The St Ives Low Carbon Transport Strategy is being funded and delivered as part of the St Ives Town Deal programme to help reduce the impact of vehicles on St Ives and introduce measures that encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport.
The project has been allocated £5.5 million of Town Deal funding to create a Low Transport Environment (LTE) within the town centre by reducing traffic, enhancing safety, increasing accessibility, improving environmental health and delivering community and economic benefits. This funding needs to be spent by March 2026. Longer term measures will need to be funded from other sources.
Although this is a Town Deal project, led by Cornwall Council Transport Strategy Team, the Town Council are supporting the proposals and their ambition as a key stakeholder. In addition, the Town Council Mayor, Councillor Wells, chairs the Transport Working Group which reflects the views of community, business and transport groups.
You can view a short film about the project HERE
The initial draft Strategy contained several proposals aimed at reducing traffic congestion and parking demand in the town centre, enhancing public transport options and accessibility, improving air quality and health outcomes for residents and visitors and supporting local businesses by creating a more attractive and vibrant town.
Work on implementing the Low Traffic Environment is due to take place in 2025. Regulations restricting access for people without legitimate reasons from driving into the town centre during peak periods in the summer remain a key element of the scheme. However, the decision by the Town Deal Board to remove the use of physical restrictions means that the project team and the working group are developing other ways to change behaviour and persuade people not to drive through town.
As well as the use of clear and visible signage at key points, additional measures, including widening footways, enhancing crossings points, providing additional seating, and managing obstructive parking, will be used to make the town centre safer and more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists. There will also be improvements to public transport and other traffic management changes around the town. Access to those who need to enter will be maintained throughout.
Permanent traffic cameras are being installed throughout the town to provide information and robust live data on the levels and types of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists entering the town centre. This information will be used to help the project team monitor the effectiveness and benefits of all the changes resulting from the implementation of the strategy. The data will also be used to identify where additional measures might be required in the future to help support or improve the LTE and wider traffic management.
Work on elements of the project in the first phase are due to begin this Autumn (2024).
Measures being implemented in this first phase are likely to include improvements to the junctions at Malakoff, Zennor, Halsetown, and the Station car park. These focus on enhancing bus and train user experience, improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and achieving greater speed compliance.
Following concerns about the re-direction of more holiday and day visitor traffic into St Ives along the old coach road as a result of the wider signage being implemented, further work will be carried out to assess what measures can be introduced to mitigate the effect. These are likely to include speed reduction signs and other measures to improve overall safety and aim to compliment Cornwall Council’s ‘20’s plenty’ roll out.
Changes to the Terrace and Stennack junctions and adaptions to car parks in the town are due to begin in February 2025. Prior to any changes to key car parks, such as Barnoon and the Island, discussions will be held with existing permit users and the wider local community.
The remaining schemes include improvements to the junction at Higher Stennack (also due to take place in Autumn 2025) and changes to the Tempest roundabout and Park Avenue and Albert Road, due to be carried out in early 2026.
One of the key findings from the public consultation was the need for improvements to public transport, with calls for more reliable and frequent bus services, particularly at evening and weekends, improved signage at the bus and train stations and provide better and safer waiting areas at bus stops and improved information through the use of digital information boards.
The project team are working with bus and rail operators to identify improvements to public transport which can be delivered as part of the Town Deal project.
Find out more
Future updates will be shared by the project team at the following link https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/st-ives-town-deal-low-carbon-transport
