We’re proposing changes to make Quay Road safer and more pleasant for everyone who uses it, whether you walk, cycle, take the bus or drive. Tell us what you think by 20 November 2026.
Why we’re proposing changes
Quay Road runs for 1.1 km along the harbour, from Quay Square to the junction with Eastcliff Road. On a typical weekday it’s used by around 14,000 vehicles and more than 9,000 people on foot. In the last five years there have been 23 collisions in which someone was injured, and nine of them involved people walking.
In September, 1,086 people signed a petition asking for safer crossings. On 8 October the Transport and Environment Committee agreed that we should ask for your views on the proposals below.
What we’re proposing
| Proposal | What it would mean |
|---|---|
| 20 mph speed limit | The limit would drop from 30 mph to 20 mph along the whole of Quay Road. |
| Four new crossings | Two zebra crossings and two signal-controlled crossings, including one outside the Old Customs House. |
| Protected cycle lane | A two-way cycle lane on the harbour side, separated from traffic by a kerb and joining the Harbour Street cycle lane at Quay Square. |
| Wider pavements | Pavements on the landward side at least 2.5 metres wide, with dropped kerbs at every crossing. |
| Loading bays | Six loading bays for businesses, for use from 07:00 to 11:00. |
| Parking | 38 of the 112 parking spaces would be removed. All 12 blue badge bays would stay. |
| Trees and seating | 24 new street trees and 15 benches. |
| Bus stops | Three bus stops rebuilt with raised kerbs, so you can step straight on and off the bus. |
The scheme would cost about £3.2 million, paid for mainly by a regional transport grant. If it goes ahead, building work would start in summer 2027. The first three months of the Harbour Street cycle lane showed that a protected lane can more than double cycling without slowing buses down.
Resurfacing in November
Quay Road will be resurfaced between 2 and 20 November 2026, overnight from 20:00 to 06:00. This is essential maintenance, and it will go ahead whatever the outcome of this consultation. See roadworks and closures.
How to have your say
- Leave a comment at the bottom of this page. We check comments before they’re published, usually within two working days.
- Come to a drop-in session at Central Library on Saturday 7 November (10:00–13:00) or Tuesday 17 November (16:00–19:00) to see the plans and talk to the project team.
- Email haveyoursay@larkhaven.example or write to Quay Road consultation, City Hall, 1 Quay Square, Larkhaven LK1 1AA.
- For a paper copy or another format, call 01632 960 000.
What happens next
We’ll read every response and publish a summary in early 2027, with a “You said, we did” report on this page. A final design will then go to the Transport and Environment Committee for a decision.
Zoë Hartmann
Fully support this. I cross Quay Road with two small children every morning and the “crossing” by the Old Customs House is just a gap in the railings. A proper zebra there can’t come soon enough 👍
Bartosz Wiśniewski
Same here. A 20 mph limit is only worth having if it’s enforced, though. Cars race along here after 22:00 when it’s empty. Could the new crossings be raised to slow them down?
Malcolm Brierley
I run a café on Quay Road. Losing 38 parking spaces will hurt trade, especially in winter when fewer people walk down from the Old Town. If the scheme goes ahead, could the loading bays also be available from 14:00 to 16:00? Our afternoon deliveries won’t fit into 07:00–11:00.
Inès Moreau
Malcolm, I’m one of your regulars and I always walk! Wider pavements would mean room for tables outside, which is what “café culture” needs. I think the scheme could help you more than you expect.
Aoife Ní Cheallaigh
Two suggestions:
1. Make all four new crossings raised tables, not just flat zebras.
2. Keep the benches well back from the cycle lane. On Harbour Street they’re so close that people’s feet stick out into it.
Jürgen Albrecht
Why are you resurfacing Quay Road in November if you might rebuild it next year? It looks like a waste of money to me.
Larkhaven City Council Council response
Thank you, Jürgen. The resurfacing is essential maintenance: parts of Quay Road are badly worn and we can’t safely leave them until 2027. Most of the safer streets proposals change the kerbs, pavements and crossings rather than the road surface itself, so very little of the new surface would need to be dug up. We’ve planned the two projects together so that any changes can be built without wasting the new surface.