New cycle lanes and one-way roads form part of 'Grantham active travel zone' plan

A chance to have your say on cycling and walking schemes in Grantham is in the form of a survey by Lincolnshire County Council.

Residents, business and organisations are invited to take part in the survey on the 'Grantham active travel zone', which aims to make walking and cycling easier.

The Department for Transport (DfT) awarded Lincolnshire £799,900 to be used to give people more opportunities to choose walking and cycling for their day-to-day journeys, to boost active travel and reduce traffic congestion.

After inviting members of the public to submit their ideas and hosting a virtual cycling summit with stakeholders last year, the county council has developed eight prospective schemes across the county.

The 'Grantham active travel zone' includes:

• Allowing more space for pedestrians and creating a dedicated cycling lane by introducing a one-way system southbound on High Street/Watergate from the junction of North Street to St Peter's Hill, and reducing it from two lanes to one southbound between St Peter's Hill to the junction of the A52;
• Introducing a one-way system northbound on Westgate from the junction of Dysart Road to the junction of Conduit Lane. Removing on-street parking from one side of the street on Westgate to provide an opportunity for increased outdoor trading and improved pedestrian and cycling space;
• The closure of both Market Place and Guildhall Street to through-traffic.

All closures and provision would be implemented by using high quality temporary infrastructure such as traffic planters, said LCC.

If supported by the public, the scheme will initially be installed temporarily for between a year and 18 months. After this time a decision will be made after further engagement with local residents and organisations whether to maintain it.

Councillor Richard Davies, executive councillor for highways at LCC, said: "This cash won't just benefit walkers and cyclists. For every journey we can make active travel a viable option for, we'll take a car off the road, reducing congestion and pollution for all of us.

"For this second tranche of the fund, the DfT have given us more time to spend the money and implement schemes. This gave us the chance to draw up the plans with the communities they are for, and now we're consulting on the schemes to make sure they're appropriate and will be used.

"Last year, data from fitness app Strava revealed over 16,000 more cyclists took to Lincolnshire's roads in 2020, compared with 2019, including thousands more cycling commuters. And, since opening the Lincoln Eastern Bypass with its separate shared-use path alongside, it has proved extremely popular with walkers, runners and cyclists. It's clear that there is an audience and an appetite in the county for these facilities."

The survey opened on Wednesday and closes on Sunday, May 16. Find it here.

People can give suggestions for new cycle lanes, widened paths and road closures at www.widenmypath.com which allows you to pinpoint on a map where you'd like to see changes.