Five candidates have taken time to answer questions about walking and cycling infrastructure in Ipswich. They made clear to me that decisions about highways is out of their hands as it is Suffolk County Council business, and the councillors’ remit mainly lies within influencing planning permissions.
Here are the main points that came across:
1.Why Ipswich is a town worth living in: Outdoor spaces were mentioned a lot “lovely parks especially christchurch park” (Inga Lockington, Lib Dem), “lovely parks and the quay” (Lee Reynolds, Conservative), “surrounding countryside…still close to… London and Cambridge (Nadia Cenci, Conservative)
2.Support of Space4Cycling: is mostly supported. Edward Phillips and Lee Reynolds (both Conservative) support it. Inga Lockington(LibDem)would not support the closure of residential roads for through traffic,as this would only push the problem elsewhere and congest other roads nearby. Nadia Cenci (Conservative) does not prioritize cycling as such, but would support anything that enhances health and enjoyment and is value for money.
3. Improvements/Deterioration so far:
Nadia Cenci (Conservatives) thinks that footpaths open to the public are abundant, but potholes are an issue for cyclists
Edward Phillips (Conservatives) states that only minor improvements on traffic lights, advanced stop lines and extra cycling lanes in some places have been implemented so far.
LibDem Inga Lockington admits that there have been some pavements relaid but a lot still needs to be done.
4. What would they improve when elected:
John Cook(Labour):highway issues are with County Council,but sees opportunity for improvement through borough’s role in planning permissions (newbuild and developments on the Northern fringe
Nadia Cenci(Conservatives) would encourage parents to walk and not drive children to school. She also would continue working with County Council to tackle potholes
Edward Phillips(Conservatives) would push for safe cycling facilities when roads are improved.
Lee Reynolds(Conservatives) suggests to try and stagger out the school run by varying schools’opening and closing times to avoid mass traffic
Inga Lockington(LibDem) sees planning permissions as a good start to improve things
5.Danger points in Ipswich
Inga Lockington(LibDem) : Tuddenham Road and Henley Road, esp. at the junction to Belvedere Road and at the right turn into Anglesea Road
John Cook(Labour): the one way system between Duke Street and Novotel roundabout; the subways crossing Civic Drive when esp when nobody is around
Edward Phillips(Conservative): Norwich Road beyond Valley Road roundabouts
Lee Reynolds(Walkable and cyclable Ipswich, some candidates’ responses to the survey
Conservative): Cardinal Park roundabout
6. Suggestions for improvements, interest in improving certain areas:
Inga Lockington (LibDem) would love to see a pedestrian and cyclists’ bridge east of Stokebridge. She says that the past plans for a Tesco would have come with an improvement budget. She also mentions that the new block of flats “must have taken pedestrians, cyclists and cars in consideration”. We might be able to get more information from her.
Lee Reynolds (Conservatives) and Edward Phillips (Conservatives) both think improvement of Cardinal Park roundabout area is needed.
John Cook (Labour) is happy to be lobbied about improvements in Futura Park shopping Centre
Lee Reynolds(Conservatives) says that more can be done for cyclists at Futura Park.
Lee Reynolds (Conservatives) encourages businesses to invest in safe bike parking.His company does.
Please click here for the full survey:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvQzClQmPSNEdERWSXpqZlFFYWg5UHZrZmFFczNhVFE&usp=drive_web#gid=0
