Swale Borough Council in Kent has developed a feedback-powered plan to promote cycling and walking across the borough over the next decade.
The environmental services and climate change committee adopted the new Swale local cycling and walking infrastructure plan (LCWIP), which outlines the council’s ambitions for active travel.
The LCWIP provides the foundation for the council to find and prioritise investment in walking, cycling and wheeling infrastructure, helping to promote a more active Swale.
This includes a network of plans identifying preferred routes for further development and a list of infrastructure improvements for future investment.
The document is fundamental for applying for funding from central government and plays an important role in planning, helping to make sure active travel is safe, accessible, and integrated into Swale’s local transport systems.
The feedback from the public consultation helped identify routes that need more lighting, new wayfinding or rerouting, and areas that may need traffic management such as speed limits or crossings.
Walking, wheeling and cycling are the greenest ways to travel, meaning active travel is not only good for people’s health but also the environment, helping to reduce carbon emissions.
Cllr Dolley Wooster, chair of the environmental services and climate change committee, said:
“We have big plans for active travel in Swale; we want everyone to be able to walk, cycle or wheel safely across the borough.
“This document helps give us the platform to make these ambitions a reality, it contains plans for a network of paths and cycleways which we’d like to create or improve and what infrastructure is needed. The LCWIP will impact planning applications making active travel a key focus, while also helping us unlock the necessary funding from central government to make the improvements we want to see.
“A big thank you to everyone who responded to our consultation, your local knowledge led to key changes to the plan including additional lighting and helped us make sensible changes to path’s routes.
“Walking or cycling not only helps people be more active, leading to a healthier life, it also reduces our carbon footprint which helps to protect our important natural environment.”
(Picture: Yay Images)
