A NUMBER of public consultations to change a “lethal” road in Penryn has led to “so much nonsense written on Facebook” which has polarised the community. However, a compromise may have finally been reached.

Cornwall Council’s ‘active travel plans’ to make Commercial Road in Penryn more pedestrian and cyclist friendly proved so contentious that a public meeting was held in the town on Wednesday (March 11).

Plans to improve the road, which runs through the bottom of Penryn towards Falmouth, began back in 2020 when Penryn’s Place Shaping Group was established.

Things took a turn with the announcement of the Mid Cornwall Metro project, which includes a desire by the council to make access towards Penryn Station easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists while also improving Commercial Road, “making it a more attractive place to spend time and making it easier to walk and cycle”.

Since then, there have been several consultations which have led to considerable disagreement among residents, businesses, motorists and cyclists about how Commercial Road should look.

Business owners on the road fear the changes could lead to the loss of what they say are vital parking spaces outside their premises. A proposed plan a year ago included losing parking spaces, restricting waiting times, installing loading bays, improving cycle lanes and pedestrian crossings as well as installing street furniture and planting trees.

Following a second engagement process last July which led to “negative feedback” on the proposed Commercial Road work, traffic-calming measures and pedestrian-friendly street planning were removed from the proposal, which led to more unhappiness and, now, a third public consultation.

A new plan proposed by the council includes the retention of parking spaces, the reinforcement of more visible cycle lanes, crossing points with dropped kerbs and improvements to Quay Hill junction and traffic lights to make it safer for cyclists. The biggest change is the removal of a toucan crossing.

The meeting at Penryn Town Hall gave stakeholders a chance to air their views. Several businesses were represented, including Macsalvors, Seaways Diving, Sullys Picture Framing and those based at Jubilee Wharf and The Work/Shop.

Penryn mayor Mary May highlighted that the parking situation on the busy road has deteriorated after 45 spaces were lost to make way for homeless pods in the Commercial Road car park.

There was some dismay that another public consultation was being held at taxpayers’ expense. Both Cornwall Council’s cabinet member for transport Cllr Dan Rogerson and the authority’s head of transport policy Rebecca Riley said there had been “a flurry of emails” from people unhappy with the outcome of the last consultation and this was a chance for residents and businesses to come to a compromise.

Brendan Rowe, who runs Seaways Diving, spoke on behalf of some of the marine-based businesses on the road: “If we lose parking, we lose customers and if we lose customers, then businesses will fail.

“People drive specifically to visit our businesses and then they’ll visit the cafés down the other end. Putting more pedestrians past our places doesn’t necessarily boost our business.

“Any more interruptions to our businesses are going to be fatal for some of these businesses on Commercial Road.”

It soon became apparent that common ground between most of those present was slowing down traffic, thus making it safer for people to cross Commercial Road and stop it being used as a rat-run by drivers heading to Falmouth, who should be encouraged to use the nearby bypass.

A representative from Jubilee Wharf, which includes 44 businesses and 112 people living and working on the site, said: “There isn’t really an exclusivity of maintaining parking and slowing the road down. That’s what a lot of our tenants are saying they want – they want it slowed down and to be able to cross the road safely.”

Falmouth University lecturer Rob Smith said: “Crossing the road there is mad. I’ve seen people of all ages trying to make a mad dash across Commercial Road – it’s crazy, it shouldn’t be the case. People are taking their lives in their hands.”

There was a consensus among people at the meeting that there should be a 20mph speed limit on the road. Ms Riley said the road layout would have to be assessed, but a trial over several months to investigate if it would work could be organised, which could involve more crossings.

Rob Higgs, a well-known environmental artist based at Trevone Quarry, regularly cycles on the road. He said: “It’s lethal – it’s the speed and the width of the road. I’m massively in favour of 20mph for life and death reasons.”

Penryn’s deputy mayor Sinead Hanks added: “We absolutely have to have 20mph. I think there is a compromise where we can keep the businesses happy. Let’s not forget this funding is for active travel.

“That doesn’t mean we’re going to take away all the parking spaces and put a European boulevard in or pedestrianise it – there’s been so much nonsense written on Facebook and so much polarisation in this debate.

“We’re all in this room to find a compromise and I think there is one out there. It has to go down to 20mph – that’s the only way this will work for the people of Penryn.”

Dean Evans, the Green Party councillor for Penryn on Cornwall Council, said he was disappointed that a 20mph limit wasn’t part of the proposal. “If we don’t do something, we’re going to get to the point of total congestion – it’s an easy win to make Commercial Road a 20mph zone.”

Pete Hambrook, who runs Sullys Framing, added: “Commercial Road is a rat run. The bypass is a disaster. In the summer it gets clogged up, so people come this way. Being able to discourage that rat run is a big clue to this – slowing the traffic and keeping the parking spaces.”

Following the meeting, Cllr Rogerson told us: “What we’re working on is finding some key elements we can focus on that everybody seems to agree on – here, it’s the speed.

“If we can get that speed down it may solve a number of the concerns. It might make it easier for people to access businesses’ parking spaces, it might make it easier for cyclists and for people crossing the road, and it might be a deterrent from using this as a through-way and to encourage more people to use the bypass.”