At its meeting in Cupar today, the North East Fife Area Committee set aside objections to a one-way scheme in Queen’s Gardens on the advice of Fife Council Transport Management’s report [1], approving the scheme in which traffic will flow one-way from Queen’s Terrace to South St and cycling permitted in both directions with a marked contraflow cycle-way.
This follows two years of preparation, with residents in Queen’s Gardens working with the Council’s Traffic Management and with the support of Councillor Brian Thomson. Residents have been concerned about Queen’s Gardens being used as a rat-run with increasing volumes of traffic and associated noise, air pollution and threat to safety. With cars parked on both sides of the street it is now too narrow for two-way traffic with daily traffic snarl-ups and damage to wing mirrors and paintwork.
Residents of Queen’s Gardens proposed the direction Queen’s Terrace to South St because repeat traffic surveys have demonstrated that twice as much traffic flow in the direction South St to Queen’s Terrace (N to S) compared to the reverse direction, so blocking N to S would have the greatest impact.
A consultation held in 2017 demonstrated strong support for the proposal, with 75% of those responding being in favour. Amongst those supporting the scheme were residents of Queen’s Gardens, Queen’s Terrace and Westview, the Environmental Representative for St Regulus Hall, the University’s sustainable transport group ‘Transition University of St Andrews’, and the campaigning group ‘St Andrews Space for Cycling’. There were a number of objections [2] including the Community Council and several from residents in Westburn Lane who were concerned about the possibility that Westburn Lane could become a North to South rat-run.
No time scale for implementation of the scheme has yet been given but it is unlikely that it will take place before the new financial year.
Follow the link below for the full report [1] pages 25 to 32, and objections [2] pages 26-31
The Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council did not object in principle to making Queen’s Gardens one-way; it did – and still does – consider that traffic should be taken off South Street rather than brought on to it…
Callum MacLeod
Community Councillor
Chairman
The Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council
When is an objection not an objection?
The submission by the Community Council during the consultation was listed as a formal objection.
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Editor
The term “objection” is a necessary evil… Fife Council and the St Andrews Fife Councillors were fully aware of the subtleties of the Community Council’s precise view…
Are we permitted the courtesy of knowing the identities of the QV writers please?
Thank you,
Callum MacLeod
Community Councillor
Chairman
The Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council
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