The Winchester Movement Strategy is a joint initiative from Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council.
The aim is to understand how to address travel and transport constraints, to support Winchester’s growth, and allow the city to become a healthier and more accessible place.
The public consultation will ask people who live in, work in, or visit Winchester to give their views on travelling in and around the city. In particular we want to explore issues and possible solutions affecting ease of movement in and around the city.
Results of the public consultation will help inform the priorities for Strategy as it is developed.
Background
Over the past decade there have been many changes to transport in Winchester. These include park and ride schemes and new 20mph speed limits in the city centre. With new housing developments underway, and other potential developments being planned, the time is right to review progress and set a new overall direction for movement in Winchester.
The Movement Strategy will set out an agreed vision and long term goals for traffic and transport improvements in Winchester over the next 20 to 30 years. It will provide a framework from which the local authorities can develop detailed proposals and specific target measures.
To develop the strategy, the local authorities need to understand their shared aspirations for the city, so that they can set priorities for the future. They also need to consider what practical measures could help them achieve these priorities. Initial scoping work has identified these aims:
- supporting growth and economic vibrancy
- improving air quality
- achieving the right balance between different types of traffic
The local authorities invite you to suggest more or different priorities so they can take these on board as they move forward.
At this early stage in the process no firm decisions have been made. They want to make sure that everyone who moves in and around Winchester has the chance to put their ideas forward.
Some initial suggestions
Early scoping work has led the local authorities to believe that the Movement Strategy should focus on:
Achieving the right balance between different types of traffic
Winchester is an historic and compact city. Balancing the needs of different types of traffic including pedestrians and cyclists is a challenge.
The Movement Strategy is an opportunity to review current arrangements such as the one way traffic system. It can also consider newer options such as giving priority to public transport on the roads, and improving public spaces to give people priority over traffic.
Supporting growth and economic vibrancy
The local authorities need to ensure that the transport infrastructure is capable of supporting housing and business growth. The Movement Strategy could help manage capacity by setting out a framework for improvements to internal road links and routes in and out of the city. There is also scope to enhance the current park and ride schemes.
Improving air quality
The local authorities believe the new Movement Strategy should support air quality improvements, potentially considering enforcement options, such as Clean Air Zones and HGV restrictions, and incentives to encourage uptake of clean fuel technologies.
How to have your say
The consultation starts on Monday October 30 and runs until Friday December 8. Links to the consultation information pack and online survey form will be published here at the end of October. The consultation will be open for six weeks for people to submit their comments. The BID will be coordinating a response taking into consideration the feedback received from BID Members.
