The council says work has now finished on the permanent traffic filters in south St Denys, completing the latest stage of the St Denys Active Travel Zone (ATZ) work.

The St Denys ATZ project is funded by the Department of Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund. In March 2020, Southampton City Council, in partnership with Hampshire County Council, was awarded £57M to deliver an ambitious package of transport improvements.

The following report is by Southampton City Council in their own words. The council also supplied the images.

Work is now finished on the permanent traffic filters in south St Denys which completes the latest stage of the St Denys Active Travel Zone (ATZ) improvements. The traffic filters are part of a range of measures that make up the St Denys ATZ, which has been in development for three years through community consultation and co-design workshops between residents and Southampton City Council.

The St Denys Active Travel Zone project started with a survey of residents, visitors and local businesses at the end of 2019. Over 1000 contributions were received and some clear themes emerged including concerns about pedestrian and cyclist safety, air quality and traffic, particularly on specific roads that are regularly used as rat-runs by through traffic.

Residents of St Denys were then invited to attend a series of co-design workshops, where they worked in groups with a facilitator to identify potential solutions to fix the problem areas. Nearly 50 residents and 30 children attended, and the most popular solutions which could be delivered as part of the ATZ were presented to the public in August 2020 for comment and questions.

A variety of improvements have already been implemented for the Active Travel Zone. Trial traffic filters were installed on North Road in south St Denys and on Kent Road in north St Denys in November 2020. Data collected* after one year shows that the traffic filters have significantly reduced traffic on most roads in the St Denys area. The biggest reduction has been on Priory Road (north), which saw around 1,300 fewer vehicles a day using the route. The filter on North Road was replaced with a permanent design including new plants and trees in November 2022. Enhancements to the Kent Road filter including lighting upgrades and public art will be delivered in 2023.

The area around St Denys Primary School has been improved to make it safer at pick up and drop off times. These improvements include a continuous crossing at the southern end of Dundee Road and resurfacing of the footway to the north, a 20mph limit for the south of St Denys and new dropped kerbs with tactile paving. Pedestrians are also given priority when crossing the junctions along St Denys Road with new continuous crossings.

The works are complimented by improving capacity along the key corridors of St Denys Road and Thomas Lewis Way, where an investment is being made to upgrade traffic signals which will improve journey times for motorists on this key route into and out of the city.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Transport and District Regeneration, said:

“I am really pleased with how the improvements at St Denys are coming along. This has been an extensive piece of work and from the very start we have been working in partnership with the local residents, school and the wider community. These measures will not only improve safety for all road users but will also address the concerns that residents had regarding traffic levels, safety and air quality in the area.”

St Denys resident, Steven Mercer, said:

“I believe the St Denys Active Travel Zone has improved St Denys measurably. I feel safer walking and cycling around and I am much more likely to go out on my bike and bring my two children along on their bikes.

“I have a child at St Denys Primary and I believe that the North Road changes are excellent and improve safety as well as quality of life in that immediate area.”

 • More details of the St Denys ATZ scheme can be found Southampton City Council’s website