This is the latest in our series of detailed 'missing links' posts as we explore the gaps in the active travel network in and around Dumfries. This is an extra post, in response to a planning application to rebuild the High School and the associated David Keswick Sports Centre.
The replacement of Dumfries High School comes up in front of the planning committee on Wednesday and the report makes interesting reading. Although we have absolutely no objection to the school and sports centre themselves, we put in a planning representation on the grounds of the need to improve cycling access to the school, and lack of adequate cycle parking.
The report notes that the level of cycle parking is lower than the standards given in the national guidance (the amount of car parking planned is, of course, right up to the maximum in the guidance) but that because the number of students cycling to school is so low (currently 1.6% of all pupils) that is fine, as it is unlikely that the number of children cycling to school would increase to the levels where the amount of bike parking given in the guidance would be needed (41%).
In a sense, this is true, although it does reflect our lack of ambition when it comes to sustainable travel - you only have to watch this video of a perfectly ordinary secondary school in the Netherlands to see what can be achieved.
So why is cycling so low among school kids in Dumfries compared to their Dutch counterparts? There are cultural reasons of course, but also the fact that Dutch towns and cities have been built in such a way that cycling pretty much everywhere, including to school, is safe not just for secondary-school age kids, but those in primary school as well. In contrast, although Dumfries High School is now linked by a cycle path from the Summerpark estate and from there to the Caledonian Cycleway (after many years when it was just half a path) cycling there from other directions is still pretty challenging, and not what you'd want your 11-year-old having to tackle on their way to school.
This active travel map outside the school entrance is a great start - but it only shows the signed routes to and from the Bridge and other schools. Could it be expanded to show routes to school as well?
In our planning representation we noted that the route to the school from Marchmount is incomplete (as is also noted in the Travel Plan that forms part of the planning application) and that the route from Summerpark is unsigned, and lacks a dropped kerb for access by bikes.
Neither of these issues is dealt with in the planning report. Although it notes that development proposals should "prioritise personal travel by mode in the following order: walking, cycling, public transport and lastly car" and "provide opportunities for a modal shift from private car use", we're told that the Council Roads Officer is satisfied with the arrangements in the plan, apart from some requirements around traffic calming, off-street parking and electric car charging. Nothing is included about improving access for cycling either in the immediate area of the school or from any of the surrounding areas where its pupils live. In other words, we've decided to accept the status quo: concentrating on taming and managing traffic as best we can, instead of working to reduce it. This is disappointing, for a council that has not just declared a climate emergency - but has also been designated as part of an international bike region by the UCI.
So what do we suggest? In the long run, we believe that we'll only see substantial numbers of pupils cycling to school by ensuring they can do so safely, and that means tackling the missing links in the network connecting the school to its catchment areas, as well as to The Bridge. The map below shows the High School (in purple) most of its catchment primaries (in blue) and the Bridge (in red). The other two primaries are in Ae and Glencaple, off the edge of the map. Taking these as proxies for potential school journeys, it's clear that access from the west and the north is very close to being good, while access from the south and east is much more difficult.
The High School showing its relationship to the surrounding streets.
Coming from the West: The Bridge
Signed route to the High School - note the forest of poles! We're often told that signage is omitted due to fears of 'clutter', but where existing poles can be repurposed to include wayfinding, that shouldn't be a problem.
There is a signposted walking route of 1.6 miles between the Bridge and the High School, by way of the Maxwelltown Path and Carnegie Street, crossing the Moffat Road using a pedestrian crossing and coming into the existing school via Marchmount Avenue. As we noted in our planning objection (and the Travel Plan also picked up) this route is incomplete for cycling - the crossing of the Moffat Road is for pedestrians only, not bikes and there is no cycling provision along Marchmount Avenue, which will be busy and hence dangerous during school run times. Otherwise, this distance would be very easy and quick to cycle and completing this route would be very easy to achieved.
Coming from the north: Summerpark, Heathhall and Locharbriggs (and beyond)
As noted, there is now a path that connects the back of the High School to Summerpark, which in turn provides good cycling conditions and connects well to the Caledonian Path which serves Heathhall and Locharbriggs. These journeys would be less than 3 miles - easily accessible for a secondary school student, and largely flat. There is a shared use path along the length of Summerpark Road which provides a safe route from the Caledonian Path to the path to the High School, but there is no wayfinding either at the start of the path, nor on the Caledonian itself. Having this route clearly marked would save cyclists from having to use the Moffat Road, which has no cycling provision at all and is a busy and hostile road to cycle on.
