Myth – The subway system was working fine, so why is the city council changing this?
Feedback from an engagement exercise we completed for this project in 2024 suggested otherwise.
Overall, the stakeholder engagement exercise confirmed that there is a widespread feeling that the current pedestrian and cycle route into the city from the station is deeply flawed.
This is due in large part to the current underpass which makes many people feel unsafe and fails to provide a welcoming prospect for those arriving in the city by rail. It is also felt that the current route is not sufficiently accessible for people with disabilities.
Respondents also said that accessibility should be a key priority in the new station and surrounding environment, with measures such as ramps, and more specialised parking and toilet lavatory facilities.
We designed the City Link scheme to address this feedback.
Myth – Disabled people have not been considered as part of this project.
Throughout the project we have engaged with key partners, including Disability Peterborough. This includes during our public engagement exercise which we completed in 2024. Following this feedback we have:
- Confirmed the design of a very gradual incline from the remaining subway to the top of Cowgate, which is fully accessible for wheelchairs.
- Confirmed the need to reduce the number of lanes from three to two to make it shorter and easier to cross.
The current route with the existing subways has a steep ramp near Priestgate which we have been told by residents is tricky to use and does not meet modern accessibility standards.
Other accessibility improvements will be included in the future packages of work.
Myth – Pedestrians have not been considered as part of the diversions
Pedestrians have been considered as part of the City Link works scheme. The two subways that are going to be infilled and the area around it are part of an active work site so it would be unsafe of the public to use these areas. We appreciate that walking around the site could be lengthy for those coming from Crescent Bridge and the southern areas, which is why a walk-through the railway station car park has been suggested as an alternative pedestrian diversion route.
The diversion routes published are fully accessible routes. Those not requiring an accessible route are still able to use the Queensgate footbridge.
Myth – The old subways should have been used for storage purposes rather than being infilled with concrete
There are several reasons that this is not happening:
- The gradual slope up to the new crossing which will enter Cowgate is very close to the entrance to the large subway near Priestgate, which would require additional work to be completed to turn this into a storage area and would mean the finished result would not look as good.
- The smaller subway would have very limited storage capability as it is so narrow.
- The engineering issues required, along with the cost of these, would not have made this a viable option within the financial constraints of the project.
Myth – No public engagement was carried out for this project.
We carried out a public engagement exercise in 2024. The feedback was collated and analysed and design proposals updated to reflect your suggestions to shape the final project.
We received:
- 390 survey responses
- Feedback from four 1-to-1 sessions which were held with Cycle Forum, Peterborough Civic Society, Camsight, and the Accessibility Forum.
- Three feedback emails from individuals
- Three formal written responses received from groups
- Engagement from 47 local businesses (in-person) in the city centre
- Feedback from four pop-up events held across Peterborough City Centre with 150+ people engaged through conversations with the Project Team
- Feedback from one youth webinar which was delivered and attended by our Youth MPs and Youth Council members
- Feedback from one accessibility workshop which took place with 27 people in attendance
Overall, the stakeholder engagement exercise confirmed that there is a widespread feeling that the current pedestrian and cycle route into the city from the station is deeply flawed.
This is due in large part to the current underpass which makes many people feel unsafe and fails to provide a welcoming prospect for those arriving in the city by rail. It is also felt that the current route is not sufficiently accessible for people with disabilities.
Sustainability measures such as low carbon construction, sustainable drainage, tree planting and green areas to improve biodiversity all have community support.
Accessibility should be a key priority in the new station and surrounding environment, with measures such as ramps, and more specialised parking and toilet lavatory facilities.
The findings of the exercise have fed into the latest designs, where relevant, as have the outputs from more detailed consultation with local interest groups, most notably accessibility. The emerging layout was subject to an audit by Active Travel England and the recommendations have been incorporated into the latest designs.