Residents in Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Copdock and Capel St Mary encouraged to have their say on proposed walking and cycling schemes

Residents in Bury St Edmunds, Felixstowe, Copdock and Capel St Mary are being encouraged to give their views on proposals designed to improve walking and cycling routes.

Suffolk County Council said the proposed schemes, which form part of funding awarded to the authority by Active Travel England, have been developed to give residents more choice in how they travel.

It said the proposed improvements will also make it safer and easier for residents to walk, cycle and wheel, improve air quality by reducing traffic and make the roads less busy for those who have to use them.

The consultations are live and will run until December 20.

The proposals by location are:

Bury St Edmunds

The route runs from Barton Road in the east of the town where it meets Orttewell Road, to the western end of Newmarket Road at the junction with Oliver Road.

It is around 2.7 miles long and passes along Eastgate Street, Mustow Street, Northgate Street, Looms Lane, Brentgovel Street and Risbygate Street.

The council’s vision is to create a route that enables people to cycle all the way through town from east to west, whilst also making sure there is also provision for walking in all sections too.

It would include making the section of Barton Road from Eastgate Street to the UK Power Networks entrance one way going east, to create sufficient space for a segregated cycle path travelling in both directions and retain the existing pavement.

An Eastgate/Mustow Street shared use would widen the pavement to create a shared path that both cyclists and pedestrians can use along Eastgate Street (on the southside). The existing on-street parking will be redesigned in some places so that it can be retained.

The Risbygate Street/St Andrews Street North junction would see a new signalised crossing that gives pedestrians/cyclists priority to cross over the St Andrew’s Street junction. It would include a raised table across the whole junction.

Segregated cycling in Risbygate Street would create a new segregated cycle path travelling in both directions (i.e cyclists will be able to cycle in both directions on the same cycle path) along the north side of Risbygate Street along to the Parkway roundabout. This will replace the current cycle paths that are on the road.

An alternative option is to make the section from School Yard and along St Andrew’s Street North one way, which would allow for the existing loading bays to be retained.

At Abbots Bridge a shuttle/give and take system would be introduced for vehicles travelling over Abbots Bridge to make room for cyclists to use the shared path.

For more details, click here.

Felixstowe

The route runs from the northern end of Maidstone Road where it meets the High Street, over the railway line and into Grange Road. It then follows Ferry Lane across to where it goes under the A14.

The council’s vision is to make the neighbourhoods around Maidstone Road, Grange Road and Ferry Lane safer and easier to walk and cycle, particularly for those children and families who go to the two primary schools.

It wants to hear from the community on what the challenges are and which solutions they think would make the biggest difference.

For more details, click here.

Copdock and Capel St Mary

The authority wants to make better use of the existing road space in London Road past Copdock and to create a space that allows people not only to drive, but also to walk and cycle safely.

It said access to private driveways and existing roads will be retained and in addition, both left and right turn movements onto the road will now be possible.

Within Capel, the proposals should help to reduce vehicle speeds and make it safer to walk and cycle.

For more details, click here.

Cllr Chris Chambers, Suffolk County Council’s cabinet member for transport strategy, planning and waste, said: “The county council has been very successful in winning funding from central government to improve active travel infrastructure across Suffolk, and by engaging with residents it allows us to fully understand their needs and concerns prior to implementing these improvements.

“Ultimately, we want to be able to provide more sustainable travel options for our residents to make walking, wheeling, and cycling trips easier, safer, and more convenient.

“I am glad to share this consultation with residents and I encourage them to take a look at the proposals and let us know their thoughts.”