Work to start on ‘green travel’ link
Preparation work on a new shared cycleway and footpath linking Winslow with Buckingham beginstoday (Monday July 4).
The £2.5 million scheme, led by Buckinghamshire County Council, will follow the main A413 from Winslow town centre to the A421 roundabout at Buckingham.
And when the East-West Rail line opens in the early2020s, the cycleway will provide a valuable ‘green’ travel link direct to the new Winslow station, which it is estimated should handlemore than half a million passengerjourneys annually by 2031.
Transport Cabinet Member Mark Shaw says the shared cycleway-footway will be an improvement to the county’s travel network, and sees it asan important connection between the two towns encouraging residents to consider other means of getting around.
‘Already we make more than 16,000 cyclejourneys every year in Buckinghamshire, and many of these are for work, college or school,’ said Mark. ‘If folk have a saferoute the hope is they’ll be morewilling to use two wheels or two legs! And the aim is that this route will encourage them to do just that.’
The 5.6 mile route will use roadside pavements where they’re available and convert sections of grass verge where there is no footway.
Crossing points will be provided at junctions along the road to help walkers and cyclists cross more safely.
The scheme, managed by Transport for Buckinghamshire, and due to be finished in the New Year,is being funded jointly betweenthe County Council and Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP).
Martin Tett, LEP Board Member and County Council Leader, said Winslow and Buckingham had important parts to play in local growth and development.
‘This is a great opportunity for the County Council and the LEP to work together to strengthennorth-south connections, and make apositive impact on our thriving local economy with an eye to the wider benefits East-West Rail will bring.’
Construction work will be done by two teams working on 14 sections, to avoid road closures. At some sections controlled two-way traffic will be necessary between 9am and 3.30pm and these will bemanaged by temporary traffic lights.
While the ?scheme connects Winslow town centre with Buckingham’s bypass road at the A421 junction, separate plans have been drawn up to build the remainder of the route into Buckingham town centre. This will be funded by developers.