TrustNews Sep 22

Winchester Movement Strategy - next steps?

John Beveridge reports

It is too soon to know the results of the public consultation on The County Council's new Local Transport Plan in which the Trust took part. If the Plan retains its general approach, it is truly radical in its potential to achieve significant change to the way we move about, and is quite different to the disappointingly limited disjointed proposals for Winchester which were consulted on earlier this year. But, like so much of local government's operations these days, achieving any change is dependent on central government for the finance to enable it to happen.

As an example of this dependence, one central government initiative underway at the moment is a study in Winchester and 18 other areas in England funded by government to examine the feasibility of introducing low traffic neighbourhoods. Their idea is to apply Dutch design principles that put the needs of people above cars. They exclude through traffic using barriers, while still permitting access for residents' vehicles, and they give priority to pedestrians and cyclists over cars. Connections between the different neighbourhoods will be encouraged by the creation of 'quietway' routes for cyclists and pedestrians with safe crossing points on the busier main roads. The study is to be submitted to government by the autumn of 2022 and a decision will be made by the spring of 2023 on which of the 19 areas will be awarded money to take the proposals forward. In all cases the public will have a chance to comment.