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Lots of campaigning to do, get stuck in!
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There have been a series of 20mph proposals coming through this year as a result of a central government fund allocation. The Hertfordshire 20mph programme can be found here.
- Central and East St Albans
- Wheathampstead
- Central and South St Albans (closed 9 October 2023)
- London Colney Phase 2 (closed 23 October 2023)
- London Colney, Barnet Road area, St Albans (closed 6 March 2023)
- St Albans Central (closed 11 January 2023)
The difference with the two current proposals is that they are Public Engagements, not consultations on fully designed schemes. They will only be progressed if there is strong public support. SO PLEASE MAKE THE EFFORT TO RESPOND. This is very, very important.
There are noisy detractors, but we know the majority are supportive. Please make sure the 'silent majority' is recognised! Numbers matter, especially since the Prime Minister's 'supporting drivers' nonsense. Any competent driver knows that 20mph in residential areas improves driving as well as other modes - instead of rushing between traffic lights and bottle-necks, drivers are mandated to proceed kindly and calmly. The casualty statistics in Edinburgh and Belfast confirm the benefits to society of even an actually quite modest reduction in average speed, Edinburgh University research showed.
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Proposed 20mph Zone for Fleetville and more
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Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) has launched a Public Engagement on a proposal for a large 20mph zone labelled as Central and Eastern St Albans; this includes Fleetville and Cell Barnes.
The scheme drawing shows the pre-existing Camp 20mph zone as dashed lines. This helps make it clear that this latest proposal would effectively make a huge swathe of St Albans into a 20mph area.
Not marked on the plan are the adjoining St Albans 1 (Central) streets, now a 'made' Traffic Regulation Order, with signage being placed.
Also not shown is the proposal for the Beaumont Drives area, being brought forward by Councillor Anthony Rowlands using his Locality Budget.
If you live in the area in or a nearby street, you should have received a notification from the Council where clarifies that for the scheme to be progressed there must be a response rate to the consultation of over 10% with the majority in favour, which is a very high bar. However, you do not have to be a resident of the zone, to respond, so we strongly urge all STACC members to respond to the consultation, and to encourage friends and family to do so too. Details of the scheme here, the response is here, the closing date is 27th November.
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Proposed 20mph Wheathamstead
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STACC and others have consistently campaigned for 'whole area' default 20mph, in preference to the piecemeal approach that Hertfordshire County Council have taken previously. It is noticeable that the proposal areas coming forward have been tending to be larger, and here we have, at last..... a proposal for a whole village!
This is also a Public Engagement, not a consultation, and it is important to get a strong and favourable response.
We urge all STACC members to respond, and encourage your friends and family to do so too.
While this is whole-village proposal is very welcome indeed, there are a few points to note that you may wish to include in your comments.
- The section of Cory-Wright Way shown in blue (and incorrectly labelled as Codicote Road) is already 40mph.
- The section of Marford Road shown in blue is actually extending the existing 40mph further into the village. At present the 30mph starts just east of Beech Hyde Lane. Drivers have difficulty in dropping their speed by a mere 10mph here, so perhaps requiring them to drop to 20mph would be more effective. It would certainly make life less frightening for people cycling uphill and turning right into Beech Hyde Lane.
- Sheepcote Lane is already 30mph, so should not be increased to 40mph! We can only assume this was a plotting error, or a mistake by someone unfamiliar with Sheepcote Lane. The sign at the Marford Road junction shows it as a cul-de-sac and the informative plate 'unsuitable for motor vehicles'.
Here is the link to the Public Engagement information; click the big blue tab to respond. Please participate ASAP, the engagement ends on 13th November.
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The landowner closed the tiny section of permissive bridleway on the multi user path linking Sandridge to Wheathampstead across the Heartwood Manor driveway in October. It re-opened almost immediately when Hertfordshire County Council agreed to rewording of the Permissive Bridleway signage - the new signs are now in place, see above.
However the closure of the bridleway North Drive (to Oaklands College) remains with no off-road alternative. South Drive is also closed, but this has not affected the Festive Gift Show to be held on 11th & 12th November!
STACC has sent a letter to Oaklands College expressing our dismay at the lack of provision for walking and cycling and consequent disruption to the community's active-travel choices during the development works.
To hear about the problems caused by these closures, why they’ve happened and what’s being done about them, listen to this podcast from the programme Environment Matters on Mix92.6 radio.
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Codicote Road Roundabout, Wheathampstead
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The improvements to the roundabout at the junction of the B651 (Station Road, Lamer Lane) and the B653 (Lower Luton Road, Codicote Road) are still underway but expected to be complete by the end of November. The improved foot-ways and dropped kerbs for all the pedestrian crossing points are now in place, as are the Belisha beacons, but not the white paint, for them. The roundabout is currently being resurfaced during overnight road closures, with road-surface markings including the zebra crossings at the west & east arms to follow. Four solar panels on poles have been erected on the roundabout island for illuminating signs on it.
You will note that the roundabout is included in the 20mph proposals, see above. So although we are disappointed that the scheme did not include 'tightening up' the roundabout geometry, the lower speed limits and the zebras should improve conditions for cycling through the junction.
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Colney Heath Lane Development
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A new planning application (5/2023/1923) for up to 190 residential dwellings on land between Colney Heath Lane and the Alban Way has been submitted. Two parts of the associated Travel Plan are relevant to cyclists:
- cycle parking will be provided at one space per bedroom in appropriately sized garages or sheds in back gardens,
- two exits onto the Alban Way, at the north-west corner for pedestrians only, and at the north-east corner for cyclists and pedestrians.
