The engagement of this project has ended
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The ball is now rolling...and Dumfries and Galloway families learn to cycle for free
The consultation is now closed, thanks to everyone who took part. In response to your feedback, video cameras will be placed at Dockhead Crossing in Dumfries and King Street in Castle Douglas this week to look at some of the issues which have been reported.
The final report for the Commonplace consultation will be posted next week, but in the meantime, here’s an infographic of the responses relating to Dumfries.
And here’s what people in Castle Douglas had to say:
We were glad to hear the latest news from Cycling Scotland, who report that despite easing of lockdown measures, the number of people cycling last month was still 44% higher than the previous July. They’ve also been delivering free cycle training to families across Scotland. Support worker Paula Wyllie from Annan attended a session in July with her three children.
Paula said: “We thoroughly enjoyed Cycling Scotland’s Essential Cycling Skills course. Our instructor, Josh, was friendly and made the session fun. He was informative, explained things clearly and answered all our questions. We now feel more confident when out cycling as a family.”
Families who would like to book a session of cycle training should register their interest here . Sessions booked before the end of August will be free of charge.
Closing time…and what interventions could look like
The consultation closes at midnight this Friday, so if you’re reading this before then, please add any final comments and share with all your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues!
Summary report coming soon!
If you’d like to be kept in touch with developments and haven’t already signed up to receive an email when a news item is published, please do so – we’ll be posting a final summary report soon.
Temporary infrastructure and design guidance
In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about what the temporary interventions could look like, Sustrans Scotland, with input from various partners, have curated a set of design guidance for temporary infrastructure interventions. The guidance will be used by Local Authorities, but it may also be of interest to others who would like to see what sort of changes could be made. Here’s an example:
Temporary barriers installed along Millburn Road in Inverness to provide a temporary segregated cycleway for key workers at Raigmore Hospital
Most popular comments so far..
Weekly Update – 6th August
Welcome to our second weekly update, and a special thanks to the 64 of you who have signed up to be notified of these posts as they are listed.
The Dumfries and Galloway Spaces for People map has been live for three weeks now. Since 13th July, there's been 422 contributions (comments and agreements) made. Most have been from Dumfries and Castle Douglas, which is as we expected given that they are two of the largest towns in the area, but we’d also love to hear from people in other places. If you have time to share the map with your friends in other parts of Dumfries and Galloway, that would be a great help!
Most popular comments
These are the top three comments which have had the most agreements so far…
“ Traffic Island is very narrow. Going to the park, I use it with children on bikes and a dog, it is cramped and hazardous. Social distancing is difficult in this space. I would look at if pedestrians can cross this road without the need to stop in the centre by changing the timing of traffic lights, or moving the crossing to a narrower section of the road, closer to the bridge for example ” Junction at A756 Dockhead, going towards Dock Park, Dumfries (14 agreements)
“ I would like to see the car park closest to the buildings permanently closed and the space utilised more effectively for the benefit of pedestrians and businesses. Seats outside pubs and cafes, lots of safe space for safe distancing, space for those out walking and a proper cycle path (not one shared with pedestrians as is the case on the edge of the river. Getting rid of the cars from the town centre streets wherever possible allows everyone to benefit ” Whitesands, Dumfries (12 agreements)
“ The pavements here are very narrow in places, combined with the volume and speed of traffic using this route this means that cars and lorries pass very close even when walking on the pavement. There is also no provision for safe cycling ” Lockerbie Road between Moffat Rd junction and roundabout at Birchwood Drive, Dumfries (9 agreements)
If you haven’t had your say yet, you can do so here
Mapping Tool Launched to Create Safer Spaces for Walking, Cycling and Wheeling During COVID-19
Never has it been more important than now that we ensure our town centres are safe spaces for people to live, work and spend time in. In response to COVID-19, Dumfries and Galloway Council is introducing temporary solutions to make it safer for people to walk, cycle and wheel in and around town centres as businesses start to re-open.
Today (13th July), Dumfries and Galloway Council has launched an interactive online tool, Dumfries and Galloway Spaces for People Commonplace , where people can highlight where and why they can’t safely physically distance in the current town centre environment and identify temporary solutions which could help to overcome this.
This information will help us to prioritise and implement temporary interventions where they are most needed, through Sustrans Scotland’s Spaces for People Programme . Funded by Transport Scotland and administered by Sustrans Scotland, Spaces for People is a new, temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel during COVID-19.
The news page will be kept up to date with information on transport measures that have been proposed by the council to aid physical distancing as well as those that have already been put in place.
Councillor Rob Davidson, Chair of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s Economy and Resources Committee said:
“ We welcome you back to our town centres but we need to prioritise and enable safe physical distancing to support local businesses and residents to stay safe by limiting transmission of COVID-19. In our journeys around our town centres, we encourage people to walk, cycle or wheel at a safe physical distance from others, avoiding unnecessary car journeys and always shop safe and shop local .”
Vice Chair, Archie Dryburgh said:
“ We need your help to identify locations in your town centre that may need temporary measures to ensure people can get about safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Do you have trouble practicing physical distancing in your town? Do you Need more space to queue outside shops or pass people on pavements? Then this is your opportunity to shape your local area and have a say in the future of our town centres .”
John Lauder, Deputy CEO Sustrans and National Director Sustrans Scotland and Northern Ireland commented;
“ Sustrans Scotland encourages the people of Dumfries and Galloway to use commonplace tool. It is a great way to have your say in making places better for people to walk, cycle and wheel safely in Dumfries and Galloway. As the local economy reopens, and we hear the news from Transport Scotland of a 25% increase in bike journeys compared to last year, it is vital that people can exercise and make essential journeys on foot and by bike, safely while adhering to physical distancing guidelines. We look forward to working with Dumfries and Galloway Council on the Spaces for People programme. ”
Leave a comment on the map and remember to share the Dumfries and Galloway Commonplace page with your family and friends. The more people involved, the better the needs of the whole community will be reflected.