Climate Change and Air Quality Progress Report 2022 to 2023

The council have received £70,200 to support installation of in-pavement cable channels and around 10 EV lamp post charge points in Wendover.

In May 2023 the Platinum Way was launched which aims to promote active travel and to reduce environmental impacts. The upgrade was possible due to £1.4 million funding from the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund.

Formally the Emerald Way, The Platinum Way features an array of enhancements aimed at improving safety,accessibility, and the overall user experience.

This includes:

• quieter road routing
• wider footways
• clearer signage
• additional lighting
• more accessible curbs
• three new parallel road crossings which give priority to Platinum Way users over road traffic

Emphasising walking, wheeling and cycling, the Platinum Way aims to foster public health and reduce congestion.

The route, stretching from the Town Centre to Aylesbury Vale Parkway railway station offers users seamless connections to the Waddesdon Greenway and access to local attractions like Waddesdon Manor.

The Aylesbury Arm, a spur of the Grand Union Canal, has seen a significant improvement in its towpath condition, thanks to an 800k investment. The towpath improvements are on the section between locks 15 and 16, resulting in improved conditions for walking, cycling and wheeling.

The Aylesbury Arm canal towpath improvements which have been made possible thanks to a £621,846 grant from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) from Homes England and £178,154 of funding from Section 106 developer contributions, are part of wider plans for active travel improvements in Aylesbury and form a main spine route between the town centre and the new developments of Kingsbrook and Woodlands.

Improvements for walking, cycling and wheeling include widening the towpath to 7 feet, resurfacing the towpath, improving accessibility onto the towpath and installing new signs along the route.

The improvements aim to encourage active travel, improve people’s health, and reduce carbon and air pollution.

Buckinghamshire Council, as part of the Department for Transport (DfT) trials, have implemented an Electric Scooter rental trial to help support a ‘green’ alternative to local travel that is convenient, clean, and affordable. E-scooters can also reduce reliance on car trips, reduce congestion and improve air quality.

The trial has been extended by the Department for Transport until May 2024 and is currently taking place in Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and Princes Risborough.

Estimates suggest that the scheme saves 28.9 tCO2eq per month across Aylesbury (19 tCO2e), High Wycombe (9.5 tCO2e) and Princes Risborough (0.4tCO2e).

Two electric bike (e-bike) hire schemes were launched in Aylesbury and High Wycombe in July 2023. Twenty-five e-bikes will be available for public hire across the towns through the Zipp Mobility app, the same app used for the e-scooters.

The Zipp e-bike trial provides a new sustainable travel option for residents and visitors to the towns. The pedal-assist bikes will make cycling more accessible, helping people get around town in an affordable and eco-friendly way. The addition of e-bikes to our existing e-scooter offering, means that people now have a choice of which wheels they want to use for commuting or leisure trips.

The trial scheme will be evaluated in the coming months to assess the viability of making e-bike hire a permanent feature in the towns.

Buckinghamshire Council and Carousel Buses have launched a new ‘demand responsive transport’ (DRT) service in and around High Wycombe. Described as a cross between a bus and taxi service, the new DRT service comes as part of a pilot scheme funded by the Government’s Rural Mobility Fund. The new service will run for the next 3 years, with scope to run for longer if the pilot is successful.

Sitting under Carousel’s ‘PickMeUp’ brand, the Wycombe pilot will serve several communities, including Booker, Daws Hill, Wooburn Green, Wycombe Marsh, Loudwater and Downley. These either have a limited bus service or a route which only serves part of the community.

Users will be able to book one of the five fully accessible minibuses to collect them from one of the 500+ pickup points – also known as ‘virtual bus stops’ – out and about in the local area. Buses can be booked in advance of a trip via the app, through which you can also pay for your ticket and track your bus in real time.

Since reporting on this project in last year’s progress report the upgrading of the traffic light signals at the Stoke Road gyratory was completed in February 2023.

The project involved the installation of new ‘intelligent’ traffic lights to improve traffic flow at the Aylesbury gyratory, using some of the latest technology to reduce congestion and make the busy junction safer for all users.

By responding as needed to traffic flow, the system helps to reduce congestion and avoid potential build ups, keeping traffic moving as freely as possible.

For example, on clear roads the system will minimise delays by changing lights more frequently and where there is congestion in a particular area, the lights can adjust to get more traffic away from that location.

As part of the scheme a new signalised pedestrian crossing has also been installed on the Wendover Road, adjacent to the police station, leading to the existing central refuge island. This new crossing provides a safer and more convenient way for pedestrians, including many school children, to get across the busy route.

The £500,000 funding also covered some resurfacing work on the Wendover Road.

The Gyratory junction forms the Stoke Road Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and it’s anticipated that these upgrading works will also benefit air quality in the local area.