now. So here's hoping it stays the way it is.
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Noted |
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It makes common sense to put Coppergate back to 2 way traffic. Why make the journey for buses and taxis longer! How is that environmentally friendly |
Noted |
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As a taxi driver, the journeys take longer & cost more |
Noted |
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Keep the Coppergate restrictions in place and remove uncertainty by extending them to 24h 365days |
Noted |
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I would like Coppergate to revert to the two-way arrangement |
Noted |
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As a resident and a business owner I find the one way routing on coppergate to be of no consequence at all,it does nothing to improve the road for people using the street as pedestrians. The issue is still that the street was never designed to take the number of buses using it nor the size of the buses themselves. The fact that ½ the carriageway is used by cyclists and electric scooter riders in the opposite direction makes it just as bad as its always been. I witness on a daily basis near misses with buses and other vehicles coming very close to pedestrians using the narrow and poorly maintained pavements. The pavements are in such a state that there are many areas where the angle of slope onto the road makes it unsafe for wheelchairs,pushchairs and difficult to use for elderly people, in other areas they are simply too narrow to allow pedestrians to pass each other safely. The crossings become so congested you cant get past them if people are waiting to cross, meaning people inevitably end up having to use the carriagewy to get past them One of the other big issues is the damage to historic properties caused by the heavy vehicles (buses) using the street. The vibrations can be clearly felt in my building xxxx. We have issues with cracks appearing in the building over time due to the sheer volume of traffic “shaking” the building. I think the whole street should be closed to traffic from 10am in line with the bulk of the city centre. The street cuts off The Coppergate centre and The Castlegate/Cliffords Tower areas which are pedestrian and heavily used by locals and visitors alike. It seems silly that busses and taxis cant use the gyratory system from castle mills and Piccadilly which is what the wider streets there are more suited to. If the council are truly commited to improving pedestrian access and making the city centre a more pleasant place to visit and live in more thought needs to be given to widening the current pedestrian zone to include coppergate.
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Full pedestrianisation would have a much more significant impact on bus journey times and is not currently being considered. |
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Many thanks for the opportunity to submit additional feedback to the consultation and to give my views on the Emergency Active Travel scheme. I support making it permanent. There is always what is termed a ‘bikelash’ against bold measures restricting private cars and enhancing cycling, so I don’t think the council should bow to pressure from those wanting to reopen private car access.
There have been some flaws in how this scheme was trialled which meant the full potential for people travelling actively and sustainably has not yet been realised. It was not effective at creating more space for pedestrians southbound, as clunky barriers were placed close to the kerb and had feet that protruded into the space. The cycle lane created on the church side was too narrow to serve as a one-way cycle lane so was not used two-way as intended. Pedestrians walking by the church often took space between the path and wands to be additional pavement rather than a cycle lane. Had CYC engaged with active travel advocates prior to installation these problems could have been averted. Many residents contacted the council to express their concerns over placement of barriers. CYC was slow to make modifications and reactive rather than proactive – it is noted of course the impacts of Covid on ability to respond and act on issues highlighted.
I drive often, but to sustain my mobility following a serious injury a few years ago and for climate concerns I cycle whenever possible – it is a much more efficient way to travel around York. I would like many others to have the opportunity to cycle where they can, at least a few times a week and want CYC to take bold action to encourage people to get on their bicycles. The chief concern aside from theft has for a long time been road safety and schemes like this are important to improving that. It is crucial CYC do much more to push an active travel agenda and decrease the many, many single occupancy private cars in the city centre (exempting disabled people who rely on their cars and who cannot be independent without them). I do not accept that buses and taxis have been as negatively impacted as inferred – they likely benefitted from exclusive priority at the other end of their journeys. Coppergate round to Piccadilly is a 2 minute addition to a journey and remodelling of Piccadilly being done by CYC should ensure quality of shelter at the Banana Warehouse is not an issue. Why not create a shelter which plays on the name/fits in with Spark? There are no bus stops on Coppergate and passengers alighting at nearby stops either end will inevitably have to walk a similar distance into the city centre regardless.
The Coppergate scheme can be improved in the short term as an easy win for the council – York Cycle Campaign have produced visual examples of how this could be achieved. Coppergate Contraflow: A Standard Design – York Cycle Campaign is a design which protects cyclists, provides more space for pedestrians and protects them and historic buildings from noise, pollution and risks of heavy traffic. In the long term, Coppergate could link through to other gates; Castlegate and Fossgate being the nearest, to create a route that sits perfectly within a Local Transport Plan that will reduce emissions, congestion, and attract funding to boost active travel participation. This could be a citywide concept for safer routes to key destinations, including shopping streets, workplaces and schools.
I propose a long term plan be drawn up for funding opportunities:
I would like to see ward councillors across getting behind these schemes and engaging with residents about what will get them travelling by bicycle with their families, helping improve air quality and make our population as active and healthy as possible. The steady decline in cycling over the last 5yrs is testament to how unsafe people feel cycling in too much of the city. Now is the time to put some weight behind climate declarations and deliver for cycling in York.
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Comments Noted. Changes will be made to the temporary layout if an extension of the restriction is approved. |
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York Cycle Campaign complaint about the quality of the consultation |
Noted |
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Link Provided to York Cycle Campaign proposal |
Noted |
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Civic Trust Response in support of One Way restriction |
Noted– See separate Annex. |
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I’m writing on behalf of WalkYork to support the retention in Coppergate of one-way buses + taxis, and two-way cycling arrangements. This creates the opportunity to widen the footways which are too narrow and, in places, too steeply sloping. And to reduce the severance between the city centre and Coppergate Centre, traffic noise and fumes.
Motor vehicle use of Coppergate is low whilst pedestrian use is very much higher. The pedestrian traffic lights are widely ignored. Which is problematic for carers with young children teaching them to cross only on the green pedestrian light. Might it be possible to change the traffic lights to give priority to pedestrians?
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Noted |
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Unaware of any
consultation here, though it should be clear from previous emails
that bikes of bigger sizes have to be considered in improvements to
this area. |
Comments Noted. Changes will be made to widen the temporary layout if an extension of the restriction is approved. |
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Thank you for getting in touch, however giving us such little notice means we cannot be genuinely involved in this consultation. We have been made aware that York Cycle Campaign have also been given severly inadequate notice at a time when the council is fully aware that groups such as York Disability Rights Forum are heavily engaged in discussions around the footstreet extensions.
This appears to be another occasion when the Executive Member for Transport, or the council, has failed to engage in discussions with stakeholders and we have not been given a reasonable opportunity to feedback. Please do not presume that sending an email four days before the consultation closes counts as consulting with us.
Further, the short paragraph on the consultations webpage links to information which doesn't provide any context for the decision being asked about. The preliminary information on the survey itself echoes the attached letter, making substantive claims without pointing to evidence to back up these claims. When attempting to complete the survey, I was unable to get past the first page of questions as it asked directly "Do you think the current one way restriction on Coppergate should continue?" A question I have not got enough data or information to answer.
If further information is available, or the deadline is extended, please let us know with adequate notice so that we can be actively engaged. |
Noted Further consultation will be progressed if an extension of the restriction is approved |
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