Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

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mjr
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Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by mjr »

Our borough council now seems to have completely lost the plot and is running a consultation for the King's Lynn riverfront with three options, all of which involve more cars, including adding them to a section of National Cycle Route 1 (part of EuroVelo 12 / North Sea Coast Route) which was originally tarmacked with Sustrans "Safe Routes to School" money.

If you'd ever like to cycle along the east coast of England on quiet roads and car-free tracks, please respond to this short one-page consultation and ask the council politely to go de-motorise itself gently.

More background, advice and a link to the consultation at http://www.klwnbug.co.uk/2016/11/21/ple ... dings-way/ - I'll reply to questions here as best I can. Thanks for any help.
Last edited by Graham on 28 Jun 2017, 1:55pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: So . . .
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Psamathe
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Psamathe »

Being rather busy at the moment, must confess to not having time to read through all the proposals and form a coherent argument to submit meaningfully to the consultation. As I assume you and others have read the proposals and have identified the main points, any chance you could point me to the significant bits to focus on and what main points to cover in my response to the consultation (the any other comments I assume comes at the end of the questionnaire?

The plans (the pdf for the Exhibition Boards) seems vague and just a few vague questions like "Do you agree with our plans?" but then goes on without describing those plans except in vague terms.

Is it just a "Disagree" with everything in the questionnaire ? or are there questions that are worthwhile.

Sorry to ask "what I should answer" but it seems a very short consultation (1 week left !) and I wont have time to study it to the detail I should.

Ian
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mjr
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by mjr »

Yeah, it really is that vague. I think you can answer the "Vision", "Design Principles", "Environment" and most of the "Use" section according to your tastes, but under "Use", please say No to using the Nar Loop for car parking (which surprised me anyway, because as well as invading the National Cycle Network, it would mean breaching the flood defences, flattening a high bank and a lot of expensive-looking drainage work) and say No to opening Harding's Way to all traffic.

Feel free to say what you like or dislike about the three vague options, but I'd love it if you point out that each of them adds motor traffic to the cycle route and misses the opportunity to reduce motor traffic on the quayside. I don't support any of the three options, but option 1 would add less traffic to the cycle route because it retains more green space, while options 2 and 3 would try to inject some commercial activity at the south end of the quay - at the moment, the Marriott's Warehouse restaurant and Hanse House bistro/bar/indoor market are rather isolated. However, option 3 is the nuke-the-cycle-route "open to all traffic" option. They all seem a bit like twiddling around the same basic car-centric plans, though, which is just bizarre for a town centre where almost half of households don't have a car IIRC.

I suspect anything put in the comments boxes may form part of a revised plan, so may be good if you have time and/or ideas, but simply disagreeing with all three options would be valuable too. I hope the volume of "NO NO NO" responses will force a complete rethink and design of a healthier, more liveable riverfront area.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Annoying Twit
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Annoying Twit »

I'm definitely signing this. I haven't cycled over to the Norfolk coast yet, but want to do so. If possible I'd like to follow Alice Hawkins' route, as long as those roads haven't become massive A-roads in the meantime.

Most of the routes I've looked into go through Kings Lynn. So, this wouldn't be me just signing a random petition.
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by mjr »

Annoying Twit wrote:I'm definitely signing this. I haven't cycled over to the Norfolk coast yet, but want to do so. If possible I'd like to follow Alice Hawkins' route, as long as those roads haven't become massive A-roads in the meantime.

Most of the routes I've looked into go through Kings Lynn. So, this wouldn't be me just signing a random petition.

Thank you. This is a council consultation rather than a simple petition, so I'm afraid you do actually need to click "No" a few times and ideally put your opposition into words in a comments box. A petition may follow if the council do not revise their plans, but let's hope not, eh?

Lynn is a key town for touring cycle routes, especially if you're riding along the coast or following the North Sea Coast Route, as it's the nearest crossing point to the sea of at least three rivers (Great Ouse, Nar and Gaywood). The Harding's Way and Fen Rivers Way sections of National 1 form a link from within a few metres of the town centre 20mph zone to quiet roads on the fens.

Do you have a link to Alice Hawkins' route, please?
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Annoying Twit
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Annoying Twit »

Unfortunately I don't know the route. We've just gone through a biography of Alice Hawkins and couldn't find it. I just assumed I'd be able to google the route, but when I sat down to do so, nothing doing. There are some people we can ask when we bump into them on cycle paths.
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

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Annoying Twit wrote:Unfortunately I don't know the route. We've just gone through a biography of Alice Hawkins and couldn't find it. I just assumed I'd be able to google the route, but when I sat down to do so, nothing doing. There are some people we can ask when we bump into them on cycle paths.

Ah, it's not just me then! If you know where she was riding from Leicester to in Norfolk, local BUGsters are likely to be able to make a reasonable guess at intermediate places from old maps.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Psamathe
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Psamathe »

Done
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gaz
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by gaz »

Done.
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Annoying Twit
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Annoying Twit »

Submitted. It was a bit tricky to answer some of the questions for which you haven't given specific guidence.
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mjr
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by mjr »

Thanks all. If any question is too tricky, I think you can leave them blank.

I don't really want us to start issuing guidance on matters that I don't think affect cycling much, for various reasons including that it would make it really easy to spot responses from people who had seen it through cycling social networks.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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mjr
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by mjr »

I may be on BBC Norfolk about half five talking about this. Freeview channel 719 in East Anglia, East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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The_Master
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by The_Master »

Hi mjr, how are you doing?
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mjr
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

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The_Master wrote:Hi mjr, how are you doing?

Getting a bit nervous now, as usual. I can feel the adrenaline kicking in already.

If you'd like to talk to me directly rather than in a public discussion, use the "Contact" speech bubble by my name rather than reply here :-)
MJR, mostly pedalling 3-speed roadsters. KL+West Norfolk BUG incl social easy rides http://www.klwnbug.co.uk
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Mark R
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Re: Please Help Keep Cars Off National Route 1

Post by Mark R »

signed it, hope the campaign brings a good result
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