The red arrow indicates the entrance to the path up to the High School from Heather Drive. Note the lack of a dropped kerb, and absence of any signs. Signage here and from the Caledonian path would act as a guide to cyclists and also a prompt for people to consider cycling as an option.
Ae (8.9 miles) is likely too far for most students to consider cycling, but for those who did want to, it's possible to reach the top of the Caledonian path by way of the quiet Quarry Road, and from there access the school via Summerpark. Amisfield is closer by the most direct route (4.4 miles) but avoiding the A701 by going via the Quarry Road adds more than 2 miles to the journey.
Coming from the south: Noblehill, Georgetown and Calside (and beyond)
The closest students are likely to want to walk to school rather than cycle, but for those coming from Georgetown and Calside, a distance of 1-2 miles, cycling would save time. However, none of the routes from those areas are very inviting, especially for children cycling independently as kids going to secondary school would usually do. We've tackled Georgetown and Calside already on our missing links series which covers the problems and some solutions in more detail, but the main problem is that the railway line acts as a barrier, with only three possible crossing points.
Routes between Georgetown and Dumfries, showing how the railway line limits options heading north towards the High School.
Approaching via Eastfield Road and Brooms Road, there is no cycle path along the top end of Brooms Road (again covered in the relevant missing links post) although once under the railway line, there would potentially be room to put one in. There would need to be a suitable crossing of the Annan Road to get cyclists onto Kirkcowens Street without needing to tackle the roundabout there, and then wayfinding through the residential streets up to the Lockerbie Road. There is already a pedestrian crossing of the Lockerbie Road which connects to a path through to Bane Loaning and the school entrance, which could be converted into a toucan (bike and pedestrian) crossing to complete the route.
The roundabout where Georgetown Road joins the Annan Road.
Approaching via Georgetown Road, the junction with the Annan Road is very hostile to pedestrians and cyclists, with a busy roundabout surrounded by railings narrowing the pavements on all sides. Removing some of the railings to allow cycle access down Millburn Avenue and then creating a crossing opposite the cafe and shop would provide a route via the park up to Greenbrae Loaning which is slightly less busy as it is filtered by a one-way section at one end. However, Georgetown Road itself is also both narrow and busy, with the bridge over the railway line forming a bottleneck, and hence a barrier to cycling for most people.
Annan Road - exiting the park. This illustrates fairly clearly why people might hesitate to cycle along it!
The third crossing point, at Loganbarns Road, is a little quieter than Georgetown Road but involves a substantial detour. Thinking big, a pedestrian and cycle-only bridge over the railway line would be a fairly costly solution, but would serve to open up Georgetown more widely to active travel.
Looking further afield, Glencaple, at 6.8 miles, is again possibly too far. More to the point, although the road from Glencaple to Dumfries is part of the National Cycle Network, it is not a welcoming prospect for most children cycling (as we've covered in our missing links post for Glencaple).
Coming from the east: Collin
It is, perhaps surprisingly, not much further from Collin to the High School than it is from Locharbriggs - at least as the car drives: 3.3 miles, a very achievable ride for a teenager to tackle. Unfortunately, as again covered in a missing links post, there is no safe direct cycle route from Collin to Dumfries. The closest thing to a safe route (via Roucan Loch, and the Heathhall Industrial estate to the Caledonian path) is almost double the distance, at 5.7 miles. Until there is a cycle path from Collin into town, this is going to be a non-starter for most secondary school children.
The fact that this missing links post has drawn on a number of earlier ones shows the importance of a complete cycling network to support active travel, especially for children. But it also shows how the benefits of closing any individual gap have the potential to multiply as the network grows, connecting more and more parts of the town to each other. We need to be seizing every opportunity to add links to the chain until we have completed a coherent network, which would serve not just one school, but ultimately the whole town and its surrounding area. That is how the Dutch have created such remarkable levels of cycling across all levels of society - something that would benefit us all.
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