Disc parking plan is part of traffic blueprint for market towns

Launching the document last Friday, David McKnight, chairman of a steering group set up to co-ordinate and lead the strategy, said that traffic management in Barnard Castle and Middleton in Teesdale was the one priority that had come out of a market towns health check.

Mr McKnight, who is also project manager for the Market Towns Initiative, said it was absolutely vital for the future of Teesdale to get traffic management right.

"In taking the temperature of the dale, it was the biggest single issue raised, and if the two towns are to survive, develop and thrive, it is essential that this is addressed," he added.

He told how a survey, carried out over three days during August, had revealed no overall problem with parking capacity in either town, but there was a need to increase the turnover of central, on-street parking.

Members of the public are now being asked to comment on the proposals, and have until noon on Thursday to do so. This follows the publication of the summary, which is available free from the offices of Teesdale District Council, Barnard Castle library, Middleton in Teesdale post office and the tourist information centres in both towns. A full copy of the report is available from the council at a cost of £7.50 plus VAT, or it can be inspected at its offices in Galgate.

The survey package costs of £25,000 were mostly met by the Countryside Agency, which is looking at the strategy as a pilot.

Mr McKnight outlined the recommendations for each settlement, but agreed that effective policing, coupled with a review of traffic regulation orders, would need to be in place to make sure the proposals were adhered to.

BARNARD CASTLE

Changes to existing waiting restrictions produced two options. The first involved a disc zone; the second was for more on-street waiting restrictions in Galgate and The Bank.

With a disc zone - the preferred option of independent consultants Capita - waiting would be limited to two hours, with return prohibited within two hours, to all streets in the zone. Residents living within the zone would be exempt, allowing them to park within the vicinity of their homes. The zone would cover the central streets of Galgate, Flatts Road, Horsemarket, Market Place and The Bank and the adjoining Marshall, Baliol, King and Queen Streets. Others for possible inclusion were Vere Road, Raby Avenue, Birch Road, Newgate, Victoria Road and Thorngate. Waiting would also be limited at the bays in Galgate and the Horsemarket.

The issues surrounding setting this up and financing it still needed to be addressed, although disc zones were more self-enforcing than waiting restrictions.

The possibility of charging at the long stay Hole in the Wall car park, if it were resurfaced, also received a mention, with the money used to fund residents' parking and disc zones. This raised the potential to create access from Newgate and close access at Birch Road, which would make it easier to find from visitors' point of view and for coaches to negotiate. There was also the need for a designated dropping-off spot for coaches in the main street.

Slightly extending the hard-standing near the Demesnes could be considered to provide free long-stay parking for 20 vehicles, while the Demesnes itself could be used for informal parking at peak times. A special honeycomb structure, called grasscrete, could be put down to protect the surface.

The town did not justify a permanent park and ride scheme, but there was potential on key events days, using space at Teesdale School, Glaxo Smith Kline, William Smith, the sports centre, the Bowes Museum, the auction mart and Peel House at Greta Bridge.

There was no provision for motorcycle or moped parking in Barnard Castle, and this was to be addressed, especially in view of a Wheels to Work scheme operating in the dale.

Parking on the Market Place cobbles was described as very haphazard. One option would be to mark out bays and install parking meters, but the legalities would need to be worked out with owners Raby Estates, with the question then arising as to who would keep the revenue.

Restricted delivery times to shops and businesses was also on the agenda, but Mr Mc-Knight stressed that they did not want to increase costs for shopkeepers, merely to help traffic flow.

The junction at the corner of Galgate, Marshall Street and King Street, which was unmarked, would be redesigned, as would the entrance to King Street. Yellow lines were planned at the Galgate end to stop vehicles that could not pass having to reverse on to the main road.

Traffic calming measures - in the guise of road humps - would be planned for Birch Road and Victoria Road, to try to dissuade motorists from using them as a short cut.

Mr McKnight said there was a perceived problem with HGVs using the town as a short cut, but while some did - as evidenced by an entrance and exit survey - it was not enough to justify a ban. Empty quarry wagons travelling through at 4am had caused a noise nuisance, but they did have legitimate business in the dale.

MIDDLETON IN

TEESDALE

Again, there was no capacity parking problem on the whole, but there was need for a long-stay car park for walkers, who often parked all day in the main car park or in the middle of town. This hampered residents wanting to park for a short time to visit the shops, so a one-hour waiting zone could be created on the cobbles in the Market Place, Horsemarket and Chapel Row from 8am-6pm, seven days a week.

The WMC club car park, at Rose Terrace, could be used more. The local plan allocated land at Bridge Street for further long-stay parking, with room for five coaches and up to 20 car parking spaces. Located on the Pennine Way, it could be signposted as "the walkers' car park". A coach dropping-off point could be accommodated at the bus stop at the north side of Horsemarket. These two car parks would be flagged up to the potential 20,000 visitors a year to the proposed Meet the Middletons centre, which was due to open later this year. The potential for motorcycle parking was mooted for the town centre car park.

FOR BOTH TOWNS

While acknowledging that car parking needed sorting out in both towns, the use of other modes of transport would be actively encouraged, with employers, tourist attractions and schools asked to play their part.

All schools in Teesdale would be encouraged to apply to the county council for the Safer Routes to Schools programme. This could include taking part in a walk to school chain or car sharing.

A transport guide for Teesdale was planned, to be circulated to all residents, to publicise and promote the use of public and community transport. The shift to different modes of travel could be encouraged by providing more frequent and cheaper services or through demand-responsive transport.

Provision of improved and prominently located cycle parking was planned for each town, as was a guide to cycling in Teesdale, with identified routes and parking.

The steering group was to continue meeting on a regular basis to ensure the successful implementation of the strategy. It would be asked to set targets for the completion of each recommendation, and to assign responsibility for this.

Comments on the strategy should be submitted in writing, along with name and address, to David Hand, senior planning officer, Teesdale District Council, Teesdale House, Galgate, Barnard Castle DL12 8EL by noon next Thursday. Any factual evidence in support of comments should also be included.