City of Stoke-on-Trent Local Transport Plan 3 Focus Groups

AECOM <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Stoke</strong>-on-Trent Local Transport Plan 3 22Capabilities on project:Transportationlike an incentive to go and do it. Not just students orpeople that get the free bus passes”.3.3.6 Car UsersCar users were sceptical about how easily the LTP3 goalscould be achieved. Participants were uncertain as to whetherpeople could be encouraged to walk or cycle rather than drive.“There’s only so much encouraging people to walk theycan actually do. Being realistic people will choose towalk, but in this weather I’d rather jump in the car, butthen they’re to addressing the issues when it comes todrivers.”The group also thought that provision for walking and cyclingwas not considered when planning major developments.“I know this is a different issue but from the point <strong>of</strong> view<strong>of</strong> people who are older and who don’t drive, I don’tthink very much consideration is taken towards them asfar as provision made within town centres. They’resticking all these large shopping centres out and it’svery convenient for drivers but it isn’t necessarilyconvenient for people who are not so good on theirfeet.”Walking within the city was felt to be unsafe.“And they’re not really done that you could actually usethem, but walking in as well, it’s not very nice. They’dhave to seriously reduce the amount <strong>of</strong> traffic on theroads if people were going to walk at all.”“And yes you can get a taxi and probably because <strong>of</strong>the system that is in place now, you’re probably going tobe safer, because there’s not a good cycle path, if youwere walking anywhere, certainly at night time you’d bethinking twice, unless it was very well lit and a relativelysafe zone, so it’s got to be well used, hasn’t it, to feelsafe and therefore your taxi is the other option.”“They’re not cycle paths round there, they’re short areasand then they dwindle <strong>of</strong>f to nothing, so you’re sort <strong>of</strong>left to fend for yourself.”“Car drivers see the cycle lanes as just an extension <strong>of</strong>the road.”It was felt that it would be difficult to encourage people to usebuses which did not run in the evening and were perceived tobe unsafe.“I’m not sure, because it’s so long since I’ve used publictransport but I suppose the other issue is that from ayounger point <strong>of</strong> view, if you’re going out at weekends, Imean most people will get taxis back but you’ve also gotlate transport but it’s also got to drop <strong>of</strong>f in areas thatthen they can get home easily.”“There’s no way I’d get a bus back.”“I just wouldn’t, there’s no way on this earth, there’d bethat much trouble on a bus.”“But I work at the hospital and I would ideally prefer tocatch a bus into work, because you can’t park and I finda parking space at the hospital and if I’m on an earlyshift I can’t get a bus that early and if I’m on a late shift,I won’t catch a bus back at 10 o’clock at night, becauseyou don’t feel safe, so that to me is something that theycould improve on, because you would leave your car athome.”One solution that was suggested was a tram; however it wasfelt that this would not work due to the five towns.Cycling was also felt to be unsafe and facilities for cyclists werefelt to be inadequate.“Well, I tried to cycle into Burslem, I work in Burslem,from Newcastle [-under-Lyme] I tried to cycle in and it’san absolute nightmare, it’s just dangerous, there’s biglorries and too much traffic, the cycle paths they put inare just for them to say, so they can tick a box and saythey’ve put some cycle paths in, really.”