Town centre improvements, better public transport and improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians are all part of the new vision for the future of transport in Gainsborough.
Lincolnshire County Council, working in partnership with West Lindsey District Council, has drawn up a new strategy for Gainsborough that aims to improve transport and support future development to 2036 and beyond.
This document is set to be reviewed and voted on by the county council’s Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee on Monday 30 May.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways, said:
"The overall purpose of the new transport strategy is to provide the people, businesses and organisations in the Gainsborough area with a transport system that helps meet their daily needs now and in the future.
“As part of its development, we’ve factored in the significant changes to working patterns and travel habits we’ve seen as a result of the pandemic, with more people using online services and working in home/work hybrid scenarios.
“We want to meet these, and other changing travel demands by offering a wider range of affordable, reliable and environmentally-friendly travel options for people to choose from – all while supporting planned economic growth.
"This will hopefully lead to more people using alternative forms of transport, resulting in less congestion and a more pleasant town centre, making Gainsborough a more prosperous, attractive and healthier place to live, learn, work and visit."
Some of the proposals within the draft strategy include:
- Making the town centre a more pleasant and safer place by improving the bus station, Market Square, Beaumont Street and River Trent areas
- Improving facilities for walking and cycling across the town and strategy area
- Creating 'mobility hubs' around town that offer a range of transport options from a single location – including rail, bus, taxi and cycling
- Investigating junction improvements at key pinch-points to support current and future traffic (including new traffic signals and roundabout improvements)
- Developing proposals and targeted improvements at the Flood Road / A156 Lea Road / Bridge Road signalised Junction; the A631 Thorndike Way / Ashcroft Road / Trinity Street roundabout; North Street / Beaumont Street / Station Approach / Marshalls Yard access; and the North Street A159 / Spital Terrace B1433 junction
- Encouraging the installation of more electrical charging points to increase electric vehicle uptake
- Improving bus journey times and reliability
- Working with partners to provide better quality rail services, including more weekday and weekend services to Lincoln, Sheffield, Grimsby and Cleethorpes
Cllr Davies continued: "This strategy provides a number of proposals for us, the district council and developers to consider over the next fifteen years as we strive towards meeting ambitious growth targets for the area.
"Not only do we want to improve Gainsborough’s key junctions, but we also want to encourage more people to use sustainable modes of transport – whether that be buses and trains or bicycles and electric cars.
"One way of achieving this would be through one of our most ambitious proposals, which is to enhance Gainsborough’s train stations and bus station to become mobility hubs.
"These would, in essence, serve as multi-functional interchanges for people travelling into and out of Gainsborough by offering alternative means of travelling by car.
“Combined with other measures, like improving bus and rail services, the strategy aims to ensure Gainsborough has the infrastructure it needs to meet travel demands over the coming decades.
“The challenge now is finding the funding needed to make these improvements a reality. And the only way we’re going to be able to do that is if everyone gets behind the plan and works together.”
The new Gainsborough Transport Strategy has been written to align with the key themes and outcomes of Lincolnshire’s Local Transport Plan 5.
For more information about this and other major highways projects, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/majorprojects.