ePetition details

We the undersigned petition the council to create a safe cycleway alongside the busy A413 from Wendover to Chalfont St Peter

With the increased heavy vehicle usage along the A413 due to HS2 works there needs to be a safer way of cycling along this very busy road. A cycleway running nearby the busy trunk road would separate cyclists from the heavy traffic.

This ePetition ran from 24/11/2020 to 22/12/2020 and has now finished.

527 people signed this ePetition.

Council response

Nick Naylor, Cabinet Member for Transport has responded as follows:

Thank you for submitting this petition, which has highlighted the strong local support we know exists for improved walking and cycling infrastructure along the A413 corridor. The construction impacts of the High Speed 2 project will cause significant disruption for all road users and residents across the Buckinghamshire Council area for years to come and the Council is doing everything within our power to manage and mitigate these impacts wherever possible. We will shortly be opening up opportunities for local town and parish councils to apply for a portion of Buckinghamshire’s allocation from the HS2 Road Safety Fund to help provide a legacy of safer roads in areas that are impacted by HS2 construction including traffic calming measures, safer pedestrian crossings or safer routes for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers.

In terms of active travel on this particular route, we are already working with partners at the Chiltern Society and the national walking and cycling charity Sustrans to bring forward a route along the A413 corridor (titled the “Misbourne Greenway”) as soon as feasibly possible. This is a strategic active travel priority for the Council, which we hope will eventually see a largely traffic-free link connecting communities along the valley of the River Misbourne, including Aylesbury, Wendover, Great Missenden, Amersham, Chalfont St Peter and Denham. The first section of this route, between Wendover Dean and Great Missenden, was granted planning permission by the Council earlier this month and (subject to discharge of pre-commencement planning conditions) is programmed to commence construction later this year. Working closely with our partners, we are supporting negotiations with landowners along the remainder of the route and are actively seeking government funding to facilitate further construction once these agreements are secured.

The Misbourne Greenway route in turn forms part of our wider strategic vision for walking and cycling routes in Buckinghamshire, and we will be commencing work later this year on a Buckinghamshire Cycling and Walking Strategy, which will set out our priorities for investment in active travel infrastructure over the coming years. More information on some of our priority routes and networks can be found on our website at: https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/services/transport-and-roads/cycling-and-walking/new-walking-and-cycling-routes/

We are working hard with local communities to bring this vision forward as quickly as possible so that we can all benefit from this resource in the not too distant future.