Words and pictures: Paul Holdsworth, Living Streets.
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Living Streets (formerly The Pedestrians Association) promotes the development of streets and public spaces that people on foot can use and enjoy. Formed in 1929, its aims are to:
Community Street Audits were developed by Living Streets to improve local conditions for people on foot, by assessing the existing walking environment. Living Streets has undertaken audits for a wide range of clients including local authorities, Government agencies and developers.
Living Streets is an initiative of The Pedestrians Association, registered charity No. 206006
This report, commissioned from Living Streets by the Clitheroe The Future and Ribble Valley Borough Council, looks at the quality of the street environment in central Clitheroe, from the perspective of people on foot. The audit, conducted in November 2003, identifies where problems and opportunities exist and recommends works for improvement or remediation.
The auditing process, and this report, is not intended to balance the needs of pedestrians with the needs of traffic. Rather, the aim is to provide an assessment of what makes for good and bad walking conditions in Clitheroe, as a counterbalance to the inevitable focus on traffic issues in other consultation and assessment exercises.
The audit area was refined in discussion with the Partnership. Routes were identified by Living Streets and then walked with local people, during the daytime and in the evening, identifying good and bad points along the way.
There were very many positive findings. Clitheroe is an important local centre of commercial, social and residential activity. It offers a wide range of convenient facilities that encourage walking, and is well served by public transport. Clitheroe residents are loyal to their town, and are determined to have a say in its future development. Clitheroe town centre is an important local shopping area, with a good range of local independent retailers and national chains, and a concentrated mixture of uses well suited to high levels of pedestrian usage. Housing densities in the residential areas nearby are high, ensuring a substantial customer base within easy walking distance. However, much retail trade comes from outlying villages. A particular challenge for Clitheroe is to balance the access needs of these more remote customers, without compromising the quality of the pedestrian environment in the town centre. In recent years, considerable effort has gone into improving walking conditions and enhancing public space in Clitheroe. However, problems do exist. Major problems for pedestrians are:
Recommendations in this report have not been prioritised. It is for Clitheroe and its residents and businesses to decide what is right for Clitheroe. Some recommendations may be considered unachievable for financial, political or technical reasons. However, certain issues surfaced which, in the authors opinion, need careful consideration, and might have the most positive impact on walking in Clitheroe. These have been presented as challenging Projects. Despite the very considerable problems entailed in undertaking these projects, it is important to recognise that, should they not be implemented, there is much else that can be done to significantly enhance walking conditions in Clitheroe. Other issues, of less obvious concern to local people, lend themselves particularly well to a task-based approach to problem solving. These have been highlighted in the section of this report entitled Recommendations. Readers are encouraged to consider the range of suggestions contained within the Main Findings section - these are worthy of implementation in their own right, and may also form the basis for other projects.
The Introduction contains background information on why walking matters, and the policy context.
General Observations gives a short overview of the audit area, its pedestrian problems and challenges.
The Main Findings section gives a detailed analysis of the street environment, from the perspective of people on foot.
Two Projects present challenging ideas for project-based improvements to the audit area.
Recommendations presents task-based suggestions for improvement.
The Government wants to make walking easier, more pleasant and safer. In the DETR document Encouraging Walking: advice to local authorities, four main reasons for this are cited:
Specific qualities have been identified as conducive to increased levels of walking. To encourage walking, the pedestrian environment should be:
"The Five C's" - especially 'convivial' indicate that walking is about stopping, as well as moving. In addition to transport, walking is about:
Essentially, walking is about places as well as routes.
Above all, pedestrians need:
The growth in the attention given to the walking environment reflects the shift in the climate of opinion on transport and in particular the car/pedestrian balance. Encouraging walking is seen as a way to reduce the number of trips made by car, thus reducing congestion and improving the health of the individual. More pedestrian movement increases the vitality of an area and contributes to its social and economic regeneration. The 1998 Transport White Paper, 'A New Deal for Transport: better for everyone' represented a change in national transport policy to include an emphasis on improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. Among other measures, local authorities would be expected to give more priority to walking by:
The Prime Minister, in his speech on Liveability in April 2001, identified the quality of streets as vital to stronger local communities and an improved local quality of life: "..the one public service we all use all the time is the streets where we live. And in too many places, streets and public spaces have become dirty, ugly and dangerous. Britain needs to feel proud of its public spaces, not ashamed. We need local parks which are well looked-after and easily reached with a pushchair. We need streets to be free of litter, dog mess and mindless vandalism." In November 2001, in response to the Transport Select Committees report on Walking in Towns and Cities, the Government agreed that action is needed to increase walking in our urban areas; that local transport plans should adopt a formal order in which the needs of pedestrians are placed first; that more pedestrian-friendly crossings should be provided and environments where guardrails are not needed should be created; and that walking should increase as: "..people choose to walk more often, both as a means of transport and as something that is enjoyable in its own right."
Improving conditions for pedestrians is integral to many council policies. From Lancashire's Local Travel Plan:
"For the disabled person, going places can be difficult.
The Environment Directorate understands this and, through its Mobility Officer, problems are being overcome with:
Drop-kerbs for pram and wheelchair users,
Uncluttered and obstacle-free pavements,
Tactile Paving at pelican and zebra crossings,
'Touch-and-Walk' systems for safe crossings,
Protection of pedestrians at all road-workings In fact we aim to give blind, elderly and disabled people much greater independence in moving around."
"The Clitheroe Bus and Rail Interchange opened during March 2000 and has created a central point for the majority of bus and rail services in the Ribble Valley. Other schemes in Ribble Valley are being considered, including an upgrade of the bus station at Whalley and the creation of an interchange at Longridge. Schemes will include new or improved facilities at key interchanges for cyclists and improved walking routes."
From Lancashire's Local Travel Plan progress report 2003:
"To deliver the LTP objective of promoting accessibility to everyday facilities, especially for those without a car, schemes have been carried out to make the highway network more accessible to pedestrians and people with a mobility handicap.
"All Pelican crossings within the County have been brought up to Mobility Standard for visually impaired people. Seven new pedestrian crossings have been installed in Accrington as part of a comprehensive network of dropped crossing facilities. In Preston, a number of pedestrian footways have been built to link Penwortham with Preston Docklands via the Ribble Bridge. This link was previously used informally by pedestrians and the footways have been constructed to meet demand and to provide a safer walking environment. From a list of 50 schemes put forward by the public and District and Parish Councils, a programme of 15 pedestrian priority schemes has been prepared for design and implementation beginning in 2002/03. Currently 6 schemes have been completed, 2 are under construction and 7 are at design stage."
