The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2010

The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2010 Category: MJ Sustainable Infrastructure Achievement of the Year Award Winner: The Worcester Diglis Riverside Renaissance Creating sustainable means of travel is a vital part of ensuring freedom of movement for future generations as natural resources become scarcer. This has led to the introduction of a number of sustainable travel schemes across the country. Of these projects, few have delivered the breadth of benefits and environmental gains achieved by the partnership between Worcestershire CC and Worcester City Council in the city of Worcester. Through the Worcester Diglis Riverside Renaissance Project the city of Worcester has an enviable sustainable travel infrastructure as well as the services in place to support people who use the public transport, walking and cycling networks in the city. The aim of the project was to create a sustainable travel town, which meant not only implementing appropriate infrastructure, services, facilities and functions but also encouraging residents to change their behaviour and embrace these more sustainable and healthier modes of transport. This is designed to help future-proof travel in the city and improve quality of life as well. The project itself has involved significant redevelopment of both banks of the river from Worcester Bridge to the Diglis Docks, creating a thoroughfare right through the heart of the city, taking in a particularly attractive area of riverside that had been identified for its potential to attract tourism. The ‘jewel in the crown' of the scheme was the construction of the magnificent Diglis Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge which was made possible thanks to Big Lottery Funding for the Sustrans 2 project. The project was one of four competing for a one off £50 million award from Living Landmarks: People's Millions, in which members of the public voted for their preferred project. Sustrans 2 was announced as the winning project in December 2007 and put £850k into the bridge alongside £1.5 million from Worcestershire CC. The bridge provides a dedicated walking and cycling connection between the north and south banks of the river in the south of the city. In order to achieve the outcomes set out in the plan, the project was implemented in four stages. Firstly, the project looked at people's behaviour and their attitudes to transport around the city to ensure that the infrastructure would be used. The focus was in making sure residents were aware of the changes planned, informing them of the sustainable travel options available to them at the time, as well as highlighting how they could make use of these options, reducing their carbon emissions, and utilising them to travel in a healthier way. This included cycle repair sessions and training and a residential bike hire scheme. The project delivered positive results and allowed the implementation of the next stage, renovation. With the people of Worcester embracing the idea of sustainable travel, the next step was to provide them with excellent facilities and infrastructure and also to revitalise the riverside setting of the city. Over two kilometres of the West Bank of the River Severn from the city centre to Weir Lane was regenerated and improved through improvements to surfaces, seating and lighting along with information boards identifying the natural and social history of the route. Once the infrastructure within the city was flourishing, attention turned to connecting Worcester to the wider county. This involved delivering a series of new walking and cycling links to the bridge, riverside and connecting key locations such as Malvern and the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, the walking and cycling links included innovative signage, improved drainage, widened paths, new toucan crossings as well as enhanced surfacing and lighting. The final stage of the project saw the construction of the fantastic, cable-stayed Diglis Walking and Cycling Bridge. This landmark gateway into the city was created using sustainable materials and methods, its elegant structure designed to integrate with and enhance its surroundings. It is a truly spectacular sight, delicately laced against the Worcester skyline. vThe hard work and investment undertaken by the county and city councils has truly paid off for Worcester as these results demonstrate: Car use has decreased across the City of Worcester by 12% 19% increase in walking The projects to date have delivered a 31% increase in cycling In addition, improvements to the local bus network have delivered a 13% increase in passenger transport usage In terms of enhancing sustainability, this has meant that almost 20 million car kilometres were saved. The Worcester Diglis Riverside Renaissance has been, and continues to be, an overwhelming success in the implementation of methods, attitudes and infrastructure that encourages and fully supports an ongoing sustainable county. n

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The MJ Local Government Achievement Awards 2010

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