Council wants more people on bikes, e-scooters and feet – not cars

Council e-scooters could be coming to Newbury.

It’s part of a drive (!) to get us out of our cars and on to two wheels. And legs.

West Berkshire Council says an on-street e-scooter hire scheme – subject to legislation and an operator – would further increase travel choice, particularly to the destinations such as the town centres, hospital, railway stations and racecourse.

It also wants to get driven journeys down and says of the e scooter: “Along with shared cars these would give more residents a cost-effective alternative to car ownership.”

According to the council’s draft local transport strategy, electric vehicle (EV) uptake in the district is above the national average and there are several publicly available EV chargers across Newbury and Thatcham.

“There are, however, locations with limited offroad parking where on-street provision is likely to be needed to support increased EV uptake,” it concedes.

“This could be aligned with the provision of shared electric vehicles.”

Bold plans for the future look of how to get about, according the West Berkshire Council, include enhancing bus services, increasing car clubs and walking and cycling routes.

It also wants to create a high-quality ‘active travel’ link between Sandleford Park, Newbury town centre, Thatcham town centre, north east Thatcham and railway stations.

And it doesn’t stop there, as there are also ambitions for a trial of minibus service from north east Thatcham to the railway station and to improve the operation of and reduce the impact of freight in town centres.

The transport paper going before council next week says car ownership is lower in Newbury and Thatcham than the rest of the district, with approximately one in six households in Newbury and Thatcham not owning a car, rising to one in four in some areas.

“This suggests owning a car is not as essential as in other parts of the district,” says the strategy document.

“With a growing ability to also access some services digitally, people may consider the sharing of transport resources, which is now commonplace in some other sectors, eg accommodation and Airbnb.

“There are currently a handful of car club vehicles within Newbury, from which a network can be developed to provide a shared vehicle within walking distance of each resident of Newbury.”

Further effort to get us on our bikes includes plans to deliver a core strategic cycle network in and between Newbury and Thatcham and create quieter and safer urban streets for residents, pedestrians and cyclists, with 20mph limits and quieter residential areas where residents want it.

It wants to test and trial access changes, prioritising pedestrian and cycle movements, thus reducing the dominance of car traffic in urban centres and improve walking and cycling links to Greenham Common and to the Eling Way.

The Eling Way from Hermitage to Hampstead Norreys provides an off-road route for recreational travel.

“We will continue to work to deliver sections of this to create a route to Newbury to the south and Compton, and beyond to the north,” it says.

“We will also identify options for, and, subject to funding, deliver, an active travel route from Chieveley to Donnington.

“However, new dedicated active travel infrastructure is expensive and can take time to deliver.”

February 2020 saw the opening of the initial three-kilometre section of the Eling Way multi-user path, providing a traffic free link for considerate cycling, horseriding, walking and wheeling between the villages of Hampstead Norreys and Hermitage, following part of the former Didcot to Newbury railway mainly over land owned by Eling Estate.

The initiative spurred from early work by local cycling organisation West Berkshire Spokes and was delivered through partnership working involving West Berkshire Council, National Highways, Eling Estate, Hermitage and Hampstead Norreys Parish Councils, Sustrans and Spokes.

The route is well-used with sensors logging 185 pedestrians and 40 cyclists using the route in a typical 12-hour period.

There are local aspirations – reflected in the Hermitage Neighbourhood Plan – to extend the Eling Way north and south, to give a sustainable alternative for local travel between villages including Hermitage, Curridge and Compton, and the main towns of Newbury and ultimately Didcot.