A four-week public consultation has launched around proposed additional cycling and walking improvements in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead.
The improvements are being funded by a grant of £335,000 from the second round of funding from the Government’s Active Travel Fund, which was announced in December.
The first round was primarily aimed at installing temporary interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second round aims to support the creation of longer-term projects, to be delivered in the first half of 2021.
The council put forward five schemes across Ascot, Maidenhead and Windsor for public consideration, with each based on the council’s Cycling Action Plan. Unfortunately, the allocation is insufficient to deliver all of our intended projects though we are seeking public feedback on all schemes.
The consultation website shows all the schemes in detail. The funding currently allocated will enable the delivery of a number of the following:
- low traffic neighbourhoods in Ascot, Maidenhead and Windsor
- school streets near local schools in Ascot, Maidenhead and Windsor
A further two schemes are still on the council’s longer-term plans and therefore we are keen to obtain views at this time on the following:
- a segregated cycleway along Dedworth Road in West Windsor
- a cycle route linking the north-east and south of Maidenhead avoiding the busy A4
Councillor Gerry Clark, cabinet member for transport and infrastructure, said: “This new funding from central Government is very welcome, and we’re keen to give residents a voice on how it’s spent through the consultation.
“The funding isn’t enough to deliver all five of the originally proposed schemes, so feedback from residents is particularly important. And we’ll be using that feedback not just to determine which schemes we will progress in the first half of this year, but also to inform future decisions on cycling and walking improvements in the Royal Borough.”
The consultation begins on Tuesday 12 January and closes on Tuesday 9 February and it’s the councils aim to have agreement on the final schemes by March, with delivery planned for the second quarter of this year.
The funding is part of £225 million allocated by the Department for Transport to local authorities to support active travel schemes in England, and it’s in addition to the £150,000 already committed by the council in recent years to improve walking and cycling in the borough.
It also supports the substantial Missing Links project, a £2.8million investment jointly funded by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership, to improve cycling infrastructure in North and Central Maidenhead.
Residents can see the proposals and take part in the consultation by visiting the online consultation at https://consultprojectcentre.co.uk/rbwmactivetravel .
To find out more about the council’s new environment and climate strategy please visit our website https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/environment-and-waste/energy-and-sustainability/environment-and-climate-strategy