Bovey
Tracey Traffic Management - Pedestrians
Let's look at three areas - Dolphin
Square, Union Square and the Bovey Bridge. These three
areas seem the worst for pedestrians although problems
can occur almost anywhere.
Bovey
Bridge
I believe that the worst place for
pedestrians is the short length of Station Road between
Le Molay Littry Way and the car park on the Craft Centre
side of the road. The absence of pavement here coupled
with the consistently higher speeds makes this a real
danger spot.
Coming off Bovey Bridge
northbound with
pedestrians on the right where there is no
footway
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The problem area is on the
right where there is little room for pedestrians.
Any footway here would have to leave sufficient
width for most traffic to be able to pass
two-way, but there may be scope for a footbridge
alongside the road bridge itself. |
Here is a view of
the same from the bridge as a pedestrian. There
appears to be no immediate solution to this, but
excessive speed here contributes to the danger.
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Bovey Bridge, Station Road
No possible room for a footway here
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Bovey Bridge
New footbridge adjacent?
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This is the view of the
bridge from the side. The answer may lie in the
provision of a pedestrian footbridge here.
Perhaps a suitably artistic wooden design to
blend in? |
How about the rest of the town? I am
sure that you will all have your own places where you
feel uncomfortable crossing the road, but the central
area and main junctions are probably the worst.
Dolphin
Square
Dolphin Square
Looking into the wide bell-mouth of Newton Road.
Drivers can turn left very fast here
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This is a view of Dolphin
Square which clearly shows the excessive amount
of roadspace in the junction. Any solution should
provide additional pedestrian islands and set out
to keep speeds down. My
preference is to install a small or
mini-roundabout here with large
"splitter" islands on all approaches.
What actually happened: -
The aim of an improvement here was to reduce the
speed of traffic turning left in the direction of
the view. This was achieved by building the kerbs
out. But it remains difficult for pedestrians as
they still have to cross the whole road in one go
and visibility left towards the town from the
side of the shops is very limited. A
mini-roundabout would have provided a splitter
island - ideal for pedestrians.
Sorry Devon - waste
of money...
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The same from the
opposite direction showing the need with this
layout for right turning waiting space. With a
mini-roundabout such space becomes unnecessary
allowing additional roadspace for pedestrian
islands.
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Dolphin Square looking east
Lack of pedestrians islands and fast traffic
movments
do not make for a pedestrian-friendly environment
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Union
Square and the Town Centre
Apart
from speed the greatest difficulty I find even being
tall, is to be able to see around parked vehicles. The
most difficult is crossing from near the Post Office on
the inside of the bend.
Union Square - looking up
past the Post Office
Crossing can be very difficult here.
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Any more vehicles and it is
almost impossible to see. Pedestrians also have
to look in at least two other directions to cross
here. It requires great care at any time. |
Another view of
Union Square where there is a considerable area
of roadspace and relatively little for
pedestrians. There is much conflict here between
competing needs - loading and unloading of goods,
getting in and out of cars and buses, crossing
the road or just passing through.
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Union Square looking north
Too much roadspace
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Here there are opportunities to
build out the kerbs at critical points to shorten the
pedestrian crossing lengths and to improve visibility.
Clive Sawers - 25 September 2002, amended
October 2005 - awaiting "after" images of
Dolphin Square.
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