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Life has changed. We have had to adapt and learn to cope with a new, distanced way of life. It isn’t easy and it looks like there will be many more challenges over the coming few months. For many people the thing that helped relieve the anxiety and strain of lockdown was getting out for their daily walk or cycle. This desire to walk and cycle continued even as lockdown eased, Stirling has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people cycling across the city, with rates up 60% on last year! The Scottish government is now advising people to walk, wheel or cycle to work, school or for leisure trips instead of using public transport and to consider active travel for shorter driving journeys.

A recent Cyclescheme study found that 77% of people that have started cycling during lockdown want to continue. The Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling project is more important now than ever before, putting infrastructure as well as training and support in place to give people the confidence to travel on bicycles. Not only this, we understand that having high quality public spaces will ensure we have a sustainable, liveable city that supports health, wellbeing and happiness. Which is why we value engagement so much and want to hear how best you feel some of our city spaces can be utilised.

We have spent the last few months analysing feedback you gave us in February. Largely focused on the best options for Causewayhead, Albert Place and improving the public realm spaces around Upper Craigs. We want to continue to involve everyone in the next phase of the project. Once the designs are updated we will be looking for your (socially distant) feedback and ideas again. So watch this space. . .

In the meantime, if you have any stories about how you rediscovered cycling or walking during lockdown please do share them with us at walk-cycle-live@stirling.gov.uk. Have you discovered any new areas or routes? Has this changed how you travel now? (Photos would be a bonus.)

It does not seem to have stopped raining this month, and doubts were present for how this would put a damper on our celebration event yesterday in Raploch. However, the sun stayed out for the two hours we were there! We could not have timed it better!

Members of the community who were involved in the Raploch Street Design came along and shared some cakes with the team, and talked about how the temporary changes have improve the junction.

The junction has been narrowed with the use of temporary concrete blocks, and has reduced the speed of traffic taking this junction. This makes the community members feel safer, especially when trying to cross at Huntly Crescent. Another improvement was the addition of dropped kerbs and a new highlighted crossing on the road.

Finally, members of the Forthbank Care Home were particularly thrilled with the addition of colour to the edge of the footpath at this junction - the colours were specially selected to ensure they are dementia friendly.

What do you think could be done in your area?

Hello all!

We have been extremely busy preparing for the next public drop-in session where you will be able to view and comment on the first draft of our proposals!

We are hosting this event on Wednesday the 26th February at the Cowane Centre , and you will be able to drop in any time between 1.30pm and 6.30pm.

This project will look to enhance two key corridors, and we hope you can help us on this journey to achieve the aims below:

Forth Valley College to Upper Craigs Route

• Build on the planting along the route to create a green corridor from the city centre to Forth Valley College

• Draw people from the city centre to the Smith Art Gallery and the City Park by enhancing Albert Place as part of the city centre;

• Provide an active travel corridor to the Forth Valley College and connections to Castleview Business Park;

• Develop an active travel environment and an actively travelling community in Raploch, including a community street design project along Raploch Road;

• Link Raploch to the green space at Kings Park and the other destinations to the south of the city; and

• Provide active travel and placemaking enhancements in the city centre

The University to Train Station Route

• Provide a high quality route linking the city centre, specifically Stirling rail and bus stations, to Stirling University – unsurprisingly, our busiest active travel route;

• Link the Causewayhead, Cornton and Raploch communities to the city centre and to learning opportunities;

• Improve active travel opportunities for visitors between the city centre (including the Castle), Stirling Bridge, the river and the Wallace Monument;

Working together, we can design and build two key active travel corridors that will have the following benefits:

• An active travel culture across all our communities;

• Modal shift through connecting places and people and encouraging more people to walk and cycle;

• Health benefits from more active travel and improved streetscapes;

• Reduced congestion and improved management of the traffic growth arising from the essential growth of the city;

• Reduced carbon emissions and improved local air quality;

• Enhanced satisfaction with the local environment – including enhanced sense of security - through placemaking, again helping people to choose walking and cycling;

• Improved safety, especially for the more vulnerable cyclists;

• Improved social inclusion through improved accessibility to education, employment and local facilities especially for the communities

• Street environments which are usable by all especially people with mobility difficulties; and

• More use of public transport.

When?

20th February - 12pm until 2pm

Where?

Huntly Crescent, Outdoors

We hope to see you all there.

Let's hope the snow, wind and rain disappears!

Hello!

