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

Studies approved for new Yate and Chipping Sodbury Metrobus, Park and Ride

The West of England Combined Authority, which consists of council leaders from Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath & North East Somerset (B&NES) councils and Metro Mayor Tim Bowles – have agreed £1.2million to investigate whether it is financially viable to go ahead with 21 transport projects which include four new MetroBus routes around Bristol, six new park and ride sites, and other transport projects.

Among the studies is an outline investigation into the A432 corridor to Yate and Chipping Sodbury, including MetroBus, a strategic cycle route, Park and Ride, Yate Station enhancements and a bypass for Winterbourne and Frampton Cotterell.

Plans from housing drop-in sessions now available online

Cllr Claire Young at the Yate and Chipping Sodbury drop-in

Now that the drop-in events on the new housing proposals have come to an end, you can see all the materials used at them here.

The proposals for the Yate/Sodbury area include housing coming round from north of the football club down towards the top of Nibley, employment to the west of the current business parks along Nibley Lane and then mixed housing/employment in the land between Nibley Lane and the railway arches. If these and the Coalpit Heath proposals go ahead, there would be very little separating the villages from Yate.


The proposals for Chipping Sodbury are for development areas on the south side of the railway, running from opposite the middle of Robin Way to south of Smarts Green roundabout. This means both sides of Dodington Road / Claypit Hill except the Chipping Sodbury School playing field, as far south as the Dodington Lane junction.

The submission draft of the Joint Structure Plan will be going to an extraordinary meeting of the West of England Infrastructure Advisory Board in Bristol on 25th, and the next meeting of the West of England Combined Authority will be 2pm on 30th October at the Bath Guildhall. Papers for that will be available on 20th October. It will then be coming to the South Gloucestershire Cabinet on 6th November and full council on 8th November.

Over the winter there will be a consultation and all submissions will be sent with the submission draft to the Secretary of State. The plan will then be tested at an Inquiry.