Final Guildford Cycle Route Assessments Report

2 CommentsArchive, Bike Share Project

You may recall that Guildford Borough Council commissioned two parallel studies of a town bike share scheme and cycle network by consultancies Transport Initiatives and Urban Movement. They presented at a G-BUG workshop in June 2019, and we submitted a response in August 2019. The final ‘Cycle Route Assessments Report’ has now been issued. We think it is a thorough independent analysis of how cycling in Guildford might be improved and encouraged, with detailed proposals for a comprehensive network. It also lends support to the measures proposed by us recently in relation to the ‘Corona’ emergency funding for active travel. You can download the report and its appendices from the links below, and as ever your observations will be welcome.

Guildford-Cycle-Route-Assessments-final-main-report.pdf
Guildford-Cycle-Route-Assessments-final-appendices.pdf

PS We understand the delay in launching a town-wide bike share scheme has been at least in part due to attempts to align with the University’s own bike share scheme. The current University scheme contract will end in 2023, and GBC has decided to delay any introduction of a town-wide scheme until this time. Post-Covid funding constraints are also probably a factor.

2 Comments

  1. Arjen

    Reply

    Hi Nigel,

    Thank you for sharing – in general, I am very happy how this is approached and good to see there is good thinking being done. One stong remark: the design in plan 17 Southwest corner – looks nice and a green line – but is utterly impossible due to land ownership, green belt and slope. No idea who provided that (I suspect university), but it would need a realistic drawing – which makes it look less attractive.

    Please provide me with your mail address and I will submit further details.

    Two other comments:
    1) The hills in Guildford require a) active promotion of electrical bicycles and b) ways to slow down bicycles going downhill (e.g. Farnham road).
    2) The cheapest intervention – Remove all signatures and road signs that get people onto the A3 as cycling route. Including references in all cycling maps, google maps and government documents that A3 is a cycleway. We all have seen lost cycling tourists following guidance and entering A3, particular coming from the south.

    Otherwise, glad to see this being addressed, wish we could use current emergency funding for rapid uptake….

    Kind regards

    • Nigel Burke

      Reply

      Thanks Arjen, for your comments, which we will consider in our feedback. Interesting about the A3. A couple of years ago, I noticed that having reached the M25 Junction along the cycle path beside the A3, the route is then signed along the main A3 carriageway. I actually queried it with Highways England, saying it must be a mistake. They confirmed that it was correct! You can reach us on info@g-bug.org, or, for a more social experience, our facebook group (see link on website).

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