Residents to have their say on shared footway and cycle path plan

Cycleway and footpath improvements planned alongside the A4 Bath Road, in south Buckinghamshire, aim to make it easier for residents on foot or bike to catch the bus and train.

They form the mainstay of Buckinghamshire County Council’s sustainable travel scheme through Taplow and Burnham in liaison with Slough Borough.

From today (Monday September 26) residents in the two villages who will benefit are being consulted to find out what they think. The online ‘have your say’ questionnaire www.buckscc.gov.uk/about-your-council/have-your-say/ closes on October 24.

Public exhibitions are planned at the Village Centre in Taplow High Street from 2pm to 8pm on Friday September 30, and Burnham Park Hall in Windsor Lane, from 11am to 3pm on Saturday October 1.

Theshared use footwayand cycleway of up to 3.5 metres wide,on the northern side of Bath Road would improve:

• Connections between Taplow Station, the housing estate being built at Mill Lane, the Bishop Centre and Slough.
• Links to cycle routes in the area, such as the National Cycle Network Route 61.
• Cycle access to visitor attractions like Cliveden House.

  The scheme would include Toucan crossings at Berry Hill and Station Road junctions, and the crossing at Bishop’s Centre would be widened for cyclists to make it safer.

Also included are real time bus passenger information signs, free wi-fi at seven bus stops to make journeyseasier, safer crossing points at junctions, and improved street lighting.

The route would connect with a similar footway and cycleway planned by Slough Borough Council along its stretch of Bath Roadto linkthe town’s trading estate, railway station and other communities.

The cost for the scheme is being met from a £1.5 million Government Local Growth Fund grant, through Buckinghamshire Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership, and developer contributions of £190,000.

Mark Shaw, Cabinet Member for Transport, said:’By encouraging walking and cycling to and from the local stations, and improving bus-train connections, I hope we’ll ease traffic congestion on the mainroad. This will be particularly important as we prepare forCrossrail in 2019, which will improve rail travel for our residents.’