Improved shared use of paths on Midsummer Common

Pilotting a series of awareness and design interventions, which may, if successful, have application on other public open spaces with shared use paths in reducing conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and other users.

Paths across the common are heavily used both by pedestrians and cyclists and the more recent e-bikes and e-scooters. All the hard surfaces are shared. For users, the paths are both convenient, off-road transit between different parts of the city centre and the several bridges crossing to the north of the city and along the river, as well as supportive of general recreational use for exercise and wellbeing, expected in a public open space. There is concern, not exclusive to any one type of user, about conflicts relating to safety, comfort and enjoyment of the space and its efficacy for movement.

It is recognised that realistically third party enforcement of standards is unlikely to happen more than occasionally; so it is necessary to consider potential physical awareness and design measures which themselves promote consideration and conflict avoidance. This could be focused on entry points and key pinch points and involve trialling with the involvement of stakeholder groups, such as Camcycle and Living Streets and working with the County Council and GCP as partners where relevant.

This bid is supported by Friends of Midsummer Common and Cllr Tim Bick as ward councillor.