"DfT Secure Travel Project" Manchester to Clitheroe Line Stations on the Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe line are being improved to ensure passengers feel secure throughout the whole of their journey.
This Audit is intended to provide an analysis of the local walking environment, from the perspective of people on foot. The audit identifies problems and suggests possible improvements. We hope the report will provide a positive input to future plans for Clitheroe.
Railway Station and Interchange, King Street, Market, Lowergate and Lowergate Car Park, Moor Lane and Castle Street.
Balancing the needs of people and traffic
For decades the dual roles performed by the streets of Clitheroe in accommodating vehicular traffic and people on foot have been maintained in an uneasy balance.
Through recent decades there has been a presumption that, although people in cars are not always more numerous, they are somehow more 'important'. As the Select Committee report on urban walking, 'Walking in Towns and Cities' says:
"In contrast to the changes made to every town and city to ease motor transport, walking has been made ever more unpleasant. Pedestrians have been treated with contempt. In a myriad of ways when we walk we are treated with less respect than when we drive. Engineers and economists have even considered our time less valuable when they assess new projects."
Walking in Towns and Cities, Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs Select Committee, May 2001
More recently, there has been a shift away from accommodating car use to managing it, coupled with a determination to actively encourage walking in recognition of the key role walking has in building strong, safe, inclusive communities. Although Clitheroe has some very good provision for pedestrians, the requirements of free-flowing traffic continue to inconvenience and endanger pedestrians.
As a result, there are many opportunities to improve the balance of provision for different transport modes in Clitheroe. But the challenge of implementing desired changes should not be underestimated. Many of the problems pedestrians face in Clitheroe are a result of the uncompromising provision for motor traffic, and many enhancements will of necessity reduce traffic speeds and perhaps the traffic capacities of key junctions.
If some of these challenges prove too great at present, then Clitheroe should not miss out on some of the less dramatic changes which can start the process of tilting the balance of provision back towards this most vital and inclusive transport mode.
Even today, the relative 'invisibility' of pedestrian movement, compared with the high profile of the private car, which utilises large amounts of space, whether moving or sitting idle, can result in a misperception of the relative economic and social importance of different transport modes. Measurement of pedestrian and vehicle flows in the audit area, both in terms of numbers and of their local economic and social impact, are invaluable in providing a robust, objective response to any presumption in favour of motor traffic.
Statistics on pedestrian flows and the economic impact of shoppers arriving by different modes would help ensure traders can make informed judgements about the economic benefit to them of reallocating public space away from traffic towards people on foot. The recent Shoppers' Survey by Clitheroe the Future is a good starting point. This showed that the bulk of people travel to Clitheroe by car, and that improvements to local car parks are needed. But people arriving by car are also pedestrians while they do their shopping in Clitheroe - and improving local car parks (for example, signage around car parks) should not be seen as incompatible with many of the suggestions detailed in this report.
Clitheroe needs to decide on its future direction - those places that have been most successful in encouraging walking have done so incrementally over many years, but have always started with a clear vision of where they want to be in the medium to long term - perhaps ten or twenty years time.
Will Clitheroe continue to treat its public places as primarily traffic spaces, or should people on foot be better provided for? A booming economy and a vibrant and safe town centre depends on more visitors - can an even more vehicle-friendly layout and yet more parking deliver more people into Clitheroe, or are the roads and car parks already at capacity at times of greatest demand?
'Outside people say you can't park in Clitheroe.' - Local auditorCould a more people-friendly town deliver greater economic and social vitality? More pedestrians and fewer cars could mean more space for everyone - including for those motorists who cannot change to more sustainable transport modes.
Could a more people-friendly town deliver greater economic and social vitality? More pedestrians and fewer cars could mean more space for everyone - including for those motorists who cannot change to more sustainable transport modes.
Inevitably the process of changing the physical structure of public space can never keep pace with the changes in community priorities. Demands for improvement to the streetscape will continue, while local people will continue to be dissatisfied with the pace and extent of that change.
This is not the result of unrealistic local aspirations, or a lack of action by the relevant local authorities. It reflects the constantly changing demands placed on public space, and the need for projects, like this one, that raise the profile of walking and make a case for increased spending on this vital component of all our lives.
Thanks must go to all those local people who gave generously of their time to make the Clitheroe Community Street Audit such a success. Especial thanks must go to those local retailers who attended the audits, but also to those retailers who provided the facilities for auditors to rest, talk, warm-up and refresh themselves before and after each audit.
Analysis of findings
The findings of our audits have been assessed to form the basis of an analysis of the audit area under eight headings, as follows:
A) Road layout and space allocation
The share of space allocated to different users and the relationship of different elements of the streetscape to each other.
B) Crossing points and desire lines
Both formal (Zebras, Pelicans, Puffins) and informal (no specific provision), including consideration of desire lines, i.e. the routes people most want to take.
C) Facilities and signage
D) Footway surfaces and obstructions
E) Maintenance and enforcement issues
F) Personal security
G) Aesthetics
H) Traffic
Road layout and space allocation in the audit area reflects the historical trend to maximise the priority and space given to vehicles, as private car ownership and usage has increased, followed by more recent moves to reallocate space back towards people on foot.
The Marketplace is an excellent example of how the allocation of space affects the relationship between people and traffic. Along Castle Street and Castle Gate, as well as at the Marketplace, buildouts have had a significant impact on the ease of pedestrian movement, and created spaces where people can stop, sit and enjoy the centre of Clitheroe.
Yet where historic streets are narrow, pedestrians still seem to get squeezed a lot more than the traffic. Elsewhere, space for pedestrians is so inadequate that users of trolleys, buggies, and wheelchairs are severely hindered.
However, many opportunities exist to allocate more space to pedestrians, without unduly inconveniencing travellers using other modes.
Junction layouts along the audit route compromise pedestrian movement. These junctions will be assessed in the section entitled 'Crossing points and desire lines.'
How has the public realm - the space between buildings - been allocated to different uses?
Moor Lane has changed from two-way traffic to one-way operation. This has released considerable amounts of highway space, creating a real opportunity to improve conditions for pedestrians, and to enhance the quality of the shopping experience here.
