Emergency walking and cycling schemes due to coronavirus
During 2020, Buckinghamshire Council introduced a range of measures to support people travelling to work, school, shopping and leisure activities. This was done through active travel (walking and cycling) methods as part of the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund.
Using the £514,000 investment, we implemented a programme of ‘pop-up’ and temporary emergency active travel schemes across the county. The schemes aimed to encourage residents to undertake more local journeys by foot and by bike. Potential longer-term benefits included:
- reduced congestion
- improved air quality
- improved community cohesion
- better public health
The schemes also helped to contribute to our policy in combating climate change.
The temporary schemes were adjusted through the trial period in response to feedback received and performance.
In March 2022, schemes were either decommissioned or made permanent (following public statutory consultations during December 2021 to January 2022).
Initial plans
The schemes focused on:
- widening and extending footways and cycleways
- junction closures and new one-way systems that make it safer for walking and cycling
- encouraging more journeys by bike
- additional cycle parking
We made every effort to deliver trial schemes in line with the latest government design standards. These required that, wherever possible, cyclists should be given space on the carriageway and segregated from both vehicles and pedestrians, except where traffic levels are very low.
Schemes were chosen based on known local walking and cycling priorities.
Opportunities to reallocate road space to create pop-up cycleways around Amersham, with improved active travel links to Amersham station, local schools and business areas, were discussed however following consultations with our council members, the trial scheme in Amersham was not progressed.
The trial in Southcourt included improved cycle route signage and lining, installation of cycle lane segregation and temporary road closures. It provided improved links to some of the existing Gemstone Routes, and a diverted routing to overcome the existing severed Jet Way to create quieter streets for everyone to be able to access their local shops and facilities, whether on foot or by bike, and improve access to the station and schools.
A temporary cycle route connected into the existing Pebble Way and Pearl Way at the Churchill Avenue/ Prebendal Avenue Roundabout by converting pavements to shared footway/cycleways. Cycle directional signage and lining was refreshed in the area.
Temporary point closures using decorative planters are installed at the following locations to create quiet routes for cycling and walking:
- Chaloner Road near the junction with Carrington Road
- Thrasher Road near the junction with Carrington Road
- Thrasher Road near the junction with Cottesloe Road
- Old Stoke Road near the junction with Clover Lane
The full length of the road remained open, facilitating resident access, but vehicular access was only possible from one side of the road.
At the junction of Chalgrove Walk and Churchill Avenue, following feedback from local residents and discussions with representatives from Aylesbury Community Board and local council members, the initial point closure was adjusted in April 2021. Chalgrove Walk remained a two-way street, however, the point closure was adjusted to provide an 'exit only' route from Chalgrove Walk onto Churchill Avenue, rather than the point closure making Chalgrove Walk not a through route. Access to Chalgrove Walk was unchanged, via Hampden Gardens, with the junction of Chalgrove Walk/Churchill Avenue being exit only and the appropriate signage and road orders in place on Churchill Avenue. The damaged grass verge was reinstated during summer 2021.
Following the point closures as outlined above, the cycle route continued on to Cottesloe Road to connect to the existing Jet Way Gemstone route and onto Churchill Avenue. The existing Jet Way continues along Old Stoke Road, Nightingale Road and Penn Road towards the town centre.
Once the cycle route re-joins Churchill Avenue, a segregated cycleway using temporary pop-up wands was provided for south eastbound cyclists, and the existing footway is as a shared-use path for north westbound cyclists. The route then joined the existing shared-use paths and advisory cycle lanes on Mandeville Road, connecting into Stadium Approach.
Onward connections are available along Stadium Approach towards the Amber Way, A413 and Turnfurlong, in addition to the existing route on Harvey Road.
Following consultations with our council members, the trial to improve sustainable access to the Aylesbury schools campus was not progressed.
Letter sent to local residents (26 October 2020) PDF, 220KB
Letter sent to local residents (20 August 2020) PDF, 282KB
Letter sent to local residents (22 February 2021) PDF, 164KB
Letter sent to local residents (18 March 2021) PDF, 490KB
Feedback and consultation
Following a public statutory consultation undertaken between December 2021 and January 2022, in order to ensure there is a good cycle link between Stoke Mandeville, Southcourt and the town centre, the council took the decision to make the following elements of the trial scheme permanent:
- the point closure (restricting through traffic) on Old Stoke Old/Clover Lane
- the segregated cycle lane and shared use paths on Churchill Avenue
Due to feedback received during the consultation, the council will be undertaking a review of the revised scheme after 12 months of it being made permanent (including data and usage) to assess whether any further changes are needed.
Following feedback received from the trial scheme, the council decided to remove the following elements of the trial (in addition to previous changes): two point closures at Thrasher Road, one point closure at Chaloner Road and the exit only route at Chalgrove Walk. These elements were removed at the end of March 2022.
Work was undertaken with local council members to investigate upgrades and refreshing of existing cycleways in Buckingham.
We implemented a trial temporary quiet way between Chalfont St Peter and Gerrards Cross Station using point closures at various locations along Lower Road and South Park. We also put in place a temporary road closure at the A413 Amersham Road exit. The aim of the trial was to support more trips by bike and on foot and to help reduce longer distance rat running through traffic. It was planned to be in place for three months but due to local pressure the trial was ended early, in September 2020.
