Active travel and accessibility

Placeville’s parks provide fantastic ‘green’ routes, taking pedestrians and cyclists away from traffic and through some of the most attractive areas of the capital. Pedestrians comprise the majority of visitors but with many other users including cyclists, provision for all visitors needs to be balanced to maintain a high-quality experience and to preserve the tranquillity of the parks that Placeville residents cherish.

From children learning to ride a bike or scooter, to office workers participating in active travel to commute to their place of work, or walking groups for recreational exercise, parks are often the first port of call for active travel. Despite this, existing urban design best practice for walking and cycling primarily relates to road environments.

This section of the e-book will explore how changes can be made to infrastructure and facilities to ensure inclusive and accessible park environments for active travel.

Priority for pedestrians

Visitors cycle in Placeville parks for many different reasons including for leisure but also to transit on their way to an onward destination. Speed limits do not always apply to cyclists within parks so fast cycling can impinge on other users’ enjoyment of the same space. This is also at odds with one of the key reasons why Placeville residents enjoy their parks – to escape and connect with nature.

This problem has been amplified by the use of apps that encourage time trials in scenic locations and through increases in the volume of cyclists using parks for commuting purposes.

Our recommendations:

• Create more design cues that help visitors understand expected behaviours
• Widen substandard shared paths which are on key desire lines to increase capacity and improve pedestrian comfort levels
• Consider the potential for dedicated ‘wheeled routes’ around the edges of parks for utility cycling
• Improve wayfinding and signage in line with Legible Placeville principles to direct cyclists to more appropriate routes
• Regularly monitor footpath demand in high footfall locations to ensure they are fit for purpose and appropriate for their usage
• Consider a design guide for walking and cycling in parks - much of the existing guidance is focused on urban environments
• Develop Kitemark style standards for parks incorporating active travel

Access to parks

Access to parks can be difficult because main roads can sever access and create a barrier to their use. The location of access points is often related to historical considerations such as land ownership but don’t necessarily reflect recent changes to surrounding land uses.

Visitors can find the interface between quiet parks and main roads confronting as there is often very little transition between the two. Widely spaced park entrances can funnel cyclists and pedestrians to key pinch points which can increase the risk of conflict with other road users.

Improve safe access to parks

• Provide parallel crossings or signal-controlled crossings to separate cyclists and pedestrians at key arrival points and provide more space
• Consider increasing the permeability of parks to surrounding areas but being careful to retain their natural character
• Increase signal green times for pedestrians at junctions adjacent to park entrances to reflect their increased use by children and the elderly
• Create a sense of arrival or indication of a transition to promote increased awareness that users are entering a park environment
• Consider access typologies that reflect the needs of pedestrian, wheelchair, scooter and cycle users in different contextual settings.

Improve parking facilities for cyclists and e-scooters

Well located, secure and sheltered cycle and e-scooter parking facilities enable users to be able to stop and dwell in parks for longer and can increase spend. However, an absence of or a shortage in facilities can lead to inconsiderable parking which can impinge on access and reduce visual amenity.

Inadequate parking and a lack of end-user facilities can encourage users to drive rather than cycle to parks, adding to problems with local congestion and impacts on noise and air quality

• Consider the development of cycle parking standards to provide a yardstick for identifying the likely level of demand for facilities
• Locate parking away from main pedestrian thoroughfares to reduce the potential for conflict but still close enough for natural surveillance
• Consider the use of additional security measures such as CCTV to address fears of theft
• Consider the use of sheltered parking facilities that enhance the natural setting rather than detract from it - such as the use of green roofs.

Facilitate year-round active travel use

The use of parks for active travel purposes will vary considerably depending on the season. In the Spring, concerns have been expressed about poorly maintained paths and overhanging vegetation restricting visibility and width.

In Summer, when usage is likely to be highest, concerns about conflicts between cyclists and dog walkers may be more prevalent, whilst in the Autumn concerns might be in relation to slippery paths created by falling leaves and flooding. In Winter, ungritted paths and dark mornings and evenings can give rise to safety and security issues.

Thinking about conditions at different times of the year is therefore important in determining the correct infrastructure design response

• Consider park opening hours in the winter to accommodate early morning and evening commuting patterns
• Survey the park at different times of the year to assess usage and pedestrian and cycling needs
• Assess visibility lines in all seasons to ensure the safe use of paths and tracks
• Consider scope for improvements to lighting in conjunction with habitat considerations.