The big questions about the Valley Gardens scheme

Why does the city council want to improve Valley Gardens?

The area has huge potential as a city amenity and is important to get from one side of the city to the other. Despite being a series of large, green open spaces in the centre of the city, there is not a lot to attract residents - and while some parts are busy, others are used mostly as a way across the city and by dog-walkers.

What do people want for Valley Gardens?

When we surveyed residents in April 2013, 83% of people said they would like to spend more time in the gardens if the facilities/environment were improved; 82% wanted more trees/landscaping/vegetation; 73% wanted less traffic; 71% wanted less vehicle noise; 70% wanted easier pedestrian access; 66% wanted a safer (from traffic) environment; 58% wanted better air quality; and 56% wanted better or more seating.

Movement through the area is also difficult, however you travel. During the same consultation only 34% of people felt the roads were well designed to keep traffic moving; only 26% felt that it was pleasant to walk in Valley Gardens; only 17% felt that it was easy to cross the road on foot; only 10% felt that it was pleasant to cycle in Valley Gardens; and only 9% felt that cycle-parking was of high quality.

What is in the proposals?

The current road arrangement between the Aquarium Roundabout and St Peter's Church is a needlessly-confusing mixture of gyratories and contraflows, with buses, private vehicles, and cyclists moving from one side of the gardens to the other as they travel north to south. We will simplify things by moving buses, taxis, and local access onto a consistent route that will run along the western side of Valley Gardens, and keeping private vehicles on the eastern side; all vehicle access points in and out of Valley Gardens will be maintained.

Because traffic routes are simplified, so are junctions - meaning there are fewer delays when driving in Valley Gardens, We will also provide simple, direct and consistent cycle routes on both sides of the gardens. The simpler layout enables us to reclaim some of the existing space given over to vehicles to create more public space, without reducing vehicle capacity. The simpler traffic layout also means that traffic becomes less of a barrier and danger for pedestrians. We will provide new crossings throughout the area, including new paths across the park spaces, and improve footways along building edges.

Within the larger open spaces, we will plant significant numbers of new trees, some of which will be new elms to protect our elm heritage. We will also provide new, natural planting to bring aesthetic and ecological benefit.

We will provide SUD (Sustainable Urban Drainage) features to help the city cope with future flash flooding events in an environmentally-friendly way, while a rill (small stream) and formal fountain outside St Peter's Church will re-introduce water to an area that was traditionally home to a Winterbourne (seasonal river). We will also have formal and informal seating in the gardens, a variety of flexible hard and soft-scaped event spaces (to host smaller events - large events such as the Ladyboys of Bangkok will move elsewhere in future), improved lighting, and a new civic square in front of St Peter's Church.

How does the Valley Gardens project benefit pedestrians?

In future, pedestrians will need to cross only two lanes of traffic at any point within the project area, and will always know which direction that traffic is coming from - increasing both access and safety. Alongside simplified road layouts, simplified junctions will enable us to improve pedestrian crossings throughout Valley Gardens. As a result, we expect a north-south journey through the area to be at least 15% quicker in future. Simplifying the road layout also lets us reduce space given over to carriageway infrastructure while maintaining current access and capacity for vehicles. As a result, footways along building lines can be increased in area by more than 70%. We are also providing new paths across the public spaces, enhanced seating, and a pleasanter place to walk through.

How does the Valley Gardens project benefit cyclists?

The new scheme includes a consistent, dedicated cycle lane along the eastern side of Valley Gardens that connects with the wider city cycle network, and two quieter cycle routes on the western side that provide access to businesses and residential areas such as North Laine. We will also be providing more, and better quality cycle-parking throughout Valley Gardens. Like pedestrians, cyclists will benefit from journey savings due to enhanced crossings at simplified junctions - a north-south journey is expected to be at least 31% quicker in future.

How does the Valley Gardens project benefit drivers?

The current road arrangement is a mixture of gyratories, contra-flows and dual carriageways. Vehicles move from the east side of the space to the west as they journey north to south. In order to cope with the different traffic movements created by the inconsistent road layout, junctions are also more complex than they need to be. Poor signage from surrounding areas brings more traffic into Valley Gardens than needs to be there, adding to congestion.

Although we do not expect the scheme to impact on the time it takes to drive through Valley Gardens, we hope that the new arrangement will make driving through the area less confusing and more pleasant. The simplified road layout removes the need for complex junctions (10 existing junctions are simplified under the proposals). Along with reductions in associated infrastructure (guard-railing, signage, additional carriageway space), the new arrangement provides an enhanced journey experience for drivers and a fitting welcome to the city.

How does the Valley Gardens project benefit bus-users?

While current bus lanes result in relatively expedient and reliable journey times through Valley Gardens for bus passengers, the quality of bus-stops is often poor. The unconventional nature of the segregated, two-way bus lanes at Gloucester Place enables provision of a southbound, but no northbound, bus-stop - while the northbound St Peter's stop delivers bus passengers onto a narrow, isolated traffic island.

The scheme provides a new consistent bus/taxi lane along the western side of Valley Gardens. As well as maintaining southbound and improving northbound bus journey times and reliability, improved bus-stops will be provided at St Peter's and the Old Steine, while additional stops will be reinstated at Victoria Gardens.

How does the Valley Gardens project benefit road safety?

In the 36 months between August 2008 and July 2011, 185 collisions were reported in Valley Gardens: 32 were serious, one fatal. Of 249 casualties, 86 were vulnerable road-users (32 cyclists and 54 pedestrians). The collisions tend to cluster around particularly confusing and counter-intuitive junctions.