| A Cycle Track from Wivenhoe to the University
In 1998, Wivenhoe Town Council first put forward a proposal for a cycle track to connect Wivenhoe and the University. This
proposal was for a track alongside Colchester Road. Since then ECC Highways
have kept it on their list of items for consideration but it has never
quite achieved the necessary priority to get funding against all the
other ideas highways officers have on their list across all the Colchester
area. |
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With major development proposals at the University, the Town Council
resurrected its cycle track proposal again in 2006. And, with new housing
on Salary Brook Farm area, put forward an idea to link Boundary Road, with
Broomgrove Schools, and with Colchester Road by the Wivenhoe Fire Station
so that more people would benefit by connecting people in that new housing to Broomgrove
Infant and Junior Schools, and not just those people going to and from the University.
Following a meeting on 13th March 2007 with the head of the ECC Area Highways office, Mr
Geoff Harris, the Town Council wrote formally to ECC Highways requesting these
ideas be given serious consideration by means of a feasibility
study.
The idea for a cycle track has been gaining momentum too with other
people and groups adding their support to this idea like Will
Bramhill, Chairman of the Colchester Cycling Campaign and his colleagues; Emily
Harrup, Colchester2020 Travel Plan Coordinator at
Colchester Borough Council and Jo Leyland,
Transport Policy Coordinator at the University of Essex. The idea is supported
too by local County and
Borough Councillors.
I'm sure we all agree a cycle trail would be well used especially if 'safe
and all season'. The Town Council's position is quite simply it wants to
see a cycle trail connect Upper Wivenhoe with the University and is not
bothered in which place it is located as there are merits for both
principal schemes.
Let's hope ECC Highways Department can give it
priority within their busy agenda and do what we asked them to do by
starting with a feasibility study.
Cllr Peter Hill
Wivenhoe Town Council
Links:
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For the University of Essex Bicycle Users' Group (BUG)
- click here
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For more information about the Bicycle Users' Group's
e-petition - click here
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Details of the University's support for National
Bike Week and Bike2Work day - click here
-
For the Colchester Cycling Campaign web site -
click here
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For the Colchester2020TravelTogether.com web site - click here
-
The Town Council team working on the Cycle Track
proposal are Cllrs Peter Hill, Neil Lodge and Maria Iacovou.
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Map showing the existing footpath
which connects Boundary Road with Chaney Road across two open fields
and then through a copse.
Note: In the picture, Boundary Road is
the road running almost horizontally near the top of the picture.
Colchester Road is the road on the right hand side running from top
to bottom. It is the main road into Wivenhoe from the A133
Colchester Clacton road. Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools are
the blob near the bottom the picture, almost halfway between the end
of the footpath and Colchester Road. The University campus is to the
north of Boundary Road and just the top part of Upper Wivenhoe can
be seen at the bottom of the picture. |
 |
Map showing a possible footway /
cycle track to connect the Business Park and new housing at Salary
Brook Farm with Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools and Colchester
Road. Salary Brook Farm lies on the Colchester side of the
University campus (beyond the top left hand corner of the picture)
. |
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Map showing a cycle track along side
Colchester Road and with an extension to connect to Broomgrove
Infant and Junior Schools. |
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