Given the time pressures that were set by government for the implementation of the Emergency Active Travel Fund trials, conventional consultation with the public wasn’t possible. Instead, feedback was through online forms, publicity and engagement locally. There was a growing level of local support for the scheme, especially from residents living on the affected road, and increases in pedestrian use were reported. However, a clear majority objected to the scheme and after listening carefully to the views of local people it was decided that this quiet way trial should end early.
A temporary eastbound advisory cycle lane was added, indicated by dashed white lines, on Thame Road. The cycle lane started around 40 metres east of the access road to Haddenham and Thame Parkway Station and finished just past the Fort End junction on Banks Road.
The work undertaken included:
- repairing the carriageway surface before installing the cycle lane (where needed)
- clearing vegetation to improve visibility
- extending waiting restrictions to ensure the cycle lane is clear of parked vehicles
- adding an advisory 20mph speed limit along the route, as well as to the Woodways junction with Stanbridge Road
- ensuring cyclists have priority at the existing kerb build outs along the route
- installing sections of segregated cycleway
The advisory cycle lane was one way only, for eastbound cyclists. This cycle lane had a dashed line, meaning it is advisory in-line with the Highway Code. Vehicles needed to wait until it is safe to pass a cyclist(s), as vehicles would do on other roads without designated cycle lanes. Westbound cyclists continued to use the carriageway.
Due to varying carriageway width, it was not feasible to install two-way advisory cycle lanes on Thame Road or any cycle lane on Woodways as part of the trial.
Letter to residents (6 August 2020) PDF, 337KB
Letter to residents (26 February 2021) PDF, 172KB
Letter to residents (31 August 2021) PDF, 142KB
Following feedback from local residents and with the working group, which included Buckinghamshire Council Members and Haddenham Parish Council, the decision was taken to decommission the scheme. The temporary measures were therefore removed during February and March 2022. The learnings and data from the scheme have been shared with Haddenham Parish Council to help inform future schemes for the village, including their Streetscape project.
Upgrades and refreshing of the existing cycleway through High Wycombe were undertaken to increase protection for cyclists and improve awareness for all road users.
Letter to residents (1 March 2021) PDF, 162KB
Buckinghamshire Council was approached by the South West Chilterns Community Board about the possibility of a "quietway" on Trinity Road for an initial trial duration of six months. A quietway uses point closures to help create a quieter street for everyone, encouraging cycling and walking through a quieter street whilst still maintaining access by car for local residents and businesses.
Following a consultation in February 2021 (which included letters distributed to over 1000 local properties, both residential and commercial, and contact with others including schools, transport teams, taxi firms, waste collection teams, emergency services and others), it was agreed to implement the scheme during April 2021 as the majority of feedback received supported the scheme.
The scheme included implementation of a point closure on Trinity Road at the junction with Wethered Road, through the installation of decorative planters, and the installation of bollard posts towards the Dean Street Car Park end of Trinity Road. These were placed north of residential and business access to ensure existing vehicle access was maintained for all residential and business properties along Trinity Road. Access to Dean Street car park was maintained, accessible from Dean Street only.
Through-traffic was required to divert via Dean Street and Wethered Road. As part of the trial scheme, additional signage was installed to improve integration with the existing cycle route through the park, which joins Trinity Road, and lining on the road within the area of the point closures was refreshed.
In October 2021, it was agreed that the duration of the trial be extended until the end of May 2022, to undertake a formal statutory consultation. Further information is provided in the letter below, dated 26 October 2021.
Letter to Trinity Road residents (22 February 2021)
Letter to local residents (22 February 2021)
Letter to local residents (26 March 2021)
Letter to local residents (26 October 2021)
Following a public statutory consultation undertaken between December 2021 and January 2022, the council took the decision to make the scheme permanent. The majority of people who responded to the consultation (over two thirds) were in favour of the scheme, and data shows there has been a significant increase on Trinity Road in walking and cycling since the trial scheme was introduced (a 45% increase in pedestrian usage and 12% increase in cyclist usage).
Funding
The schemes were implemented through the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund and the terms and conditions of this meant that funding could only be spent on schemes which:
- reallocated carriageway space to walking and cycling
- used temporary ‘pop-up’ materials and measures, so no engineering or changes to existing kerb lines were possible
This meant that we are not able to use the funding for maintenance purposes.
Schemes were selected which complemented existing networks and future strategic ambitions wherever possible.
Monitoring the schemes
Schemes ran for a minimum initial duration of three months on a trial basis, trial durations varied by scheme and further details can be found under each scheme sub-heading. Schemes were monitored through:
- cycle and pedestrian audits / counts
- feedback from residents, users, members, town and parish councils and Community Boards
The schemes were implemented under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order in line with Section 14 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Consultation
The schemes were implemented under the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund which had short, centrally-set, timescales. Due to this, a public consultation was not possible prior to schemes being implemented. However, local engagement was undertaken with; local members, town and parish councils, community boards, schools, religious organisations, and emergency services. Letters were sent to residents local to the scheme as well as other local parties such as shops and taxi operators.
Public feedback could be submitted during the period of the trials.
The emergency services were consulted about these schemes as part of the Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders. They did not raise any objection to the proposals and were able to update their routing accordingly in response to changes to public highway. In an emergency, blue light vehicles are not bound by certain traffic regulation orders such as one-way streets.