Minutes:
Table 1
· Traffic flow – not going to be an improvement with current plans.
· New Road needs better parking enforcement/management.
· How will the Transport Quarter plans provide jobs?
· Not much provision for cyclists. Need more cycling lanes.
Table 2
· Why extra car parking spaces when plenty of parking at Ebbsfleet instead of pushing to use public transport, although public transport is not always convenient.
· The whole one way system needs to be considered
· Parking on pavements needs to be addressed – better enforcement.
· Not in favour of part-time pedestrian areas
· Will open spaces outside the civic centre be designed to deal with ASB?
· Disabled parking – where and how much?
· Shopping – what are we doing to attract more businesses into town?
· Who gets the money from the car parks?
Table 3
· Why does the traffic have to go all the way down Stone Street.
· Will buses still go down Stone Street?
· The whole system would need enforcement
· Buses in one place is a good idea
· Semi-pedestrianised areas - needs to be fully pedestrian or full traffic, otherwise this could be dangerous for pedestrians. Do not believe the current area that is semi-pedestrianised in New Road works well with shoppers and customers not expecting to see buses.
· Provision needs to be made for Taxi ranks.
· The plan to have buses in one place is a good idea.
· Cycling areas should be considered.
· Open spaces should discourage anti-social behaviour.
Table 4
· Why cant we have a Park & Ride system for Gravesham instead of this? .
· Are the parking bays equipped to deal with numerous buses?
· Gravesham Court – illegal parking – needs enforcement
· Is there a developer in mind to manage the car park?
· Traffic flow is not going to improve
· Stronger traffic enforcement needed in New Road
· Where are the jobs coming from?
· Taxi rank – where will they be and which way will they go? Will they follow the buses?
· The whole area needs parking enforcement to work well.
· Cycle lanes and marking – will it be improved?
· Civic centre – it is not the most attractive building in the town and anything to improve it will be good.
· New one way system – could be worse than existing
· Woodville Place – not a lot of space – would be better to eat into the old Police Station site
Table 5
· Plans look good on paper but could be a different story in practice.
· Disabled parking needs to be considered.
· Poor quality shops in town – need to attract more business into the town centre.
· A combined Bus & Rail service pass should be considered.
· Shared space between buses & pedestrians is a concern.
· Improvements to the Civic Centre and surrounding area are most welcome.
· Should be looking at the whole road system before creating the Transport Quarter.
· Planning permission has already been given to the Police Station. It will provide accommodation.
· Parking on the pavements is a problem.
Answers:
· Traffic flow – looked at traffic flow use the entirety of the one way system. The system will be no worse than currently
· New Road – times will stay the same.
· In terms of what traffic will do – come along new Road, turn into Stone Street but do not anticipate increase in volume of traffic.
· It has not been decided about revenue on car parking but it is hoped there will be some income for the council. Not yet decided.
· The taxi rank will stay where it is currently. Have had a consultation with drivers and they have given a number of ideas on where they would like additional ranks.
· Shared pedestrian/bus space – not finalised design for entire scheme yet. Need to look at where kerbs are.
· Network Rail are extending platforms. They say they can get 12 carriages in there.
· Disabled parking is being considered. Gala block, reserve some space in multi-storey and space along Rathmore Road.
We know in the next 5/10 years that car use, if it continues the way it is, will make life very difficult for Dartford and Gravesham. One basic principle of the scheme is to encourage people to use public transport more, therefore the core of the scheme is the transport interchange. Predictions for 2018 are that it will be quicker to walk on the roof of the cars than travel in the cars.
The second principle is to re-claim space for public pedestrian use rather than having cars.