Link across the railway
2.6.10.
The majority of the local residents who engaged in the consultation process expressed a desire for a foot/cycle bridge linking the Ridgeon's site with the west side of the railway. I disagree with the opinion of the Local Highway Authority that an additional bridge at this location is not needed; it is very much needed.
The two existing crossing points at Mill Road and Coldham's Common are not close by, and the effectiveness of these connections from these crossing points leave a lot to be desired. The distance between the crossings at Coldham's Lane and Mill Road is far greater than that between Mill Road and Rustat Road / Devonshire Road. Similarly, the distance between the Rustat Road / Devonshire Road crossing and the Hills Road crossing is also far greater than that between Coldham's Lane and Mill Road. With increasing foot and cycle use, which is supposedly augmented by provisions in the Local Plan, facilitated crossing of the railway should be sought after in every development proposal that abuts the railway line, and not rejected. Moreover, the SPD should not restrict its consideration of effective foot and cycle crossings to the "official" delineation of the Chisholm Trail; many pedestrians and cyclists use a wide variety of other routes to get about; sometimes using the Trail, sometimes not. The council's perception of non-car use should not be confined to the "official" Chisholm Trail.
2.6.11.
While there may be some difficulties with the siting of a foot / cycle crossing from the Ridgeon's site to streets opposite, this should not be regarded as an insuperable problem. There are options, which might require some inventiveness.
1 suggest that a brief competition is tended in order to attract interested engineers I architects to propose inventive solutions to the issue. Options should then be fielded and weighed.