"Moor Lane gets a bit forgotten but that's wrong because it has the most interesting shops." - Local auditorThe tendency to 'forget' Moor Lane as an important shopping street stems, in part, from the change in road layout. Castle Street, when viewed from Castle Gate, is clearly designed with the needs of pedestrians in mind - buildouts and pedestrian crossings indicate to visitors on foot that they are welcomed on Castle Street.
By contrast, the view from the same spot towards Moor Lane gives a different message - the carriageway is much wider than necessary; footways are much narrower than on Castle Street; traffic speeds are relatively high (with the associated noise and aggression from vehicles accelerating uphill); no crossing points are installed; and parked cars block views of the shops. As a result, visitors get the impression that Moor Lane is not somewhere the Town expects them to go.
This waste of public space on Moor Lane results in problems for motorists, as well as for pedestrians. Although parking is not permitted on the west side of Moor Lane, the extra width tempts some drivers to park illegally, often partly on the footway. This behaviour causes real problems for law-abiding motorists, who can find their way obstructed.
Reallocating space to pedestrians, especially south of Strawberries and Cream, where the footway narrows dramatically, would encourage pedestrians to linger, to window-shop and to spend.
It would also ensure that parking control is more self-enforcing; motorists would be discouraged from stopping illegally, as this would completely block all other traffic. Understandably, retailers on Moor Lane are keen to ensure loading arrangements, as well as short-term parking to facilitate collection of purchases, are properly considered.
Living Streets Recommendation - Review and reorganise parking arrangements on Moor Lane. Ensure adequate space is allocated to loading bays, and pick-up points are available for shoppers collecting purchases. Reduce carriageway width to the minimum necessary for bus and lorry movements. Widen footways where possible. Footway widening would be particularly valuable:
Space allocation by the Emporium is dominated by provision for motorists. As the section on Crossing Points and Desire Lines will make clear, this junction needs to be changed to permit safe and convenient pedestrian crossing, but space might also be reallocated to improve the atmosphere of this part of Clitheroe.
With more footway width in front of the Emporium, the traffic would be less dominant, and views of the building itself and the surrounding countryside would be more accessible.
At present the Emporium feels out-of-place, isolated, awash with traffic.
Living Streets Recommendation - Ensure that any changes to the junction of Moor Lane with Lowergate and Woone Lane release space for pedestrians as far as possible. Favour utilisation of some of this space for seating outside the Emporium.
The road layout on Moor Lane looks unconsidered. This has resulted in the unbalanced sharing of space just mentioned. It has also resulted in space being wasted. The bay outside the United Reformed Church is marked 'Keep Clear', with double yellow lines - it has no formal purpose at all.
Living Streets Recommendation - Widen footway at this point, connecting with wider footway to the north to create a space in which pedestrians can stop and rest. It is understood that, some time ago, local residents were unhappy about the possible installation of seating near here. The Church might accept public seating outside its premises, especially if this is installed as part of a network of new seating throughout the town centre.
Road layout and space allocation on Castle Street is much better for pedestrians than on Moor Lane. The positive impact of wider footways can be experienced at 'Come In Handy', where the shopfront display adds colour and interest to the streetscene, while the wider footway stills permits free pedestrian access. Similar activity that enhances the streetscene can be seen at Banana News, where plants and, at Christmas, trees are displayed on the street without obstructing the footway. These activities should be encouraged, both to support the economic vitality of local independent trading, and for their positive impact on the walking experience.
But even on Castle Street there is scope to further improve conditions to enhance the pedestrian and shopping experience. The buildout outside Abbey National and the footway widening for the pedestrian crossing by the Rose and Crown have created a bay between them, outside Cowmans Sausage Shop. Footway width could be doubled by removing this bay, without losing a single (legal) parking space.
Living Streets Recommendation - Review parking and loading arrangements on Castle Street. Explore scope to further widen footways, e.g. outside Cowmans Famous Sausage Shop.
Like Moor Lane, the King Street carriageway is wider than it need be. Although traffic is two-way and footway widths are better than on Moor Lane, the over-generous carriageway width results in unregulated illegal parking. This creates chaos for law-abiding motorists trying to get through, as well as holding up bus passengers, and overwhelming pedestrians in a vehicle-dominated environment.
Living Streets Recommendation - Widen footways on King Street where possible. Ensure adequate provision of short-term parking and loading bays is maintained. Favour increased footway width alongside the blank sidewall of Barclays Bank, where more space would permit the installation of seating for bus passengers and those who have just climbed up King Street towards Castle Street.
The impact of reallocating more space to pedestrians can be seen at its most effective in Clitheroe outside the White Lion at the Marketplace.
At many times during the day and into early evening, this key location in the town centre is thronged with people standing and sitting, talking and looking. Numbers of people on foot here dwarf the numbers in vehicles. The allocation of more space to pedestrian uses is hugely successful here because it is where the action is and interesting and varied activity comes to you as you wait here. The multitude of trip generators nearby and the library, council offices, shops and pubs, bus stops and the Tourist Information office, all ensure that the Marketplace is an interesting place to linger.
The success of this space is assured - nobody would suggest allocating space back towards the traffic. Yet it can be very difficult to picture this sort of successful space reallocation in places where it has not yet happened.
Living Streets Recommendation - Identify possible locations for a network of stopping places for pedestrians along Clitheroe's central spinal pedestrian route from the Railway Station to the Emporium - King Street, Castle Street and Moor Lane. Try to replicate, on a smaller scale perhaps, the success of the Marketplace. Possible locations are:
The emphasis on junctions in this list is not accidental. Clitheroe's street plan developed well before the advent of the motorcar and it is primarily a pedestrian network. When pedestrian routes met at junctions, people expected to stop, to rest and talk, get their bearings, spend money, and so on. They still do. And Clitheroe will work better if people can stop where they want to.
The next section looks at junctions in more detail, and especially how they can connect - or obstruct - pedestrian routes.
A major challenge in improving conditions for people on foot in Clitheroe is the poor connectivity of pedestrian routes caused by inadequate crossing arrangements. The emphasis on vehicle movement over the needs of people on foot has resulted in disconnected pedestrian routes:
"I have to cross here six times a day - and I hate it."Looking at the spinal route up King Street from the Interchange to Castle Street, Castle Gate and Moor Lane: what is it like to cross the roads?
"This roundabout is total havoc." .. Local auditors
This junction, which has no provision whatever for pedestrians, acts as a major barrier for people arriving at Clitheroe's award-winning Interchange. Auditors watched as people of all ages risked their safety as they crossed at this key junction.
