As we reported back in November, Hampshire County Council has been awarded funding from the central government’s Active Travel Fund, to carry out short-term measures to encourage more people to travel by foot and cycle during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Hampshire has now released its plans and is inviting feedback. The improvements are described textually here, and there is an information pack available to download.
You can provide your feedback here; the survey closes just before midnight on Sunday 21 March 2021.
Cycle Winchester is preparing a briefing, which will inform our response to the schemes. We will publish it here in a few days so you can use it to help you with your response. [Update: See our recommended response here.]
As ever, we urge cyclists to respond. It’s an especially feverish time for transport planning in Winchester, and it’s imperative that the views of cyclists and would-be cyclists are heard loud and clear.
What is missing is a need for place making and not just looking at the engineered solution.
Some proposals such as North Walls I thought were an improvement.
The proposal for Upper High Street and the top end of the High Street I felt was a gain for cyclists but did little for the pedestrian and how it will feel using the streets for people coming from the station and day to day shopping and using the facilities etc.. I don’t see improvement to the quality/experience of the City centre within the City gate
– entering the High Street which is the historic centre of the walled City and the axis off which so many of the key attractions can be reached on foot. Currently the upper end of the street is not a particularly pleasant experience for the pedestrian and fails to meet its potential.
There is existing a way to cycle to Jewry Street by Gladstone Street and Tower Road or to Staple Gardens and St Clements Street to Southgate Street.
Also, if the pavement width was increased on the west side of Upper High Street and the south side of the top section of the High Street then cyclists could share the pedestrian area and walk these short distances.