Colchester to benefit from safer, greener, healthier travel infrastructure
Works will give residents more choice in how they travel around the city.
Residents of Colchester are set to benefit from a raft of active travel projects currently being developed across the city.
These have been boosted by the announcement last week of Government funding for more sustainable transport projects.
The works will give residents more choice in how they travel around the city. By developing more infrastructure that supports cycling, walking and wheeling, residents gain added health benefits through reduced congestion and better air quality. They also have the potential to help the people of Colchester to save money when other costs continue to increase.
The confirmation that more active travel projects will be funded in Colchester comes as Councillor Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, wrote to residents and businesses in the Crouch Street area of Colchester informing them that following extensive public engagement and discussions Essex County Council will not be progressing with the proposals for works on Crouch Street West, Balkerne Hill and Crouch Street East at this time.
The council remains firmly committed to improving walking, cycling and public space in the area and will consider alternative ways of delivering this with officers, local partners and Active Travel England.
Councillor Scott said: "Colchester is a historic city, designed and built for a different era and it can no longer cope with the current volumes of traffic. It is vital for everyone that alternative ways of travelling are developed. This will provide residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy a healthier Colchester.
“Throughout the extensive consultation and discussions I have had with local businesses and residents of the Crouch Street area I have heard arguments for and against the proposals the council was putting forward. While I have decided we won’t be progressing with the plans at this time, be in no doubt that I am fully committed to helping improve sustainable transport in this busy and vibrant area of Colchester.
“I want the residents of Colchester to live safer, greener, healthier lives and this is how Essex County Council will work with the people of Colchester to help them do that.”
Already many projects that support safer, greener and healthier travel are taking place across Colchester. This is as well as the share of £5.7 million of Active Travel England funding announced last week, which will be allocated to four projects across the city. The projects already in development across Colchester include:
- healthy school streets projects which help parents and children to choose to walk or cycle more on the school run, with the schemes also ensuring schools are healthier places for young people
- Levelling Up Fund - securing regeneration of the St Botolph’s area as part of the wider Colchester city centre funding award
- a Town Deal and Active Travel England funded project to improve access between the city centre, Greenstead and the University of Essex
- Rapid Travel System between the Park and Ride in north Colchester and the proposed Garden Community in the east - works starting on the first of these elements between Mill Road and Bruff Close next to the Northern Approach Road North Road to begin next month
- Active Travel England funded measures on Head Street, Station Way and a new crossing on St Johns Street and Osborne Street - these are as well as the projects already completed, including the 20mph speed limits and Vineyard Gate
These are in addition to the following projects which Colchester City Council have developed:
- the CAREless pollution campaign, which encourages drivers to switch off their engines when sat in traffic
- the new secure bike parking hub opened on Sir Isaacs Walk
- E-cargo bike scheme for businesses to hire a low-cost, electric cargo bike
- E-car club, which allows residents to hire pay-as-you-go electric vehicles
- developing public space in St Nicholas Square
Infrastructure that supports walking, cycling and wheeling also means residents can take advantage of the health benefits of being more active. These could include:
- improved cardiac health from being more active
- better respiratory health from better air quality thanks to fewer cars and vehicles on the roads
- the positive impact on mental health that being outside in green space can bring
Encouraging Colchester residents to use buses will also help save money. The current £2 fare cap has now been extended until the end of October. This means travelling by bus is cheaper than using city-centre car parks.