Latest news

The existing advisory cycle lanes on Grassyards Road (between Strawberry Bank Road and Sutherland Drive) will soon be improved through the installation of “soft segregation” measures.

Wands and kerb units will be installed to prevent vehicles from entering the cycle lane, either to pass other vehicles or to park. These soft segregation measures help to reduce feelings of vulnerability, particularly amongst novice cyclists and those who only cycle occasionally, increasing their confidence and therefore supporting cycling as a method of active travel.

The measures will be in place for up to 18 months with installation programmed for April 2021.

After installation it will be possible to give feedback on the scheme using an online questionnaire and monitoring will be undertaken to help to determine if the measures could be made permanent.

Plans showing the proposals have been uploaded here .

Catrine Primary and St Sophia’s Primary in Galston will be the first schools in East Ayrshire to take part in a School Streets trial.

The schools were chosen based on feedback received through our online engagement about temporary school streets at various locations in East Ayrshire.

The trials will last a minimum of four weeks, with a start date dependent on the lifting of Scottish Government restrictions that have closed schools.

Further information on the proposals can be found at www.east-ayrshire.gov.uk/schoolstreets

The scheme will be monitored during the third week of the trial period, with questionnaires being posted to residents, circulated to all parents/carers via the school app, and promoted to the wider community via the community council, ward members and social media channels.

Updates on these projects will be available on East Ayrshire Council’s website.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to place a comment on one of our heatmaps or to comment on our proposals for temporary interventions at schools.

We have collated and analysed all your feedback and suggestions and have developed a package of temporary interventions which will be rolled out in 2021. We will provide further updates via these news pages as these projects are developed and implemented.

In the meantime:

Work to pedestrianise Foregate Square, Kilmarnock is now complete, and has been complemented by a scheme funded by the Kilmarnock Town Centre Partnership to refurbish the planters and seating in this area. The photographs show the formal zone entry signs, the expanded taxi parking bay and the dedicated parking places for blue badge holders.

We’ve also installed “physical distancing” banners at all school and ECC entrances across East Ayrshire and will be providing some more at locations where there are decant pick up/drop offs.

Please stay safe this Christmas – we will be back in the New Year with more updates.

The EAC Spaces for People Project Team

Thanks to all those who sent in the 94 comments we received during our initial consultation on proposals for temporary measures to improve physically distancing at or near school entrances at eight schools in East Ayrshire.

In response to your feedback we have done three things:

1. Prepared a Frequently Asked Questions and Benefits of School Streets information pack which can be found here – we hope this will answer many of the general queries raised about School Streets projects

2. We are reviewing our proposals at these eight sites to specifically consider detailed comments raised at some of the locations, particularly at Gargieston Primary and Stewarton Academy

3. We are now asking for feedback on the four schools where the initial trials of the proposals are planned to be undertaken – have your say . The schools are:

Spaces for People update

Thank you to everyone who has commented and contributed to the Spaces for People East Ayrshire consultation so far. Since the launch of the website in mid-July, we have had over 2400 visitors to the website and more than 400 contributions.

The feedback received is already being taken into consideration in helping to prioritise and identify temporary measures to allow physical distancing as restrictions ease.

It won’t be possible to fulfil every one of your requests but we appreciate your input to identify areas where physical distancing is most difficult. We will then direct our limited resources to where they are most needed.

The word cloud below illustrates some of the issues and ideas that have already been mentioned in the comments.

There’s still time to leave your comments on how we can protect public health and support physical distancing on our streets and at our schools.

Visit https://spacesforpeopleeastayrshire.commonplace.is/

We are seeking your views on proposals to introduce measures that support physical distancing on the public roads at or near school entrances and at School Crossing Patrol locations.

We have identified a number of schools where we think that it might be possible to implement temporary school streets and have passed these locations to Sustrans for further investigation and design work. Please see our news article for more information.

Have your say and find out more about the Spaces for People project .

Spaces for People is a new, temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips and exercise during Covid-19.

The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland.

A School Street is a road that is closed to all vehicular traffic at school start and finish times.

Five schools across East Ayrshire have been identified as possible locations for a trial of temporary ‘School Streets’.

A School Street is a road which is closed to all vehicular traffic at school start and finish times. The restriction would not apply to permit holders or blue badge holders, and residents of the street would be contacted directly and issued with free permits as the schemes are developed.

The schools identified are:

These are all locations at which there have been reported issues between vehicles and pedestrians or vehicles and residents, as well as problems with significant congestion leading to unsafe manoeuvres at school times.

