Troon Cycle Friendly Toon
Cycle paths on the edge of town
Troon has two mostly off-road cycle paths that run along the edge of the town:
– National Cycle Network NCN7 along the coast (RED on map)
– Local cycle path running parallel to the east (BLUE dashed line on map).
These are popular paths with locals and visitors, but they bypass the centre of town.
Making Troon town centre more people friendly
The South Ayrshire Paths Initiative want to improve access to the centre of Troon and to make it a safer and more welcoming place for walkers and cyclists alike.
Troon like many town centres has become dominated by cars and speeding traffic, meaning fewer people feel safe to walk and cycle so they end up using their cars for short journeys, adding to the problem – a vicious circle. But, there are ways streets can be changed to make them safer and more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists.
There are numerous ways a street can be made safer and more attractive, including…
Narrow and cobbled street entrances and roads
Reduced speed limit
Landscaping, planters and small trees
Space to park bicycles, stop and chat
Outdoor space for cafes
Places to sit, relax and socialise
What have other towns done?
Our proposals have been tried and tested in Scotland and around the world. They have been shown to increase the number of pedestrians and cyclists visiting an area, staying longer and spending more money in cafes, restaurants and shops etc. See examples below.
Helensburgh
The promenade, main street, square and connecting streets in Helensburgh have recently been transformed by new surfaces, landscaping and traffic calming.
Dumfries Street Design Project
Sustrans Scotland, in partnership with Dumfries and Galloway Council and local residents and business owners, has supported a transformation of a once neglected and problematic district in Dumfries into a people centred distinctive neighbourhood.
Railton Road, Lambeth
"We had a lot of opposition to start with...we [now] have people wanting to come into the area to open businesses, so there's a waiting list. Design for traffic and cars, and that's what you get. If you design for people, then you get people".
Making room for improvements in Troon
All these improvements need space. At the moment pavements in Troon are narrow with barely enough room to pass never mind having seating areas etc.
In order to make room for improvements South Ayrshire Paths Initiative proposes a one way system around the core of Troon town centre, as shown by the green line on the map above.
Traffic would still have 24/7 access with free limited time parking spaces.
What's next?
We’ve started talking to councillors, community councils, politicians etc. to make them aware of our ambitions. There are ongoing discussions with South Ayrshire Council and Ayrshire Roads Alliance. We held an initial public consultation in Troon on November 2017 to gain feedback. And we successfully gained funding at the Troon and villages ‘Decision Days’ Marketplace participatory budgeting event in February 2018 to help push forward our proposals.
The next steps are to ensure all stakeholders are aware of our ambitions and gain support and understand any concerns from residents, business owners, Ayrshire Roads Alliance and South Ayrshire Council. We also need to identify potential sources of funding. From this we can start to develop a detailed plan for Troon the Cycle Friendly Toon.