Agenda item

To consider a report on the delivery of Active Travel in Buckinghamshire and the development of the Buckinghamshire Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP).

Contributors:

Councillor Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

Steve Bambrick, Corporate Director Planning Growth & Sustainability

Hannah Joyce, Head of Transport Strategy & Funding

Jonathan Fuller, Principal Transport Strategy Officer

The Cabinet Member for Transport introduced the plan and noted that the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) also included “wheeling”, where paths were used by wheelchair and mobility scooter users. The Cabinet Member explained that the report aimed to include improvements in connectivity and that there was still an ambition for a county-wide greenway.

• In all schemes, people may use just part of the route.
• The routes had to comply with national standards as they were built with the aid of national funding. At times, this could prohibit a connection.
• The report detailed the consideration given to users of the routes, for example, wayfinding signs giving journey time by method as well as distance.
• Lighting and seating were factored into the cost of new routes.
• Recently, Cabinet has adopted the High Wycombe transport strategy and LCWIP, meaning that Buckingham, Aylesbury and High Wycombe all had active plans. Chesham had developed a local solution. Community Boards had all been consulted about residents’ priorities. This year a public consultation would start on LCWIP proposals. 
• To increase the existing level of funding from Active Travel England, there would need to be public consultation and demonstrable support for any LCWIP proposals.
• Since April 2020:
  • £3.3million funding has been received from Active Travel England. Section 106 funds have contributed another £1.5 million.
  • 7km of new routes have been created.
• The Cabinet Member for Transport wished to publicly note the good work of the school travel team in promoting walking and cycling routes to schools, a project in which Buckinghamshire Council was leading the way.

The following points were made during the committee’s discussion:

• Scooters which were part of the national trial were permitted on the routes as were electric bikes. Privately purchased scooters were not allowed on public paths and roads as they did not have the necessary safety features such as speed restrictions and geolocation. Canal towpaths were not always suitable for bikes e.g. where paths narrowed under bridges. Wayfinder signs showed where bikes were permitted.
• It was hoped that WIPs could be extended towards the Hertfordshire border. Work had been done with external partners to develop more towpaths. All the work needed external funding.
• Bike busses, where children would be supervised to ride bikes to school, were promoted by the school transport team. Active travel was being encouraged as a means of getting to school.
• All users of paths and roads were expected to be considerate. In some cases, people had been injured in collisions with bikes or scooters. Clear signage could help on a shared route but it would take time to add this to the network. It was hoped that all users of paths could be civil.
• When new developments were ready, blue roundels would indicate whether bikes can use the route.
• The increased range of electric bikes would make them an option for commuting. Bikes had been added to the trial to give riders the chance to build their confidence. Parking for bikes could also be considered.