The sites have been passed to Sustrans who will review them and undertake design work. If they are deemed suitable for the trial, it’s hoped that the temporary School Streets would be in place as near as possible to the planned reopening of schools.

Funding for the project comes from the £550,000 that the Council received from Spaces for People, a new, temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips and exercise during Covid-19. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland.

You can find out more about our proposals to support physical distancing on our streets and leave your ideas about where physical distancing could be improved at: https://spacesforpeopleeastayrshire.commonplace.is/ . You can also sign up to the newsletter there to receive the latest updates on the progress of the Spaces for People programme in East Ayrshire.

Thank you to everyone who has visited the site and contributed so far. Since the launch of the East Ayrshire Commonplace website on Thursday 16th July 2020 we have already received a total of 914 visitors to the site .

Comments received

Kilmarnock Town Centre interactive map: We’ve received a total of 34 contributions on this map which includes 16 comments and 18 agreements.

East Ayrshire interactive map: We’ve received a total of 146 contributions on this map which includes 58 comments and 88 agreements. Below is a screen shot of the map with the comments to date. The darker the pins the more ‘critical’ the barrier is that the respondent commented on:

Your feedback will help prioritise the delivery of temporary interventions that will have the greatest benefit to public health, which can be delivered in a short timeframe, and which can accommodate the needs of all road users without creating inequalities.

Please share the project

Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Remember to share the East Ayrshire Commonplace page with your family and friends. The more people involved, the better the needs of the whole community will be reflected.

Residents can now help East Ayrshire Council decide on some temporary measures it can take to protect public health and support physical distancing on our streets.

The Council has received £555,000 following a bid to Spaces for People, a new, temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips and exercise during Covid-19. The Spaces for People programme is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland.

Web pages have been created on the Sustrans Spaces for People website through which residents can leave comments on proposals put forward by the Council, or suggest any locations in which they think improvements could be made in relation to physical distancing for people who are walking, cycling or wheeling. On the website at https://spacesforpeopleeastayrshire.commonplace.is/ residents can learn more about or comment on:

Residents can also leave comments on improvements that can be made in Kilmarnock town centre specifically, and East Ayrshire as a whole, by pinpointing locations on interactive maps.

Priority areas for temporary pavement widening and enhanced waiting areas will be considered at:

Other measures could include:

Kevin Braidwood, Interim Head of Roads for Ayrshire Roads Alliance, said: “We are looking forward to receiving suggestions and comments from our residents about how physical distancing can be made easier and safer for everyone who uses our streets, schools, bus stops and cycle lanes. Although we won’t be able to implement every request or recommendation we receive, we need our residents’ input to identify areas where physical distancing is most difficult. We can then direct the funding to where it is needed most. I would encourage everyone to take part and have their say.”

East and South Ayrshire Councils have been successful in their funding bids to Spaces for People, a new, temporary infrastructure programme in Scotland which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel for essential trips and exercise during Covid-19.

East Ayrshire has received £555,000 and South Ayrshire £510,000.

The Spaces for People programme is funded by the Scottish Government and managed by Sustrans Scotland. It helps public bodies such as councils to put measures in place that focus on protecting public health, supporting physical distancing and preventing a second wave of the outbreak.

Projects will look at key areas which could be improved that are part of essential journeys. Ayrshire Roads Alliance is currently reviewing possible measures which could be put in place and all suggestions put forward by communities will be considered. Priority areas for temporary pavement widening and enhanced waiting areas will be considered at:

Other measures could include:

Web pages are being specifically created for East and South Ayrshire Councils on the Sustrans Spaces for People website which will be ready to view in the next few weeks. Residents will then be able to leave comments on any proposals put forward by the Councils or suggest any locations in which they think improvements could be made in relation to social distancing for people who are walking, cycling or wheeling.

Councillor Jim Roberts, Cabinet Member for Economy and Infrastructure at East Ayrshire Council, said: “We greatly welcome this funding which will allow us to deliver visible improvements with immediate benefits in a short time frame. We look forward to receiving suggestions and comments from local residents once the web pages are up and running soon and we’ll also be consulting our Inclusive Design Advisor to take into consideration the needs of people who have mobility issues.”

Councillor Ian Cochrane, Environment Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council said: “With more of us using active travel during the lockdown for essential trips and exercise, this is the ideal time to develop our infrastructure. Walking and cycling should be given more priority, as we move away from an over-reliance on vehicles. This funding will help encourage people to continue their active travel, long after the lockdown has lifted, which is a boost for mental and physical wellbeing.”