Ambitious plans for travel around Leighton Buzzard and Linslade unveiled

Ambitious plans to improve ways for walkers and cyclists to get around Leighton Buzzard and Linslade have been unveiled by Central Bedfordshire Council.

They are part of the council’s active travel commitments to make it easier and safer to walk, wheel and cycle around towns.

During 2022 the Council asked for comments on network proposals,. The result is a suite of reports published this week called Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs). These explain in detail the networks it envisages for each town, plus the principles behind their design.

The benefits extend beyond pedestrians and cyclists and the plans aim to make life easier for users of mobility scooters, wheelchairs, pushchairs and prams.

Among the plans for Leighton and Linslade is providing better links to the town centre.

The report states: "Both Linslade and Leighton Buzzard are ideally sized for cycling but trips between the two settlements are problematic. This is due to the severance created by the Grand Union Canal and River Ouzel, the latter forming the boundary between the settlements. There is one road crossing of the canal and river within the urban area, creating a major pinch point.

“The network proposals include various upgrades various links to the town centre. The infrastructure within the High Street, Lake Street and Hockliffe Street will be improved to better meet the needs of pedestrians and cyclists. Both Hockliffe Street and Lake Street feature on-carriageway cycle contraflow lanes. The latter is frequently obstructed by vehicles parking to load and offload. For the majority of their length, the footways on Hockliffe Street are too narrow for pedestrian comfort.”

A further consultation on each LCWIP runs throughout November, closing mid-December. The results of the consultation will help to shape a Local Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for five locations within Central Bedfordshire.

The consultation follows a series of engagement events where the public, businesses and other local stakeholders gave their views and shared local information to help inform the proposed networks.

Cllr Tracey Wye, Executive Member for Sustainability and Climate Resilience said: “The feedback from this consultation will help us to focus on the destinations where people most want to get to. For instance, if we find that many of our residents would like to be able to cycle, walk or wheel to the train station or a local school, then that’s what we’ll prioritise. I would encourage everyone to have their say on the proposed destinations in their area.

“We want walking and cycling to be the natural choice for local trips and these plans aim to provide the infrastructure for convenient, safer, greener and healthier alternatives to using our cars.”

Cllr Wye added: “The fact that we can now collect our residents’ views not just by completing a form, but by collecting local intelligence using the features of the new consulting tool, means that we can really drill down to what the residents in these five locations would like see in terms of active travel networks.”

The consultation opens for six weeks from Wednesday 1 November until on Thursday 14 December. Go to www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/consultations to have your say. Paper copies are available in the Council’s libraries or can be requested by calling 0300 300 8302.