Cycle groups idea for proposed new town centre measures

A group set up to encourage cycling in Spalding has revealed the changes it wants to see as part of government funding for the town centre.

PEDALS says only some of the measures suggested by Lincolnshire County Council, as part of the Active Travel initiative, including the loss of some car parking spaces, should be carried forward.

And the group would like to see more focus on improving cycling measures near places of employment, such as Wardentree Lane.

Alongside creating more cycle lanes around that area, it would also like speed limits of 20mph throughout much of the town centre, including around the station and Ayscoughfee Hall, as well as outside all schools in the town.
In terms of the proposals for the centre of Spalding, the group opposes the proposed cycle lane in Double Street and is urging the council to consider not removing parking for the creation of a lane in Broad Street. But it supports the creation of one from the Holland Road footbridge to Herring Lane and says it should be extended to the one-way section of that road.

It also states parking in The Crescent should make way for a cycle lane, providing no spaces are lost in the Sheep Market.

“The number of parking spaces which would be lost will not be significant if the proposal to remove short-stay parking from the Sheep Market is withdrawn,” the correspondence says while arguing against the proposal to make The Crescent entirely one way.

It continues: “We are pleased that Lincolnshire County Council proposes to spend some of the money awarded by the Government on schemes for improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists in Spalding.

“The county council has drawn up its proposals very much from a cyclist’s point of view.

“This is a commendable starting point for this work. However, this approach has failed to take sufficient account of the consequences of some of the proposals on the vitality of Spalding’s town centre, especially at this time when town centres generally are trying to recover from the economic effects of the pandemic.

“We feel that reductions in traffic congestion, benefits to the environment, and improvements to people’s health, fitness and safety would be achieved to a greater extent by improving and increasing cycling and walking routes to and from the main employment areas in Spalding and Pinchbeck, and to and from schools, instead of concentrating on the town centre alone.”

The survey on the proposals ended on Sunday.