A major city centre street upgrade scheme has gone down well in a recent survey.
Last year Derby City Council completed a raft of public realm and active travel improvements around The Spot with the intention of enhancing the area’s appearance, allowing more sustainable transport options and reducing city centre congestion.
To see how the improvements have been received, a consultation was launched in April to find out what residents, visitors and businesses made of the changes.
Much of the works focused on making it easier for people to choose active travel options, such as walking and cycling, in the city centre. Almost a year on and the wider pavements, removal of unnecessary street furniture and improved crossing points were all rated highly by respondents.
Active travel wasn’t the only mode of transport to be boosted with these works, and there were positive responses to the relocation of bus stops, improved space around them, and the creation of new ULEV taxi parking bays.
On top of the travel improvements, this scheme was also intended to improve the appearance of the area, which most respondents believe it has done. An overwhelming majority of responses agreed that the area looks better, is more welcoming and is safer for pedestrians.
Councillor Carmel Swan, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Transport and Sustainability, said:
“We want Derby to be a city that we can all be proud of, and these improvements around The Spot have certainly played their part, from high quality sustainable travel infrastructure to a much cleaner, greener appearance.”
“We are continuing to be ambitious in our efforts to make Derby a better-connected city, and these improvements are just a small part of a wider programme. Ten months on from completion it’s great to see that these upgrades have been well received and I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond.
“The work around The Spot is not an isolated example. There are works ongoing around the city to deliver the infrastructure that we need to make a better-connected, sustainable Derby.”
These works were part of Nottingham and Derby’s Transforming Cities programme and delivered by Eurovia Infrastructure Ltd on behalf of Derby City Council.
The programme is funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. Working in partnership, Nottingham City and Derby City Councils secured £161 million to invest in local transport infrastructure that will improve sustainable transport, support growth, and encourage more low carbon journeys.