Agenda item

Hannah Bishop, Head of Transport Strategy and Funding.

Jonny Fuller (Senior Transport Strategy Officer) gave a presentation to the Forum concerning the two consultations detailed in the accompanying report. The slides would be appended to the Minutes of the meeting. The following key points were raised in his presentation:

·       The consultations had begun on 14^th October and would run until 28^th November 2022.

·       The High Wycombe Transport Strategy would be underpinned by three key themes

1.      Connecting Locally - Allowing everyone to access key destinations, services and travel hubs by providing and promoting attractive alternatives to cars.

2.      Connecting Regionally - Support the movement of people and goods within the Thames Valley and to London, Heathrow Airport, Oxford and beyond.

3.      Connecting Green Spaces - Enhancing health and wellbeing by providing safe, accessible routes to and throughout High Wycombe and its natural surroundings.

The Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) had been developed alongside the Transport Strategy, and was a government-endorsed approach to identifying walking and cycling infrastructure improvements across a ten-year period.

Five concepts had been used to develop the LCWIP

1.      Walkable Core (Town Centre) – Improvements to infrastructure for walking and cycling in the town centre, but also things like signage and public realm improvements.

2.      Main Radial Routes – Improvement to the main road corridors out of High Wycombe as well as walking and cycling access to key business park locations and key employment hubs across the town.

3.      Healthy Neighbourhoods – The primary focus of the plan, which sought to build a network of new routes within Totteridge and Desborough.

4.      Wider Network and Strategic Routes – Improving links to surrounding settlements.

5.      A Cohesive and Connected Network – The longer-term strategy. Exploring behaviour change programmes, working with schools and businesses to make use of routes as they develop.

Regarding rights of way improvements specifically, the following points were raised:

Proposals seek to improve accessibility, safety and comfort for all users.

Improvements can include (re-)surfacing, improving accessibility (i.e. altering and widening access points) and clearing vegetation.

Equestrians must be taken into consideration when developing proposals (i.e. route width, type and location of road crossings, surfacing materials).

Individual proposals will be subject to design and further engagement.

Those wishing to respond to the consultations were encouraged to do so online at the Your Voice Bucks page, or via email at transportstrategy@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Printed copies of plans and surveys would be made available at High Wycombe library throughout the consultation period, and two drop-in sessions would be held.

The first on 5^th November 2022 from 10:30am-2pm at Eden Shopping Centre. The second at High Wycombe Library on the 18th of November 2022 from 10am-4pm.

Following questions, Jonny confirmed the following:

The plans outlined for High Wycombe preceded the county-wide Local Transport Plan (LTP) which was still being prepared for implementation in the longer term.

Funding for the LTP would be primarily sourced externally, as opposed to receiving council funding.

Questions in the public consultation on the LCWIP related to the five concepts outlined in the presentation, as well as offering the opportunity to raise awareness of individual schemes not currently included in the outlined plan for consideration.

It was hoped that there would be a high level of response to the consultations with a variety of public perspectives. To this end, the methods to promote it had been wide-ranging, with emails, posters, drop-in sessions, newsletters, and interviews all utilised as a means to raise awareness and encourage participation.