Rocky road for South Street proposals

The Citizen, 18 June 2004

People power appears to have won the day over plans to replace an electronic crossing in South Street, St Andrews, with a zebra crossing.

There were strong words for Derek Crowe, east area transportation manager, and Scott Harper of Scottish Enterprise Fife, when they gave a presentation to St Andrews Community Council on proposals for South Street "improvements,'' due to be carried out under the "St Andrews World Class" initiative.

On Wednesday, Mr Crowe said: "As a result of representations made...the proposed replacement of the pelicon crossing is now being reconsidered and, following suggestions made by the community council, details of a bus shelter will also be included as part of the final planning application.''

Murdo Macdonald, community council vice-chair, told the pair he was not convinced there had been enough consultation on the proposals.

"You seem to be wanting to improve St Andrews by taking things away and not giving back very much in the process,'' he commented.

"You are looking to make improvements to South Street, yet one thing that is missing is the transportation set-up with regard to buses, in and around the town.

''A lot of people drive in to work as there are no buses for them to use. They are mainly doing school runs.

''We should be looking at that first, then considering what would come next.''

Among the proposals for South Street are re-surfacing of roadways, widening pavements, replacing trees and cutting the number of parking spaces from 45 to 21.

Mr Crowe said the ultimate aim was to encourage people to come into town by other means than cars, adding: "Town centres are really about people.''

However, concerns were also raised over changes to the street which proposed swapping a zebra crossing for the existing pelicon crossing outside W.H. Smith - which has a buzzer for sight-impaired people to indicate when to cross.

Fife Councillor Bill Sangster has continually spoken of the danger to disabled and frail people of a zebra crossing.

That was backed up this week by Alan Suttie, chief executive of Fife Society for the Blind, and Pauline Medd of Fife's Disability Network - both of whom said the controlled crossing, incorporating a buzzer, was preferrable.

Mr Suttie explained: "With a standard crossing, our users have no clear indication that traffic has stopped, particularly in relation to St Andrews, where there are a lot of students who use bicycles.

''Sight loss is predominently age-related and statistics show that a higher proportion of older people live in St Andrews and north east Fife.

''Our job is about encouraging people to retain their independence. We are trying to reduce stress levels so that people can cross as easily and safely as they can.''

Mr Suttie also pointed out that pedestrianising an area actually made it harder for sight-impaired people to get their bearings as "clues'' such as junctions and the sound of traffic were removed. Street furniture such as plants and seats increased the hazards.

The need for more bus shelters in the town was also highlighted. Mr Crow confirmed there was a proposal for a bus shelter east of Blackfriars in South Street, similar in design to the one at Petherum Bridge car park. Another proposed shelter, at St Mary's Place, has already been given planning permission.

Community councillor Ian Hamilton, who also chairs St Andrews Merchants' Association, pulled no punches when he highlighted his concerns: "There's no point having wider pavements in South Street if you don't have the people to walk on them.

''A lot of people do come into the town centre by car. We don't have a train system and a lot of people find the car convenient. If you take away parking, they won't come to town.''

Mr Hamilton also warned of "serious disruption'' to St Andrews Week celebrations if the work was to go ahead, as scheduled, from August 30 to December 3.

Community councillor Joe Peterson was given a round of applause from colleagues when he asked why the council had not taken advantage of excavation work to expand the car park at Petherum Bridge to add a second level, and re-constitute the "promised'' Petherum bridge to allow access away from the road.