We hope some of you who commute via Stirling Train Station managed to stop by our pop-up stand yesterday morning.

Please note that the heatmap will be closed for comment on Friday 24th January, but the comments will still be available to view.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far.

We've had almost 250 comments on the heatmap so far, which is incredible! Thank you to everyone who has contributed. We will aim to keep this map live until January 2020 so there is still time to have your say.

So far, the most common issues with the existing streets include them being unsafe and dangerous for cycling:

How you would like to improve the streets include safer crossing points, improving junctions and safer cycle lanes:

From the launch event, we had great feedback on the visuals and the proposed routes, and had comments such as:

Goosecroft Road: "Really poor for cyclists. Far too many people in lanes; Bus stops in way; Have to wait ages at at traffic lights; poor connection to Riverside"

"Danger crossing entrance to car park & travelodge"

Cowane Street: "A great place for a cycle parking stand (scarce in this part of the city centre) would be at the junction of Barnton & Cowane street. There is a wide paved area with nothing on it, that would be very convenient !"

"More street trees !"

Drip Road Underpass: "Poor sightlines, Can not see if people are coming other side of the tunnel."

"Issues : Floods; smells; cars Block access paths; too narrow"

Causewayhead Railway Crossing: "Cyclists should never have to dismount ! Where are they meant to go ?"

Causewayhead Road: "The cycle lane on causewayhead road is far too narrow and there are often cars parked in thecycle lanes, making it dangerous"

"Needs a segregated cycle lanes. It's not safe for cyclists or pedestrian at the moment"

Airthrey Road: "The cycle lanes on Airthrey Rd that is painted is too narrow when near the High school and encourages left most overtaking at the way going up to hillfoots road ( just before the toucan crossing)"

"The shared use path on southside of Airthrey Rd is below design standards for bidirectional shared use path. There has been several bike on bike head on collision by the toucan crossing near the high school. Path overgrown by hedges."

Upper Craigs: "Issues : Parked cars, no cycle lanes"

"don't like the one way traffic, or the parking and bins"

Albert Place: "I like your suggestions for Junction of Dumbarton Rd & Albert Place to remove Roundabout and make T junction"

"Too many parked cars. Would not want to cycle with children"

"Most dangerous existing crossing point is outside Albert Hall – poor sightlines, v wide crossing. Cars coming from town turn up corn exchange road on wrong side of road, there are lots of near misses. Tourists in cars also consistently get lost at this junction – it’s hard for them to believe it is the way to the castle."

Raploch Road: "Could do with segragted cycle path along Raploch Road"

Great feedback, and hopefully we will be able to produce some concept designs early next year which will reflect these concerns!

Don't miss the opportunity to take part in our walking audits - we have 1 scheduled around 1.30pm and another at 5.30pm.

Walking audits are a guided walk during which an assessment of the street and local area is conducted. It involves taking local residents, community representatives or school pupils on a walk through a pre-assessed route and holding discussions at various points in their neighbourhood.

It enables the local community to look at their local area to assess conditions and suitability for active travel and social interactions. It also provides a great opportunity for groups to inform the design process with ideas/solutions.

In this instance, we will be reviewing the route along Dumbarton Road and Albert Place, thinking of the following questions:

1. Walking: does the neighbourhood provide an attractive environment for walking?

2. Cycling: does the neighbourhood provide an attractive environment for cycling?

3. Accessibility: does the neighbourhood meet the needs of everyone, whatever their age or mobility?

4. Vehicles speed: do traffic allow people to move around safely?

5. Play and recreation: does the neighbourhood provide opportunities for play and recreation?

6. Sitting: does the neighbourhood provide adequate provision of seating?

7. Socialising: is there space and facilities where people can socialise?

You can conduct your own walking audits, any time you are out walking, wheeling or cycling any section of the two routes we are looking to enhance, and ask yourself those questions. Use the comments on the map as a tool to express your answers to those questions. We are really keen to make these streets accessible for all, pleasant and attractive and create a more sustainable city.

We are very pleased to announce the Launch Event for the Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling Project will take place on Tuesday the 26th November at the Albert Halls .

The project will make walking, cycling and wheeling more accessible, pleasant and safe along two routes through Stirling.

Join us at the Launch Event anytime between 12.30 and 7.30pm to learn more about the project, have your say on how we can improve the streets and meet the project team while having fun and enjoying some coffee, tea and cake.

Please spread the word!