Winstree Road: a community-led street design project
Works location and photos of completed works
The Safer, Greener, Healthier team want to encourage as many children as possible - as well as their parents/carers - to walk, cycle or scoot to school, particularly for shorter journeys. Not only will this help with congestion and air quality by reducing emissions - but it will also help improve our children’s mental and physical health. We want all Stanway residents to have the benefits of a neighbourhood that’s pleasant to live in and easy to get around.
Since 2016 we have been working with the schools and other members of the community, to shape this vision and map out what was wanted. We commissioned a community outreach programme, engaging with groups and individuals in the area, about what they wanted to see. Following this a report was produced, entitled “Community-Led Street Design”, and several engineered measures, detailed below, were put in place.
That initial project has now concluded, but our work with the various stakeholders continues, particularly as we focus on the development of our Healthy School Streets Strategy (HSSS).
The new and any future ‘Healthy School Street” measures in Winstree Road will help to reduce the barriers to active and sustainable travel and provide more opportunities and options for those who are able to leave the car at home.
A summary of works undertaken:
- New radius kerb lines and associated footway reinstatement works within New Farm Road – at the junction with Winstree Road
- Installation of four sets of tactile paving to the existing dropped kerbs outside The Stanway School
- An independent footpath on Villa Road
- Kerbing and footway works along Winstree Road (outside the properties north of Holly Road)
- Kerbing and footway works outside the Indian restaurant in Villa Road
- Road resurfacing and enhancements to the existing zebra crossing outside the youth centre
- All four schools have developed and are implementing their own School Travel Plans
- Agreement for Park and Stride location for primary schools
- Explored the feasibility of new crossing facilities (although did not meet the requirements)
- Improved surface and drainage to mitigate localised flooding
We have also explored the feasibility of new crossing facilities in two locations, although these did not meet the requirements and therefore won’t be progressed.
Any future works (deemed appropriate) will be undertaken during school holiday periods to minimise disruption.
We would like to thank all the residents and users of Winstree Road and surrounding areas, for their input over the last few years, and in advance for their patience and co-operation while we carried out these improvements. Any member of the community can still contact us, to tell us of their travel experiences on and around Winstree Road, and to supply their own ideas as to what might work in the future. We want to keep the lines of communication open and it’s important that any changes are shaped by and reflect the thoughts of the local people. If you would like to become a Travel Champion/Advocate for your local community do let us know. Please send these to SGH.Routes@essex.gov.uk
For more information about these and other works in your area please visit one.network. Please note that dates may be subject to change if our works are affected by poor weather or if unexpected issues arise.
Examples of what has been done elsewhere in Essex
A distinctive bollard on Sawyers Hall Lane in Brentwood
Healthy School Street improvements made to Trinity Road in Chelmsford
An overview shot of the improvements made to Gilchrist Way in Braintree
Pencil bollards in Trinity Road, Chelmsford
Questions and answers
An Essex Healthy School Street is our response to concerns about busy roads around schools during drop-off and pick-ups times; with the aim of delivering a range of bespoke solutions to make school streets safer, greener and healthier in Essex. Solutions could include improvements to public realm, controlled parking zones, street art or timed road closures.
Building on the work already completed and with the emerging HSSS we can make Winstree Road in Colchester safer with improved air quality and less congestion if opportunities for more active travel are made available.
The result is a happier, safer and healthier street environment for everyone and is all part of our commitment to make Essex safer, greener and healthier. Already in Essex we are working on healthy school street zones in Brentwood, Braintree, Chelmsford and Wickford as part of our Active Travel Fund 2 scheme.
At peak times during school drop-off and collection, Winstree Road experiences many challenges, including high traffic levels, parking problems and congestion. The new and forthcoming improvements will bring many benefits and advantages to the area, including better air quality, a safer and more pleasant environment and more children walking, cycling and scooting to school.
Our work with the schools, local councillors and school crossing patrol is ongoing, to discuss and explore future opportunities.
Individual support to each of the schools is being provided to further develop and enhance their School Travel Plans.
Any impending proposals will require further subsidy, so we are continuing to seek out opportunities and funding streams to support this.
Many trips could be made by other forms of travel, helping to remove traffic from an already congested road network. If you can travel by foot, bike or scooter, even for part of the journey or a few days a week you will help make a difference
We understand that some people have no option but to drive, such as those living a long way from the school, or perhaps those who have a difficult/complex onward journey to work.
Fortunately, there are still ways you can help. Car sharing may be an option, or “park-and-stride”. It might be worth discussing parking issues with the school as they may have a formal arrangement in place with a local car park, like the local convenience store or parish hall.
Working from home has also allowed more flexibility. Do you need to drive every day? If people who normally drive by car used an alternative form of travel twice a week, it would significantly reduce peak hour car trips.
A park-and-stride scheme allows parents/guardians to leave their car in a pre-arranged location and walk the remaining distance (usually 5-15 minutes) with their child(ren). Schools can identify a car park, such as a supermarket, church, or pub, within a short walk of the school. This helps lessen the levels of car traffic directly outside the school and enables more children to get the benefits of active travel.
Some schools already have these in place, so do check with your school to see if they already have one set up.
The measures being implemented are medium to long term improvements to enable more people to travel to school sustainably, but a change in behaviour is also required. This project is not only designed to improve the area for existing pupils but also those who will visit/attend in the future.
More work is needed, in conjuction with the schools and community to reduce car use for those who can walk, cycle or scoot. We all have a role to play which requires us to consider and re-think our travel behaviour.
All three mainstream schools on Winstree Road are working with the County Council on their respective School Travel Plans, which encourage and enable as many children as possible to walk, scoot, cycle, park-and-stride, or use the bus to get to school. Doing this, and removing barriers to using those modes, will result in fewer cars coming to Winstree Road and the surrounding neighbourhood at either end of the school day. Both Primary schools now have green level nationally accredited Travel Plans through Modeshift STARS.
In addition, Lexden Springs School has a good relationship with the taxi companies who bring their pupils in and have a particular focus on staff initiatives too, including those for cycling and car sharing.
We are working with the North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) to commission a parking study for Winstree Road and some of the surrounding area. The aim of this study is to collect data on the numbers of cars parking in the vicinity, as well as understanding the reasons why parents/staff may be using these areas.
This is currently being procured and due to be undertaken later in the year (September/October) when the schools have a full complement of students in each year group.