The importance of staying safe and saving lives by keeping to social distancing guidelines still remains. To make this easier, a number of measures are being introduced:

• on our High Streets

• in parks and open spaces

• outside schools

• at bus stops

• on routes to work.

Some are simple measures like cutting back vegetation to widen footpaths or installing social distancing reminders on pavements. Other schemes will have a bigger impact, such as making our town centres pedestrian areas only or creating pop-up cycle lanes at busy points.

 Unfortunately S Glos are not using 'widenmypath'. To make a comment on these larger schemes people should visit the Sustrans website https://www.sustrans.org.uk/space-to-move/?utm_source=Town+%26+Parish+Councils+%26+MPs&utm_campaign=bcfbec49be-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_04_24_12_45_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_6d5a85e985-bcfbec49be-406510362

IDEAS FOR CYCLING IMPROVEMENTS

Resident have been out walking and cycling and have come up with some ideas to improve cycling - including a detailed plan for an east west route along Station Road - and a number of places where repairs are needed.

If you have an idea for where a path needs repair, needs to be wider - or there simply needs to be A path - do let us know.

South Glos is saying it is improving access and widening paths for social distancing - so NOW should be the moment to get all our ideas in. If you post them here, John Emms from the Focus Team is putting together a report on things we want done and they will get to him.

CYCLISTS and WALKERS - have your say on what needs doing

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is consulting about its "Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan". This document suggests lots of local minor improvements, but in our area it doesn't contain anything that resembles a strategy. The walking part is mainly about how people get from one shopping area to another, from Chipping Sodbury to Yate Shopping Centre and then along Station Road.

The cycling section hasn't considered any of the major issues that local cyclists want, like the link to the Bristol to Bath Railway Path and improvements to the Goose Green Cycleway. We don't know about any local cycling organisations that have been contacted - for example they haven't spoken to the Joint Cycleway Group, which is where local councils and cycling groups meet South Glos to suggest major cycling improvements in our area.
This looks to us like a costly desktop exercise that hasn't asked local people what improvements they really need around here. But please take a look at it, particularly the maps of Yate and Chipping Sodbury, and let WECA know what you think.


If we don't tell them what we want, then we certainly won't get it. But if we all feed in our worries, then there is a chance they will realise they have not been listening to real pavement road and cycleway users.

Whatever it is that niggles you. Tell them!

The consultation is open until 15 March - you can find it here:

https://travelwest.info/projects/transport-consultations/west-of-england-local-cycling-and-walking-infrastructure-plan