Improvements to be made to cycle and walking routes in Didcot

People living in Didcot and surrounding areas can have their say on the future of cycle routes and walkways in a new consultation launched this week.

The consultation will identify improvements that can be made to cycling and walking as part of the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) in Didcot.

The LCWIP is one area of the South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, Didcot Garden Town Delivery Plan, a plan to help improve the lives of residents living in and around Didcot Garden Town.

As well as focusing on the connection of cycling and walking routes in Didcot the LCWIP will look at a wider area including Milton, Steventon, Harwell, Upton, West Hagbourne, East Hagbourne, Blewbury, South Moreton, North Moreton, Little Wittenham, Chilton, Long Wittenham, Appleford, Culham, Clifton Hampden and Sutton Courtenay.

The aim of this consultation is to gather feedback from people living in the area about the cycle and walking routes they know, to provide better links between Didcot, surrounding villages and new developments to improve connectivity for residents and businesses.

Contributors to the consultation will be able to leave comments and upload photos about different cycling and walking areas and suggest areas for improvement within the LCWIP through an interactive map.

These improvements will prioritise two areas of the councils’ corporate priorities. Looking at the climate emergency by reducing car dependency and congestion on the roads and improving the health and wellbeing of residents with better cycling routes and providing safer, more accessible areas to walk.

Cllr Robin Bennett, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Regeneration at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “This consultation is a vital step forward in our plans to create safer cycle and walking routes for residents across the Didcot Garden Town area.

“We’re confident that with proper, safe infrastructure, many more of us will feel safe to use our bikes or to walk instead of using the car. This is plan is the vital first step towards that and will help us to secure funds to build new routes and improve existing ones.”

Cllr Judy Roberts, Cabinet Member for Development and Infrastructure at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The people who live in Didcot and the surrounding villages have the best knowledge of what already works, what needs improvement and areas that can by identified for new routes. The deadline is very close, so I encourage anyone who wants to have a say to get involved. The interactive map allows people to enter their details when convenient to them.

“By improving the routes in Didcot and surrounding areas it will enable more people to use alternatives to the car or public transport to make our roads safer and our environment healthier.”

The deadline for feedback on this consultation is 11.59pm on Sunday 19 March and details can be found on the Didcot Garden Town latest news page of the South Oxfordshire District Council website.

After this feedback has been gathered there will be another consultation later this year where the public will be given the opportunity to comment on specific designs, locations, and proposed improvements for the LCWIP area.