Residents of the Royal Borough are being asked to share their ideas to help shape walking and cycling improvements in the borough.
The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead has launched a ‘Big Conversation’ to engage and listen to their views and is welcoming suggestions on Active Travel measures in the borough. This is travel that requires physical effort.
A public consultation has opened today (Monday 16 August) and will run until Sunday 3 October.
The council is developing a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) to help identify how to make improvements supporting cycling and walking, and where investment is needed in the short, medium and long term.
Councillor Gerry Clark, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: “We have put a lot of preparation into this project, working with both parish and borough councillors, on the subject of Active Travel. Now we need as many people as possible to contribute, to help us understand where there is a need to make infrastructure changes to assist Active Travel, and how that need is best addressed.
“Active Travel, and reducing reliance on motor vehicles for short journeys, is an important part of achieving our Environment and Climate Strategy. But it also has personal benefits: keeping active helps your physical and mental health, as many of us have experienced first-hand during lockdown. There has been an uptake of active travel during the pandemic, and we want to make sure the Royal Borough is equipped to make sure those journeys are easy and above all, safe.”
Residents will be asked their ideas and opinions around four key themes:
Cycle routes and infrastructure
Accessible routes and pedestrian spaces
School Streets – temporary road closures around schools during school run times (term time only)
People-friendly streets – changes that can be made to neighbourhoods that reduce traffic dominance.
A number of drop-in sessions have been arranged to explain more about Active Travel and its themes. These will be held at:
Cookham Dean Village Hall, 18 August, 4pm-7pm
The Community Room, Sunningdale Parish Office, 8 September, 4pm-7pm
Windsor Library, 14 September, 4pm-7pm
Old Windsor Library, 27 September, 4pm-7pm
Maidenhead Library, 29 September, 4pm-7pm
There will also be an online discussion session, via Microsoft
Teams, Thursday 9 September, 5:30pm-7:30pm.
Councillor Clark continued: “We know there is passionate support for making improvements to air quality, health and safety in the Royal Borough. There has been an increase in cycling and other forms of active travel in recent years, which we want to encourage and support, so that together, we create a community-led vision
for a cleaner, greener transport system to be proud of.”
To respond to the consultation, please visit:
https://rbwmtogether.rbwm.gov.uk/travelforwards ENDS
Notes
The Big Conversation asks residents to consider where investment in local infrastructure is needed on the following themes:
Walking, Accessible Routes and Pedestrian Spaces - lighting, planting, seating etc to enhance and improve access routes and provide security
Cycle lanes, Pathways and Parking - where to provide more safe, accessible cycle lanes and pathways across the borough.
School Streets - temporary road closures at school run time during the school term only. When the school street is in operation, the area is only accessible by active travel. This then improves air quality around schools and reduces the risk of an accident.
People-Friendly Streets, also called Liveable Neighbourhoods may involve improving facilities for walking and cycling, and reducing traffic dominance by redesigning junctions, restrictions on motor traffic in town centres, high streets and residential streets.
