Elections
« Back to list of all 39 questions for this election
Question 30 - we asked:
The housing development at Sniperley Park is likely to come forward as a planning application soon. What sustainable transport improvements would you like to see provided in order to minimise the impact on the road network of this large site? Will you secure good-quality cycling routes connecting to Framwellgate Moor and Durham city centre for access to employment, schools and shops, as envisaged in the Durham City Sustainable Transport Delivery Plan?
We asked this question in these 2 divisions: Esh and Witton Gilbert, Framwellgate and Newton Hall.
6 of the candidates responded as below.
Those candidate(s) which were elected are highlighted.
| Irene OSTLE (Green Party) |
Good quality cycling routes need to be an essential part of any future development plans. |
| Ian Edward STONE (Green Party) |
In ALL developments considered by planning authorities, cycle routes - segregated, safe and connecting the place to shops , facilities etc. - should be enforced as compulsory requirements in the application. These should be integrated with all aspects of of the infrastructure, not added as an afterthought. Such routes should be allocated a share of the investment that demonstrates a priority is being given to cycling and cyclists (and others also using the routes, such as walkers and runners). |
| Ryan Lee Pescod DRION (Independent) |
There are already cycle routes conecting Framwellgate Moor to Durham City, two mainly off road and one as a shared footway / cycle path. As above the expansion of the Park and Ride site at Sniperley would be better suitable if linked to this development either with more cycle parking or encouraging people living there who may work in the city centre to walk and use the bus service. However many of the proposed site for housing including Sniperley Park had no guarantee that these homes would be lived in by people working in the city centre. Aykley Heads for example has a multistorey car park included in the long term plan. Electric buses used instead of diesel or hybrid types would make this environmentally friendly. Currently the buses serving this site also serve the Park and Ride at Belmont. Incidents on the A1(M) leading to the closure result in traffic diverted through the city centre and delays to all bus services. It would be far better to have the Park and Ride buses go direct from these sites and return back to the same site. Though this may require additional buses added to the fleet, this also creates an opportunity for employment of more drivers. Sniperley Park however can be easily connected to the already established cycling and walking routes through Framwellgate Moor, Aykley Heads and in to the city centre. This mostly follows former wagon ways crossing Framwellgate Moor Front Street and down to Old Pit Lane. Though this route would be 2.7 miles and take around 14 minutes to cycle, the more direct routes using the main roads are between 2.2 and 2.3 miles and taking between 11 and 12 minutes. |
| Karon WILLIS (Independent) |
I feel that the Durham City Sustainable Transport Delivery plan is encouraging all but also feel now that l all developers now should factor into their plans areas of safe cycle access around these developments and storage, as well as the safe and easy access to electric car charging points. As well as ensuring that the Sniperley Park and ride, also encouraged other buses that would encourage others to park up and use. |
| Ben GRAHAM (Labour Party) |
I’d like to see a dedicated cycle route that doesn’t follow established roads that goes directly from FMNH to Durham city centre. This would be a much safer, and more pleasant cycling experience than trying to cram onto already busy roads. The idea being that cyclists could then get onto this cycle Lane at their nearest/most convenient access point and cycle directly to Durham in relative peace. For housing developments, safer bike storage, wider roads/cycle lanes are a must. |
| John HARDMAN (Labour Party) |
Our area is going to grow at a rapid rate over the next few years as it seems. This cannot happen without supporting the infrastructure of transport networks and the well-being of our residents. As previously mentioned, the promotion and facilitation of cycling as alternative transport is essential if we take the climate emergency seriously. I would strongly advocate for any plans to ensure as much. |
SPACE for Durham is a non-partisan body. All candidates are given an equal opportunity to submit their views. Information published by SPACE for Durham, c/o 35 Archery Rise, Durham, DH1 4LA.