Unless decent provision is made for pedestrians to cross the road at this junction, many visitors arriving in Clitheroe by public transport will feel shunned, rather than welcomed.
Living Streets Recommendation - Investigate options to install quick and convenient crossing facilities on every arm of this roundabout. These should be positioned as close to the junction itself as possible. The bus stop and taxi rank is generously proportioned - it should be possible to release space by reducing the separation between this large bay and the carriageway. Freed space could be incorporated into buildouts to improve crossings, and more space by Maxwell's would increase the attractiveness of this popular cafe and of the junction it addresses.
This is a sprawling junction, with great potential for transformation into a people place, not a traffic space.
The desire line (the route people on foot want to follow) along the north side of King Street includes a long stretch on the carriageway, as people cross the end of Railway View Avenue. In either direction, it is difficult to check for oncoming traffic before walking several metres onto the carriageway - and into potential danger. There is no facility for crossing King Street at this point, in spite of the strong desire line towards the Market.
Living Streets Recommendation - Calculate maximum space required for traffic movement at this junction. Reallocate the remainder for pedestrian uses. This will release a substantial amount of space, with little or no impact on parking or traffic movement. Freed space should be utilised to improve crossings, ideally creating a step-free environment across the whole junction. Public seating, an information board and planting might be incorporated.
Judged by many auditors to be the worst junction they audited. Crossing here has been actively discouraged, despite the pivotal location for pedestrian journeys.
The use of guardrail here to - shepherd - pedestrians to a crossing facility in the wrong place does not work. Pedestrians are not sheep. Auditors watched as pedestrians walked the wrong side of the guardrail to get where they wanted to go.
Apart from the poorly positioned Zebra crossing and the ugly and unnecessary guardrail, this junction offers pedestrians even less help in crossing at a busy and complicated junction, whatever their needs. Dropped kerbs are positioned back from the junction, so wheelchair users, parents with baby buggies, delivery drivers with sack trucks and older people with shopping trolleys cannot see traffic coming before venturing onto the carriageway.
If better crossing facilities are installed, there is no reason why the guardrailing here should not be removed:
"There seems to be no available statistical evidence about crashes to support the general use of these railings. In some instances they increase the likelihood of injury. The evidence which we received indicated that danger reduction is probably a more effective way of reducing pedestrian casualties."
'Walking in Towns and Cities', Transport Select Committee Report, May 2001
(A good example of the positive impact of guardrail removal is on Kensington High Street, in central London, where, contrary to initial concerns, traffic engineers now believe pedestrian safety has improved on the High Street. People are delighted with the clean, uncluttered look.)
Living Streets Recommendation - Review traffic and pedestrian movements through this junction. Redesign it with a view to providing convenient, safe and inclusive crossing facilities for all users on every arm of the junction. Installation of a junction table would help to prioritise pedestrians over vehicles.
This feels like the very centre of Clitheroe. As a visitor, one is drawn first to Castle Street, on the ancient ridge-top route connecting the Castle and the Church, then on towards the Castle itself. This junction is where castle and town come together.
Despite this importance, crossing the road here is very unpleasant. There is no provision for pedestrians to cross, apart from the poorly installed dropped kerbs at the top of Parson Lane (they are not flush). On Castle Street, crossing is made extra difficult by the positioning of a wide rumble strip right on the pedestrian desire line. On Castle Gate, a single dropped kerb outside the Castle Cobbler invites wheelchair users onto the carriageway - and then abandons them there.
Traffic approaches at speed up Moor Lane, often giving pedestrians no indication of whether it is proceeding over the hill onto Parson Lane, or along Castle Street. A regular succession of illegal parkers stop by the HSBC cashpoint, obstructing sightlines and making crossing even more hazardous.
Footways on Parson Lane could be widened, instead of wasting space with hatching on the carriageway. Guardrailing obstructs the footway outside Abbey National, where a change of level should be resolved more imaginatively:
"If I'd created anything as bad as this in my work, I'd have been shot." .. Local auditorThe existing buildouts have certainly improved the pedestrian feel of this location, but this should be taken further, and incorporate decent crossing facilities.
Living Streets Recommendation - Redesign this junction to create safe, step-free crossing for pedestrians in every direction. More space should be allocated to non-traffic uses. This central location should become a major stopping point for people on foot, rivalling the Marketplace:
This junction offers little provision for crossing. Nearly all available space has been arranged to ease vehicle movement, and pedestrians feel excluded and unwelcome.
If Moor Lane is to fulfil its potential as an important element in Clitheroe's local shopping experience, this is where conditions should change. Treatment of this junction should give a clear signal that motorists using Moor Lane are entering a place where pedestrians are important and drivers are expected to proceed with caution. This is often called a gateway treatment. No physical gate is needed - a change of surface, a traffic calming ramp or rumble strip, a crossing that gives pedestrians clear priority, some seats and new planting can together create the necessary change of atmosphere.
Ideally the junction should become two separate junctions: Moor Lane with Lowergate, and Moor Lane with Woone Lane.
Living Streets Recommendation - Split this junction in two, and create a change in emphasis from traffic to people between the two. This places the gateway directly outside the Emporium, where the existing crossing point needs considerable improvement. By removing the central refuge and the filter lane into the cul de sac north of the Emporium, a lot of space could be released. This should incorporate a high-profile crossing, with potential for extra seating outside the Emporium. This could be a mixture of public seating (perhaps facing the Emporium from the far side of Moor Lane) and cafe seating. Improve crossing provision on all arms of both junctions, especially across the end of Lowergate, which feels particularly hazardous.
The happy balance between people and vehicles in the Marketplace makes it a fairly easy place to cross informally. The stepless crossing point in the centre is ambiguous - and it seems to work well for most people. Although the rumble strip is on the desire line, the installation is fairly smooth, so it is not too uncomfortable or hazardous (moving the rumble strip to the shoulders of the crossing point is an obvious potential improvement).
The Zebra across York Street is set back from the desire line, but there is no guardrail. The dropped kerbs on Church Street are not flush. There is no crossing for Wellgate.
Living Streets Recommendation - Refine an already successful space with care. Crossing improvements on Wellgate, Church Street and York Street would help join up existing spaces, giving the place an even more people-friendly feel.
Several studies have concluded that the quality of the pedestrian shopping environment has a greater economic impact on retail spend than the ability to drive past or park near shops.
It has also been shown that pedestrians and public transport users provide more spending power than car users.
