Pedestrian Safety in Castle Street

This project is directly related to the traffic management issues mentioned above but focuses specifically on the exceptionally narrow foot paths located at the corner of Castle Street and the Square.

The section of foot path adjacent to the Lindsay Fyffe building is less than one metre in width and presents a very serious hazard to all pedestrians and especially to the disabled and parents with children. It also fails to comply with the Disability Discrimination Legislation, with Building Regulations and Roads Service own standards which specify widths of not less than 2 metres.

Proposals put forward by CRCP to address this issue included a scheme to widen the foot path by reducing the road bed to a single lane, with two way flow, but not simultaneously, controlled by traffic lights. Despite an initial reaction that “something along these lines might be possible” and an acceptance that a wider foot path would reduce the risks to pedestrians, the proposals were subsequently rejected by Roads Service on the grounds that safety to all road users would be reduced as would the efficiency of this busy junction. Can it be concluded therefore that efficient traffic flow is more important to Roads Service than pedestrian safety.

However they did agree that our case for the provision of a pedestrian crossing located near the Post Office in Castle Street was well made. CRCP will continue to press for a review of this and the related traffic management issues.