£990k invested into Southampton including filters to block traffic

WORK for a £990k project to create a greener environment in the city is to start in Southampton next month.

Southampton City Council have unveiled plans for work to start in St Deny's in November.

The fund allocated for the project is £990k from the Transforming Cities Fund.

The work will create an Active Travel Zone for the St Deny's area of the city, which will see changes made to streets and roads including filters to prevent through traffic from driving in certain areas.

St Denys resident, Clare Diaper said: “It is so exciting to be trialling some temporary changes to road layouts here in St Denys.

"I'm really looking forward to less traffic and more music and connection with neighbours that comes with a quieter street.”

The Council has explained a range of measures that will be put in place to make up the Active Travel Zone.

The first will be trial modal filters, on North Road, between Stanley Road and Priory Road and on Kent Road on either side of the bridge.

These will be set up in November, followed in January by a trial modal filter at the junction of Priory Road North and St Denys Road.

A modal filter is a feature designed to prevent through traffic while maintaining full access to properties by walking or cycling, and for local traffic via alternative routes.

Further permanent measures will aim to make the busy junction of St Denys Road and Priory Road safer for walkers and cyclists as well as St Denys Road itself and improve the area outside St Denys Primary School to make it safer at pick up and drop off times.

Each of the new features will be enhanced with landscaped vegetation when they are installed as permanent features.

The permanent measures in St Denys will each have a formal consultation and residents local to them will be informed by letter.

Councillor Leggett, Cabinet Member for Green City and Place, said: “I welcome the changes to the roads in St Denys that will help the residents achieve their vision of a healthier and safer neighbourhood for themselves, their neighbours and families.

"Active Travel Zones have transformed other neighbourhoods around the country, such as Waltham Forest in London, and I look forward to the same positive results in St Denys.”

However the plans have been met with concern from one Hampshire MP who claims the Council are trying to "force drivers out of their cars".

Southampton Itchen MP Royston Smith said: "These roads are not in my constituency so I won’t comment on the specifics but my constituents have suffered similarly with the near obsessive drive of the Labour Council to force drivers out of their cars and out of our city.

"We’re all for making the city safer for cyclists and walkers but that can’t be at the detriment to those of us who need and rely on motor cars.”

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