While it would be foolhardy to ignore the major economic impact of car-borne shoppers in Clitheroe, it is easy to forget that everyone becomes a pedestrian when they shop, and good conditions for pedestrians are good for all shoppers, including those who arrive by car.
Shoppers like to be able to move safely and seamlessly as they go, moving from one shop to the next, crossing to the other side of the road when a shopfront display - or a friend or neighbour - beckons.
This behaviour is possible on Castle Street, where formal crossing provision is fairly good, and the narrowed carriageway and slower traffic makes informal crossing easier.
Environ, 1992, 'A Study of the Economic Impact of Pedestrianisation and its Relevance to Leicester'; Erdman Lewis, 1994, 'The pedestrianisation myth'; CABE and DETR, 2001, 'The Value of Urban Design'.
TEST, 1988, 'Quality Streets - How Traditional Urban Centres benefit from Traffic-calming'; Colin Buchanan and Partners, 2002, 'Kensington High Street Study'.
On King Street and Moor Lane, the combination of wider carriageway, nose-to-tail parking and the absence of decent pedestrian crossings makes life much more difficult.
If the junctions along this spinal shopping route are improved, crossing will become easier. But improving side road crossing and crossovers would further ease pedestrian movement, and crossings at intervals along both streets would help even more (although this would require the loss of one or two parking spaces).
Living Streets Recommendation - Initiate a programme of footway improvement, working towards the creation of a step-free pedestrian route along both sides of King Street, Castle Street and Moor Lane. Formal and informal crossing should be encouraged, and vehicle speeds minimised (auditors felt that engineering for a maximum speed of 15mph would be a sensible compromise). Consider creating a totally step-free environment throughout this route, defining the kerbline with a change of materials only (and bollards if necessary). The work of members of the English Historic Towns Forum might be particularly relevant to Clitheroe.
Provision of facilities for pedestrians - lighting, toilets, benches, bins and planting - in the audit area is uneven.
When these facilities are brought together in a considered and effective way, they can help create a strong sense of place that actively encourages us to walk, but also to linger, to stroll, to talk and play.
The Marketplace works extremely well. The seating is very popular, and when conditions are good, the whole space buzzes with activity. It could be further enhanced, primarily by improving connections across Wellgate, York Street and Church Street. A change to a stepless environment, using different surface materials to define the footway, would tip the balance further in favour of people on foot.
But Clitheroe has other spaces that should work more like the Marketplace, and reallocation of space towards pedestrian uses would present a great opportunity to increase the range and quality of facilities and signage throughout the town centre.
Those spaces (as noted already in the section on Road Layout & Space Allocation) include:
Street lighting design tends to be compromised by the need to provide for the very different needs of pedestrians and vehicles. Lighting is a key issue for pedestrian security - improved lighting can be more effective than CCTV, and in itself makes CCTV more effective.
Ideally pedestrians need illumination that assists facial recognition, to maximise the sense of personal security. Another useful source of diffused lighting at the appropriate level for people on foot comes from shop windows.
The best lighting in Clitheroe town centre is on Castle Street. The good quality street lighting (wall-mounted to minimise clutter) is boosted by many retailers who keep their window displays lit through the evening. This should be encouraged and extended.
The lighting on Moor Lane, by the United Reformed Church, is very poor. And lighting in and around the Market is very uneven - some places are very brightly lit (the entrance off Station Road) while others are very dark indeed (parts of New Market Street).
Living Streets Recommendation - Develop a lighting strategy for the Market and its immediate surroundings. This should be implemented when maintenance schedules permit an upgrade. Improve lighting on Castle Gate.
While pubs and cafés offer some sort of toilet provision, their use is not open to all, and often requires a purchase to be made. It is also dependent on the premises being open. Many people need easily accessible toilet facilities, and will be discouraged or prevented from venturing out unless access to toilets (in good condition) is assured.
The loss of public toilets is a national issue. Despite the introduction of some modern facilities to replace dilapidated and costly traditional toilet blocks, widespread provision of public toilets on the Victorian model is still a long way off.
Public toilets are currently provided in a number of locations along the audit routes, and auditors did not feel that there is a shortage in Clitheroe.
Living Streets Recommendation - Review toilet provision throughout Clitheroe town centre, and provide clean modern facilities at extra points if needed. Consider upgrading existing facilities if necessary. The traditional toilets opposite the Emporium could be refitted as part of a gateway treatment here.
The provision of public seating is an important consideration for a significant proportion of pedestrians. Without regular opportunities to stop and take a breather, many people cannot make anything but the very shortest trips on foot. Latest guidance on inclusive mobility from the Department for Transport recommends public seating should be available at 50 metre intervals along key pedestrian routes like Clitheroe's walking route from the Interchange to the Castle.
Seating should be positioned as close to pedestrian routes as possible, without blocking them. Approach from behind should not be possible, and views should incorporate plenty of human activity. Seating should be warm to the touch (wooden, not stone or metal) and incorporate backrests and armrests. The provision of chairs as well as benches can permit the provision of seating in small spaces, and increase the variety and attraction of sitting places.
Clitheroe already has some popular and well-used seating in the Marketplace. Maxwell's Cafe seating is very popular, suggesting there is scope for more café seating in Clitheroe, if space can be made available. The seats by the Castle gates are set well back from the desire line, and users can feel trapped by the surrounding wall:
"It's a bit like a prison." .. Local auditorMore seats should be installed at improved junctions and the top and bottom of all hills.
Living Streets Recommendation - Identify possible locations for more seating to create a network of seats, ideally at intervals of around 50 metres, along King Street, Castle Street and Moor Lane. Ensure seating is appropriate for older or less able users. Add seating at the Castle gates, just below the existing seating bay.
For the most part, litter did not appear to be a significant problem on any of the audits, suggesting that litterbin provision is adequate.
Clitheroe's tight street pattern means space for plants is at a premium. As a result, planters, flowerbeds, shopfront plant displays and the occasional front garden have a big impact, and most of this is maintained to a very high standard.
The Castle Grounds have a very strong and positive impact on the greenness of central Clitheroe.
It appears a solitary tree has been lost from the Marketplace.
Living Streets Recommendation - Include planting where appropriate in any junction improvements. Consider replacing the tree in the Marketplace.
As is the case throughout the country, pedestrian signage in Clitheroe is irregular and installation has been piecemeal.
While motorists are provided with a carefully designed and integrated network of signage across the whole country, pedestrians are expected to navigate using a huge variety of signage - it is rare to see a uniform network of signage in a single street, much less in a whole area. As a result, pedestrians must either read every single sign to discover whether it is relevant, or ignore them all.
In Lowergate car park, the three direct, if steep, routes to Castle Street are almost impossible to spot, and signage is either inadequate or non-existent.
Ideally, navigation for people on foot should be intuitive, with signage of secondary importance. Most of us navigate instinctively, following broader routes towards centres of activity. In Clitheroe, pedestrians are drawn up King Street from the Interchange by the width and evident importance of the street, indicated by the architecture and building uses. Improving navigation here further would be much more effectively achieved by improving crossings that encourage people across the junction, than by installing more signage.
Information boards are few in number and content is disappointing. There is no town plan on the information board for arrivals by train, and the tiny town plan on the tourist information board outside the council offices is dwarfed by a map for motorists. Information about Clitheroe's key attractions is not on location - the Castle surely deserves an information board facing it at the end of Castle Street.
Information boards are few in number and content is disappointing. There is no town plan on the information board for arrivals by train, and the tiny town plan on the tourist information board outside the council offices is dwarfed by a map for motorists. Information about Clitheroe's key attractions is not on location - the Castle surely deserves an information board facing it at the end of Castle Street.
Fingerposts are haphazard - many point in the wrong direction or to the wrong things. Unless people can be confident that signage is both continuous and accurate, none of it will be used.
Street nameplates are important too. They enable visitors to navigate easily, and ensure emergency services can get to destinations promptly. Some nameplates were in very poor condition.
Living Streets Recommendation - Identify an integrated network of signage (street nameplates, fingerposts, town plans and information boards) for the whole of central Clitheroe. Rationalise current signage in line with this network, removing surplus signs. Install new signs as necessary. Signage should be high contrast and indicate times and distances to destinations. Lettering should be embossed. Street nameplates should be installed on every arm of every junction and opposite all side entries, as far as possible.
Surfaces
Smooth, even footways are a basic requirement for people on foot. Fear of a footway fall is the number one concern for older people making a decision to walk or not. Ten times as many people are admitted to accident and emergency departments due to footway falls as from car crashes.
Footway surface condition varied through the audit area. In many places condition is good.
Elsewhere, puddles ('ponding') make things unpleasant (on Station Road) and footways have been damaged by illegal footway parking (Moor Lane).
Wheelchair users are especially sensitive to conditions at crossing points - poorly installed dropped kerbs can make crossing doubly difficult. But provision of smooth and even crossing points should not be seen solely as the concern of people with 'special' needs - parents with baby buggies, tourists with wheeled suitcases, delivery drivers and shoppers using wheeled trolleys all need similar provision to wheelchair users. Ultimately we all suffer some impairment from time to time - whether we are loaded with heavy shopping, distracted by our companions, or unable to see the footway due to crowds or poor lighting.
The biggest shortcoming of footway surfaces in Clitheroe is the lack stepless crossovers, junctions and side road entries. Better provision would transform the walking experience for everyone in Clitheroe, not just wheelchair users - almost everyone prefers step-free environments.
The entrance to Swan Courtyard is historic, but very uneven. The cellar door outside The Victoria pub is very slippery in the wet. The footway outside the Rose and Crown is in poor condition, with a mix of materials creating uneven surfaces, and the crossover to the rear is not flush.
Living Streets Recommendation - Re-lay footways on Station Road to eliminate ponding. Resolve footway parking issues on Moor Lane, then repair damaged footway. Initiate a programme of footway improvement in the town centre, working towards the creation of a stepless environment along all key pedestrian routes. Re-lay entrance to Swan Courtyard, using existing traditional materials but with a much smoother finish. Ensure cellar door at The Victoria is made safe. Re-lay the footway and crossover outside the Rose and Crown.
Everything placed on the footway is an obstruction - every sign, lamppost and parked car. Some obstructions are tolerable - most people appreciate attractive shopfront displays, so long as space to get past is kept clear. But some obstruction is seen as much less acceptable - illegally parked cars, or bags of rubbish.
Reduction of street clutter in Clitheroe should be a priority, as footway widths are already very narrow. The wall mounting of streetlights is a very positive move in this direction. Every bollard, sign, seat and post should earn its place on the street.
The main obstructions on the audits were:
Living Streets Recommendation - Initiate a street clutter reduction schedule. Review, reduce and remove traffic signage as far as possible. Liaise with traders in Swan Courtyard to reduce 'A' board clutter. Ensure new trade waste arrangements are properly understood by traders. Remove guardrail. Review parking control arrangements, and prioritise improvement.
E) Maintenance and enforcement issues
Street cleanliness was good. Littering was not seen as a problem, and the new trade waste collection seems to work well, in the main.
Clitheroe town centre does not suffer from much graffiti, but the access through the White Lion to the Council office car park is unacceptable. Car parks can feel unsafe after dark, and the graffiti here does not help. Graffiti adds to the feeling of disorder in locations that already feel unsafe for pedestrians.
Living Streets Recommendation - Ensure this graffiti is removed. The landlord must be encouraged to take responsibility for this, or accept cleaning by the council.
As has already been stated, footway maintenance is fairly good. Attention needs to be paid to the quality of reinstatement after street works, to ensure any improvement to footway quality is maintained.
No problems with lighting maintenance were identified.
Street planting in the town centre is maintained to a high standard.
Parking enforcement in Clitheroe is non-existent. Illegal parking is widespread, causing difficulty and danger for pedestrians and traffic alike. Footways are being obstructed and damaged by pavement parking. Responsibility for parking control is being transferred from Police to Council - this should greatly improve conditions for pedestrians and motorists alike. (See section H:Traffic).
The decision to walk is strongly influenced by perceptions of how safe the journey will be. While danger from traffic is important, fear of street crime is probably an even greater concern.
Perceptions of personal security are much more important than actual crime levels, when it comes to making the decision to walk or not.
How safe a place feels is heavily influenced by the presence of other people nearby. The most effective initiative that can reduce fear of street crime is to encourage higher levels of legitimate pedestrian activity in public space throughout the day.
Clitheroe town centre's vibrant bustling atmosphere during the day makes it feel a very safe place to be. During the evening, the town centre still feels safe.
Auditors did feel that drink-related disorder could compromise perceived safety on Friday and Saturday evenings. It was agreed that this is a national issue, needing a change in attitudes to alcohol consumption. Broadening the range of evening leisure activities on offer in the town centre might help to temper the more boisterous behaviour that can lead to more serious disorder. Pavement cafés can civilise a street.
