Part 8 TUS

I would like to welcome the opportunity to make a submission on the TUS Moylish to City Active Travel Scheme Part 8.

This scheme is long overdue. It has a lot of great parts but unfortunately some weak points too that I hope can be worked on before the final design is put forward for consideration.

I would ask that further consideration be given to the following items (order: from TUS to Ennis Road):

• Moylish Roundabout: with the upcoming S38 Brookville Avenue, either this Part 8 or the S38 should consider upgrading Moylish Roundabout to a Dutch style roundabout or turn it into a protected junction. With very high volumes of students here walking and cycling and the high volumes of vehicles, the design of this point (either as a roundabout or as a signalised junction) should prioritise the safety of pedestrians and cyclist above the convenience of vehicles.
• Tightening of entrances to Mayorstone Upper and Mayorstone Court, as well as on North Sexton Street, is very welcome, especially the raised tables and continuous footpaths.
• Hassett’s Cross: It is hard to imagine as a person without an engineering background and without photomontages of what that junction will look like, but it looks too busy and once in place not intuitive. I would ask that the team consider corner islands at each of the corners in the junction to increase visibility of cyclists to turning drivers.
• I welcome the narrowing of North Sexton Street and the landscaping plan as it is a living street with many properties opening right onto the footpath. It is currently an extremely wide road that encourages speed and dangerous driving.
• I welcome the landscape proposals around Frazer’s Corner and would ask that further consultation is done with the local residents to see if more placemaking interventions are possible.
• I would ask the Active Travel team to reconsider the whole section of Belfield Gardens. While shared spaces, living streets and slow neighbourhoods are often a suitable alternative to segregated cycling infrastructure, I believe that the proposed design of this area does not sufficiently address this and does not provide for the safety and priority of people walking and cycling. As well as an alternative design for this area, I would also like to see a traffic management plan delivered that plans for the modal shift required and not for more of the car based infrastructure.  
• I trust that great consideration has been given to landscaping and in particular to retaining the existing stock of trees and mature shrubs. I would urge the team to be as creative as possible when removals are being considered to avoid unnecessary removals. I welcome the place making aspects on North Sexton Street and I would ask that any dividers and separators introduced as part of this scheme are the multifunctional dividers, similar to the ones used in the Safe Routes to School scheme for the Model School or the planters used on Nicholas Street (not the steel or plastic bollards).