WILTSHIRE Council has submitted a second bid to the Department for Transport (DfT) for funding of up to £1.7m to reallocate road space to prioritise cycling and walking.

The bid comprises five different projects around the county, including Downton Road in Salisbury.

If funding was granted, a permanent shared-use cycle path will be created by widening into the verge.

It will connect to existing shared path facilities on New Bridge Road via very low traffic streets, where a 20mph zone will be introduced, to the Britford park and ride site.

This bid aims to meet the DfT aims for cycling to replace journeys previously made by public transport and deliver significant health, environmental and congestion benefits.

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Councillor Bridget Wayman, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “As set out in our Local Transport Plan, we are committed to promoting cycling and walking in Wiltshire.

“We also recognise that cycling infrastructure is most effective in areas where the potential for cycling is higher and when it can be combined with other measures. It’s for this reason that these bids are focused on our towns, often linking town centres with peripheral areas.

“We’re hopeful that all of these projects will be accepted for funding, but some of the projects may not be successful. We hope to hear more from DfT on this in the coming weeks.

“We look forward to the successful routes being completed so cyclists and walkers can use them and enjoy the health and environmental benefits.”

The other schemes are:

• A420 Bristol Road, Chippenham. On the A420, the scheme would see a permanent new segregated facility for both cyclists and pedestrians between the junction with Woodlands Road and the A350 bypass. This will further help to provide a safe route on the main road from Bumpers Farm.

• Lowden Hill, Chippenham. This project would see improvements at Lowden Hill to provide continuous cycle and pedestrian facilities between Bath Road and Lowden Hill, and onwards into the town centre and railway station. The scheme would see the closure of the western section of the route to motor vehicles, to allow the footways to be widened and the carriageway made into a dedicated route for cyclists.

• Hilperton to Melksham via Semington. This permanent facility complements the new cycling facility on the Hilperton Road, and links Hilperton to Melksham via Semington, removing the need for cyclists to travel on this section of the A361. The scheme starts at Hilperton, with a closure on Devizes Road, and then follows a length of shared-use path on the north side of the A361 to allow cyclists to access Whaddon Lane. The route then follows a byway to Semington, along High Street and towards Melksham before reaching the A350.

• Easton Lane cycle link between Chippenham and Corsham. This project would see a permanent closure on Easton Lane, just south of the junction with the B4528, before linking with the Wiltshire Cycleway.

To find out more about Wiltshire’s road reallocation cycling schemes, please see wiltshire.gov.uk/highways-road-reallocation-schemes