As part the DTLR's (now DfT's) Manchester to Clitheroe Secure Transport Pilot Route, stations on the Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe line are being improved to ensure passengers feel secure throughout the whole of their journey.
The Project's whole-journey approach recognises the importance of every element in a trip, quoting:
'If one link in the journey is wrong the whole journey may be cancelled or replaced by a car trip.'Unfortunately, the final link in the train journey, from the station to town centre, does not work nearly as well as it could.
The information board on the station has a very poor map, which does not show the footpath visitors must use to get to the town centre. Lighting is dim outside the station, and it is easy to miss the unobtrusive, unlit sign to the town centre. The wide car access point to the left seems a more important route than the footpath, drawing first-time visitors in the wrong direction. The new Clitheroe Interchange sign (also unlit) is away to the right.
After this initial confusion, the footpath feels unsafe as lighting is poor and there is very little natural surveillance. Back garden fences, designed to permit some intervisibility between gardens and footpath, have been planked over by some owners, increasing the sense of isolation.
A beautifully painted sign directs walkers under the bridge. The bridge, although well-lit, is narrow and intimidating. The footways are too narrow for baby buggies and wheelchair users.
Living Streets Recommendation - Once on Railway View Road, walkers are expected to turn away from King Street to cross the road, and then walk on a narrow, uneven and often obstructed footway to the start of King Street.
Install a town plan on the station platform, including 'You Are Here' and correctly orientated (features to the top of the map are in front of the viewer, those at the bottom of the map behind).
Another painted sign (like the one near the bridge) should be placed directly opposite the exit from the station platform, and illuminated. Then remove the small brown sign.
Consider installing raised-table crossings at either end of the bridge. Double the footway width on one side, and eliminate the other footway entirely. Install a full height kerb to protect the footway.
Creative lighting in the bridge, based on LED lighting, could transform the experience of walking through here. (A good scheme to consider is the lighting installation under the southside of London Bridge, near Southwark Cathedral.)
Install crossing facilities at the junction of Station Road with King Street and Railway View Road.
It must be stressed that these suggestions are based on people's perceptions - they may not be justified by local crime statistics. Decisions on whether to walk or not are made in response to these perceptions - local people do not check local crime statistics before using a particular walking route. If walking and public transport use is to increase in Clitheroe, these perceptions must be addressed by making places feel safer.
As already stated, lighting in central Clitheroe is good, even though lighting design and use is dominated by the needs of traffic, not people. An example of this is the lighting in Booth's car park, which auditors felt might usefully be kept on through the evening, as it provides valuable incidental lighting along Station Road. Lighting in the Market is uneven, with brightly lit areas (e.g. the entrance from Station Road) contrasting with some very dark places (parts of New Market Street). This is likely to discourage night-time walking trips through the Market.
Incidental lighting from shop windows is good in the main. The habit of illuminating shop window displays through the evening should be actively encouraged as a safety initiative.
Sightlines in an area with a traditional street pattern (like Clitheroe) are usually very good. If one can see the route ahead, it is easy to judge whether danger will be encountered in good time (this is why blind corners in subways feel so unsafe - one can literally walk into trouble).
Sightlines in Clitheroe are generally very good - even walkers using the route under the railway line can see through to the other end before starting to walk through. The most striking exception to this is the route from the Lowergate car park through to Swan Courtyard. The succession of blind corners made this feel the least safe place that was audited. Some auditors said they would not consider using this route in the evenings.
The route cannot be straightened out, short of knocking down buildings (which, of course, is not a realistic option). But it might be possible to block off some of the 'hiding places' in doorways and arches, or remove them completely by opening out the arches to the full width of the route.
Where one of the five key personal security characteristics of a location is compromised (in this case sightlines), extra care should be taken to minimise problems with the other security elements on that route.
Natural surveillance from buildings is good in the main, although higher occupancy levels above the shops would boost this further. Clitheroe is particularly fortunate in having an outstanding mix of building uses in the town centre, with homes and shops intermixed. This provides excellent surveillance day and night, and this mixing should be retained and encouraged.
The importance of natural surveillance has been recognised in the decision to replace the retaining wall around the Lowergate car park with a fence, improving intervisibility between the street and the car park. Auditors felt that this change has helped to make the Lowergate car park feel safer.
Natural surveillance is not good in the Market after hours, and on the route from the Lowergate car park through to Swan Courtyar
By far the most valuable natural surveillance comes from other people on foot. Any measure that encourages walking in Clitheroe will make it a safer place for everyone.
Exit routes provide people with the opportunity to avoid confrontation or other potential danger. They are typically missing from pedestrian subways, footbridges and alleyways. Central Clitheroe's only route lacking multiple exits is the ginnel from the Lowergate car park through to Swan Courtyard.
Concerns about anti-social behaviour focussed on rowdy behaviour during the evenings, associated with binge drinking.
Living Streets Recommendation - Identify the key locations associated with perceptions that personal security is compromised (these will include the route through Swan Courtyard and the Market, and the incoming route from the railway station.) Prioritise action to address shortcomings under the above five headings at these locations:
The beauty and interest, vitality and variety of the streetscene are what make people slow down and enjoy themselves. The sense that public space is valued by those who live in it, use it and care for it encourages us all to value it too.
Clitheroe is favoured with a rich and impressive mix of architecture. The variety of old and new, and the creation of new uses for some older buildings ensure that Clitheroe’s building are a source of interest and surprise for visitors and residents alike. The utilitarian fabric of a typical English market town, with pubs, shops and other local facilities together create a varied and attractive mix.
Clitheroe's traditional street patterns, where buildings address the public realm, feel safe, welcoming and human-scaled. Where these traditional arrangements break down, we feel much less comfortable.(This is why car parks can feel boring, uninviting, and even unsafe places to be).
Of equal or perhaps greater importance to pedestrians is the aesthetic pleasure to be derived from the presence of others and human activity. Most people can be seen deriving their greatest pleasure on foot from the presence of friends, neighbours and strangers. This sharing of space with strangers is central to our gregarious nature. We rejoice in the excitement of crowds - spend market day in any busy town centre like Clitheroe to experience this at first hand.
