Changes have been made to York’s Station Gateway designs including a tweaked layout - amid concerns coloured cycle lanes could cheapen its appearance.
The changes, which also include increasing capacity at the new bus stops at Station Gateway, have been signed off ahead of works set to start in autumn.
A York Council report stated many changes including to pedestrian crossings and cycle lane materials were agreed following concerns for blind and partially-sighted people and those with reduced mobility.
But a council landscape architect stated that plans to replace granite paving with green tarmac in cycle lanes by York’s walls and at the arrival point for visitors would be detrimental.
Changes to the scheme to remodel the road at the front of York Station come after discussions with the city’s Access and Bus forums, following highways works last autumn.
York Access Forum told council officials two crossings by the exit to the loop road west of the station would cause problems for the blind and partially sighted.
The exit has been changed into a single carriageway and one crossing.
A Y-shaped crossing in front of the York Railway Institute building has also been removed.
RECOMMENDED READING
- York: New transport strategy won't be anti-car, says council
- York: New road opens ahead of Queen Street Bridge demolition
The amount of pedestrian crossings has also been cut following concerns that an excessive number of them would cause confusion.
A request from the York Bus Forum to increase the number of stops has been declined but they are set to be enlarged to increase waiting capacity by a fifth.
The council has opted to get eight new shelters from Etesian Green rather than the usual supplier JCDecaux.
They are set to cost £18,000 each, a total of £144,000 all eight.
There are also plans to trial countdown timer signals at some pedestrian crossings at the Station Gateway.
Granite set in cycle lanes on the scheme is now also set to be swapped for green tarmac.
The York Access Forum told the council granite did not provide enough colour contrast between the lanes and pavements, making them harder for blind and partially-sighted people to navigate.
Terracotta tarmac was also considered but it was felt it would conflict with the colour of existing cycle lanes and new ones proposed at York Central.
But council landscape architect Esther Priestley wrote in an internal memo that she was not sure whether the changes to the cycle lanes were necessary.
She added she was concerned about how it would make them look, given their location.
The landscape architect said: “The proposed tarmac surfacing would cheapen the appearance of the scheme.
“The use of stone along the cycle lanes aesthetically provides a better impression and quality of space in front of the station.
“With a strongly differentiated and dedicated cycle lane, cyclists are likely to travel at faster speeds and claim the tarmac surface as exclusively theirs and therefore potentially put pedestrians at greater risk.”
Recent Station Gateway works include piling to protect a section of the walls and embankment and a footpath to provide access to a new bin store at George Stephenson House.
The Station Gateway scheme is set to be completed in 2025
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel