Transport

Many of the problems facing Dales, and Ashbourne division in particular relate to transport.

Cycling

Photo source: https://www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/services-business/business-support-events-funding/pedal-peak-for-business

Derbyshire Dales prides itself on being a holiday destination, and it is one of our most important industries, with an emphasis on family holidays with activities such as cycling. There are some good routes, such as the Tissington trail, but anyone planning a trip of more than a couple of days will quickly run out of options for safe and pleasant routes. Cycling along even the tiniest country lane can be dangerous and stressful due to a minority of aggressive car drivers. We want our visitors to come back again and again, not be scared away, or worse.

The situation for residents wanting to travel between towns and villages is even worse.

Investment is needed to link the good routes that we have into a joined-up network, and keep them maintained. Our transport budget is huge, but most is spent on roads. Diverting a few more percent to cycling infrastructure will make a big difference.

Letting more people cycle in safety will bring health benefits, attract tourism, and remove cars from the roads.

Ashbourne bypass

We in the Dales Greens team have struggled with this issue. On the one hand, our national policy is opposed to the expensive and destructive national road building programme. The likely Western route will disrupt the Bentley Brook valley and cut residents off from the peaceful walk to Okeover. On the other, Ashbourne is being crushed under the weight of HGV traffic.

Given the extremity of the problem that Ashbourne is experiencing, with some reluctance the Dales Green team have decided to support the bypass in principle.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that a bypass has been proposed so it may not proceed this time either, and even if it does it will be years in the building. Whatever happens, Ashbourne urgently needs smaller changes such as enforced speed restrictions, better signage, protected footpaths. The cost of these will be a small fraction of the cost of the bypass.

Ideas like this were presented to the council last year by a non-political town team (RAFT). Some changes, such as footpath-widening, were implemented to enable social distancing in the pandemic. We need these changes to be made permanent, and for the other proposals to be acted on.

Reopening of Matlock to Buxton rail line

There is a proposal to reopen the rail line between Matlock and Buxton.

This would bring quicker rail journeys between Derby and Manchester, stopping services, and most significantly for Ashbourne division, potentially divert quarried roadstone from the A515 route.

This could greatly improve public transport access to several places, and move journeys from road to rail.

However, much of this route is now the very popular Monsal trail. The group backing the project are working up a proposal to replace the trail with several cycle routes. Given the popularity of the trail, these will need to be very good to be a satisfactory replacement.

There are conflicting reports on how much backing this project will be given by the various stakeholders including central government, the quarries and other private investment.

It is also not clear how the trains will be powered. Given that we have not yet electrified our mainline network, it seems unlikely that a small line like this would be, therefore the trains would be noisy and polluting diesel. The backers have mentioned battery or hydrogen-powered trains, but these are speculative technologies and it seems unlikely that they’d be available for use on this route for a decade or more.

For the moment I think some scepticism is called for and I will remain undecided until I see more concrete proposals.

Buses

Bus services in the division are limited. Even for the largest town (Ashbourne) evening and weekend services to Derby are limited. This is far worse for journeys between villages.

For a fraction of the roads budget, subsidies to buses across Derbyshire could be significantly increased. This would take traffic off the roads and allow the remaining roads budget to go further.

Council 2020-21 total (net) transport budget is £96m, of which about £5m is typically used to support bus services.

A38 expansion

The need for the A38 expansion needs to be reconsidered. After a year in which we have all learned to work from home, and our economy has taken a big hit, do we really want to be spending huge sums on environmentally damaging road commuter infrastructure?

20 is plenty

I back the ’20 is plenty’ campaign. I can think of several places near me in Ashbourne, not least the road outside my door, that are simply not safe with current traffic speed and volume. Narrow residential streets become thunderous rat-runs. 20mph speed limits will not only slow traffic, but also encourage some of it to stay on the major roads where it belongs.

These will need to be enforced, particularly outside schools.

As a councillor I would be keen to hear from and support residents wanting 20mph speed limits in their own neighbourhoods.

Electric vehicles

Electric cars reduce pollution and CO2 emissions, but won’t solve everything. The Green Party want to improve public transport and infrastructure for cycling and walking. However, I’m a car owner because in a rural county there are plenty of journeys that can’t currently be done any other way. Neither do I own an electric car because I only have on-road parking, and there is nowhere nearby to charge one.

In 2020, 10% of new vehicles sold nationally were electric, up from practically nothing just a few years ago. They are coming, and again Derbyshire is being left behind. We need charging points.

HS2

Although it doesn’t come near Ashbourne division, HS2 phase 2 passes through parts of the county, including Erewash and North East Derbyshire. Derbyshire County Council has some influence on how the work is carried out, although not the overall project.

Neither I nor the Green Party support HS2 in its current form. I believe we do need additional rail capacity, but it needs to be built to integrate with the current network, rather than as a separate project with limited links. Phase 1 is already well under construction through Warwickshire, where I grew up, and I've seen the enormous earthworks it involves, but there is still time to influence what happens in Derbyshire if Phase 2 happens. If I found myself able to influence proceedings I would be pushing for greater interlinking to existing lines rather than a prioritisation of speed above all else.