2024 Question 1 - Responses
The regeneration of Stevenage Town Centre is currently taking place with limited car parking for many new residential properties. Currently links to the cycle network are very limited. What will you do to ensure that active travel is a convenient choice for people travelling to and from businesses and residential properties within the Town Centre?
Conservative
We will work with HCC to progress the LCWIP and Sustainable Travel Town initiatives.
Green
We would engage with communities from around the town to assess the improvements that would encourage more residents to choose active travel over car use. We need to put in signage to help those who cycle, with routes to where they want to go around the Town Centre, rather than just signs telling them where they cannot go. Once that task is complete there will be obvious missing links that will need to be rectified. These may require a change from the existing blanket cycling ban to allow ‘Share with care’ sections, with signage showing where the routes are.
A recent Planning Application for the Forum site indicated a proposed crossing of St Georges Way; however, this did not lead to any existing cycleway infrastructure and there did not appear to be any plans to create new infrastructure on the East side of St Georges Way. We would press for any plans submitted like this one to include wider infrastructure changes so that we do not create further missing links.
Labour
The work of the Active Travel Lived Experience Group (ATTLEE) done over the past year needs to be expanded. We agree with Cycling UK Stevenage that cycle access in and around our town centre could be greatly improved. We are committed to undertaking more officer and member work with Cycling UK Stevenage to promote better connectivity, not only as part of the Connectivity Area Action Plan under consultation, but on the eastern side of the town centre where important regeneration works are about to happen. We also commit to a portfolio holder review of north-south connectivity, as part of ATTLEE’s survey work in 2024/2025.
Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats both locally and nationally want to do as much as possible to encourage people towards active travel – to increase both cycling and walking. Our 2019 General Election manifesto pledged to spend 10% of the Department of Transport's annual budget on cycling and to see more segregated cycle lanes, which have proven such an asset within Stevenage.
Cycle access to the town centre should be improved particularly from the East side/ St George's Way when the Swimming Centre, The Forum and Southgate area are redeveloped. We would ensure active travel is a core part of Town Centre regeneration plans which will incorporate secure cycle parking.
Reform UK
Answer will be displayed here.
TUSC
The response received was a general statement addressing all 6 questions and can be viewed here.