Whilst we welcome the cycle parking at one space per bedroom, rather than one per dwelling, we query why one exit to the Alban Way should not also be for cyclists, as those wishing to travel west will surely wish to use it.
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Hertfordshire County Council has just closed the consultation on the 'London Colney 2' 20mph scheme.
Phase 1 covered the residential roads (mostly cul-de-sacs) in the south of the town, i.e. it excluded the Barnet Road, and the Traffic Regulation Order is now 'made'.
Phase 2 covers most of the rest of the roads in the village - the gaps in the scheme drawing are where there are already 20mph limits around Alexander Road and Caledon Road. The exceptions in the scheme are the northern part of the High Street and Shenley Lane, and of course Barnet Road as mentioned above.
It is heartening that HCC is using this tranche of government funding to create 'whole-town/village' 20mph zones. Preferably there would of course be a national setting of the default urban speed limit from the current 30mph where there are streetlights to a more people-friendly 20mph.
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St Albans city-centre updates
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The latest trial phase of the modifications to the High Street area is now underway.
The changes started with the pandemic 'High Street Recovery' funding and have evolved since, with the brief now being seen in a much wider context - this quote comes from the most recent Briefing Note for the Project Board.
This project aligns with the goals of several SADC and HCC policies. It aims to support more journeys to be made using sustainable and active modes of transport, such as by bus, walking, wheeling or cycling, meeting the objectives of Hertfordshire’s Local Transport Plan (LTP4), and addressing the climate change emergency which both HCC and SADC have declared.
The latest phase continues with George Street one way from Verulam Road to Romeland Hill with a cycle contraflow, and closed to traffic from 11am Saturday through to 7am Monday. High Street will no longer be closed at weekends, but the gates remain to allow the option of closure to traffic for special events.
The Market Place area exclusion of motor traffic has been welcomed and is to be made permanent.
Full details of the scheme can be found here.
The Project Board is made up of representatives of HCC, SADC and the St Albans BID.
St Albans BID is a Business Improvement District which is business led and business funded and formed to improve a defined area (see map here). We work with local businesses and sometimes residents also located within the area to create a vibrant, thriving, sustainable and resilient St Albans city centre by creating and investing in projects and initiatives that really deliver value back to the BID area, benefiting those who live, work and play here whilst promoting St Albans as a premier destination and in doing so driving a prosperous local economy.
The BID's October newsletter included a Recycling Week update from KP Waste, the local waste-collection and recycling contractor that offers discounted rates to BID members. KP Waste said "We are implementing a lot of Green changes for the better, especially in the local area and operationally. For St Albans, including BID customers - we are introducing an Electric Vehicle to replace the standard dustcart, blended with e-cargo bikes (for bags), and we will be the first to do this outside of London. The benefits are less noise pollution and a massive reduction in emissions. This will be operational by next year when the EV van comes in and we find the cyclist!"
If you want to show interest in the job, the KP Waste website is here.
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Alban Way GAP
The Countryside Management Service of Herts County Council is currently developing a new Greenspace Action Plan for the Alban Way on behalf of St Albans City and District Council. The briefing document which explains more about the community engagement and plan-production process can be downloaded here. STACC invite members to send any comments they may have on the objectives proposed, or your thoughts on the future management of the Alban Way to us at info@stacc.org.uk, where they will be collated and submitted to CMS by 25th November.
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Cycle Toolstands in Herts
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Herts County Council are providing public bike-repair stands across the county and the SADC area has been allocated five. Westminster Lodge is a location for one, but ideas are needed for where to put others. A constraint is that they need to be on land controlled by the District Council. You can help by providing suggestions to STACC at info@stacc.org.uk.
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Vicarage Lane, Kings Langley
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Cyclists from the St Albans area wishing to get to the pretty village of Chipperfield will usually go through Kings Langley. After crossing over the the Hempstead Road A4251, the obvious route up the hill is Vicarage Lane, but as this is very narrow with parked cars on one side, many riders prefer to go up the slightly longer but less steep Common Lane. The factors affecting this choice may change. A consultation, recently closed, on a proposal from a County Councillor to be financed from his Locality Budget, for the middle section of Vicarage Lane to be one-way down the hill for motor traffic but with a contraflow for cycles. If this is implemented, it would reduce motor traffic on Vicarage Lane, but might increase the currently low volume of motor traffic going up the hill on Common Lane. You can find the detailed description of the proposal here on the HCC website.
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If the Streets Were on Fire
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If the winter weather is making you reluctant to go out cycling, here is a recommendation for some sofa cycling from a STACC committee member.
I watched this BBC Storyville documentary last night and it brought me to tears. It’s not the easiest watching but it sits at the intersection of cycling and social justice so I actually found it really inspiring.
We often get hung up on the practical benefits of cycling and the safety aspects but it reminded me that there is an escapism, freedom, community and fun aspect that’s just as important.
This is London, from an exhilarating, rarely seen perspective. With knife violence rising, social activist Mac creates BikeStormz, a movement for kids across the city to express themselves beyond any threats of violence.
Groups of young people glide through the capital on their bikes, doing wheelies, tricks and death-defying acrobatics, but as they come together and find ways to express themselves through biking - the kind of liberation that surfers and skateboarders eulogise - they are challenged with the threat of arrest by the police and accusations of antisocial behaviour.
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In our October Newsletter we said that the St Albans LCWIP had been approved by both SADC and HCC. This was not the case. The LCWIP has been approved by SADC, and will shortly - if not already - be put forward for adoption by HCC. You will know that has happened when the HCC LCWIP webpage is updated!
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This sign is local at the roundabout at Hatching Green in Harpenden; it might cause confusion to a visitor wishing to cycle to Hemel Hempstead!
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