Wiltshire Council receives more funding for cycle lanes - with consultation to start next week

Wiltshire Council has received £681,000 from the second tranche of the Department for Transport's (DfT) Active Travel Fund to progress cycling schemes in the county.

The funding is intended to make it easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists to access shops, businesses and places of work without driving or using public transport, and also help people to maintain social distancing.

The award is less than the £908,000 that the council originally bid for, and so to establish which schemes to take forward, it is holding a consultation on the proposed options, to begin next week. It also consulting on the first tranche of temporary schemes, which are already in place.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: "Original DfT advice was to install these temporary cycle lanes quickly and without consultation as part of the Emergency Active Travel fund.

"However, we want to find out people's views on the next round of schemes, and also on the temporary cycle lanes that are already installed, so we are holding this online consultation, which will start next week.

"We will progress schemes based on the outcome of this consultation and further comments from the DfT, and we will also make a decision on the ones currently in place based on the feedback we receive.

"We'll have more details on how people can respond to the online survey next week, and will promote it through our social media channels, on our website and in the local media."

The schemes already in place, as part of tranche one, are:

• On the A420 Bristol Road, Chippenham
• Monkton Hill, Chippenham
• On the A361 Hilperton Road in Trowbridge
• On the B3108 between Winsley and Bradford on Avon
• Salisbury to Harnham via Brown Street and Exeter Street

The schemes to be considered as part of tranche two are:

• Making the scheme on the A420 Bristol Road, Chippenham, permanent and extending to Bumpers Farm industrial estate.
• Improvements at Lowden Hill, Chippenham to provide continuous cycle and pedestrian facilities between Bath Road and Lowden Hill.
• A permanent shared-use cycle path on Downton Road, Salisbury.
• Hilperton to Melksham via Semington, removing the need for cyclists to travel on this section of the A361.
• Easton Lane cycle link between Chippenham and Corsham, linking with the Wiltshire Cycleway.

To find out more about the schemes, go to www.wiltshire.gov.uk/highways-road-reallocation-schemes