At walking speeds, detail becomes all-important. This is just as valid when considering the aesthetics of place as it is for the functionality of walking routes. In Clitheroe, real pleasure comes not just from the big 'set-pieces' of the Castle, or the view along Castle Street, but also from the details that distract and delight. For example:
Sometimes these details come together to improve functionality and enhance the street-scene. In Clitheroe, many shops have attractive canopies that protect goods - and shoppers - from the elements, while adding to the variety and interest of the walking experience.
Care should be taken to ensure these facilities do not obstruct - as the average height of the population increases, so more and more shop canopies will need to be raised.
These canopies do more to create an all-weather shopping experience than would the enclosure of Swan Courtyard. Greater numbers of carefully installed shop canopies throughout Clitheroe, together with appropriate maintenance and their regular use, would help shoppers feel welcome - and stay dry.
Despite the existing attractiveness of Clitheroe, the town centre faces a number of challenges. Its aesthetic potential as a great place for people is compromised by:
In addressing those issues that discourage people from walking, all the recommendations in this report can help to lift the experience Clitheroe offers people on foot, not by radically restructuring one or two key locations, but by creating a safe and welcoming environment for people on foot - this is the most important element of an aesthetically pleasing pedestrian environment.
If the good habit of walking, already much in evidence in Clitheroe, can be supported, and local people can be encouraged to make more and longer journeys on foot, the aesthetic experience of walking in Clitheroe will be enhanced further by the greatest attraction walkers can encounter - each other.
The motorcar is so dominant that it is impossible to consider a place like Clitheroe without referring repeatedly to the adverse impact of traffic. In part, this report is intended to ensure that the many non-traffic related opportunities to improve Clitheroe for people on foot are not overlooked due to an overemphasis on traffic issues.
This is not to say that the presence of the car is entirely negative. But this report reflects the commitment of Clitheroe the Future Partnership to reducing traffic in town, with a shift to more sustainable transport modes for those who can choose, thereby easing conditions for those who have no choice but to drive.
In considering how to improve Clitheroe, a decision needs to be taken as to what level of traffic is appropriate, now and in the future - is local economic and social vitality best pursued by maintaining or even increasing present traffic capacity, or by improving walkability?
All the issues relating to traffic have already been referred to in the foregoing sections - in summary, the problems are:
The problems created by traffic in Clitheroe will need to be addressed as part of wider programmes to reduce car dependence across the country. Traffic generated by issues like the school run and out-of-town shopping cannot be resolved simply by changing the way public space is managed in Clitheroe.
However, it is important to recognise the opportunities that exist to start changing conditions in our towns to encourage walking right now.
By determining to improve conditions for pedestrians and to encourage walking throughout Clitheroe, the Partnership is working to create a better balance in transport choices that will reduce our over-dependence on the car, and work towards living streets we can all visit, use and enjoy.
The major challenge to increasing walking in towns like Clitheroe is the historically piecemeal approach to public realm improvement. As a result, high quality but physically isolated pedestrian spaces are more commonplace than well-designed, coherent and connected pedestrian routes. One way in which many of the suggestions in this report might be implemented would be as part of a project working towards the creation of a seamless pedestrian route from the railway station to the Emporium.
The main elements in such a project might be:
1. The Promenade route. Confirm the route to be enhanced. The audit process suggested that the aforementioned route from the railway station to the Emporium would be appropriate, but this might benefit from further consideration.
2. Gateways. Create gateways at either end of the route: outside the Emporium at one end, and at the junction of King Street and Station Road at the other. These gateways should signal to drivers the change in priority towards people on foot, and also be part of a network of pedestrian stopping places.
3. Stopping Places. Identify a network of pedestrian stopping places, large and small, along the route, perhaps comprising:
4. Each stopping place should be designed to fit its individual location, rather than to create uniform spaces. Elements that might be part of each design include:
5. Crossings. Improve pedestrian crossing arrangements at all junctions along the route. Where possible, improvements should include:
6. Step-free routes. All improvements to the route should incorporate step-free access. A schedule of improvements to side roads and crossovers should also be pursued, with a view to creating direct, step-free routes on both sides of the entire promenade.
For most people, Clitheroe feels like a safe place to walk - and it is. But opportunities exist to improve the feeling of safety from street crime, and the following changes should be particularly beneficial to less confident and more vulnerable street users:
1. Support the Manchester to Clitheroe Secure Transport Pilot Route, by enhancing the walking route from the incoming railway platform to King Street:
2. Clarify pedestrian movement in the Market.
3. Improve connections for the Lowergate car park and Castle Street/Castle Gate.
These recommendations suggest a number of tasks to deliver detail improvements that might readily be made to the street environment in Clitheroe.
It may be that, for local people, certain key priorities have not been addressed by these recommendations. Many more improvements, both major and minor, are included within the Main Findings section, under separate categories. Those improvements should not be considered as less important than the following recommendations - priorities for action should be determined by those who live and work in Clitheroe themselves.
1. Commission detailed pedestrian flow counts at a number of locations in Clitheroe, collate existing data on vehicle flows and numbers arriving in the area by public transport, and assess the commercial and social impact on the local economy by users of different modes, to support initiatives favouring more sustainable transport modes, including walking. Regular pedestrian flow counts will also provide a measure of the effectiveness of any changes implemented.
2.Remove guardrail on Castle Street (at the junctions with King Street and with Castle Gate) and on Parson Lane.
3. Review traffic signage installation, and investigate scope to reduce the obstruction and visual intrusion it causes, through removal of unnecessary signage; reduced size and number of signs (possibly in conjunction with reduced vehicle speeds); repositioning of signs to widest sections of footway, or wall mounting.
Road Layout
4. Reallocate wasted space on Moor Lane to pedestrian uses.
Crossings
6. Review plans for parking control in town. Ensure these are adequate to eliminate illegal parking, especially where it compromises pedestrian safety and convenience.
7. Consider introducing a 20 mph, or lower, speed limit throughout the whole or part of the town centre shopping area, with clear information for drivers (through the use of 'gateways' and distinctive carriageway surfaces/street furniture) to inform them that they are entering a different zone where they do not necessarily have the right of way.
8. Initiate a programme of crossover improvement, to support moves towards step-free primary pedestrian routes through Clitheroe.
9. Review and if necessary extend public toilet provision throughout Clitheroe. Ensure signage is clear and adequate, and consider sympathetically upgrading existing facilities, especially the toilets opposite the Emporium.
10. Assess possible locations for a network of public seating at 50-metre intervals along the hilly main routes through Clitheroe, especially King Street, Moor Lane and Parson Lane.
