Have your say on Melksham to Hilperton cycle lane

WILTSHIRE Council is consulting on proposed cycle lanes in the county, including a cycle lane between Melksham and Hilperton.

The proposed cycle lane will link Hilperton to Melksham via Semington, removing the need for cyclists to travel on this section of the A361. 

The Melksham to Hilperton cycle lane is one of five schemes being considered in the consultation, which was launched by Wiltshire Council to establish which schemes to take forward, after they received less funding than they bid for from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Active Travel Fund.

The council bid for £908,000 from the fund, but was awarded £681,000 to progress the proposed cycling schemes in the county.

The consultation will end on Friday 8th January. 

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Wiltshire Council cabinet member for highways said, “Original DfT advice was to install these temporary cycle lanes quickly and without consultation as part of the Emergency Active Travel fund.

“However, we want to find out people’s views on the next round of schemes, and also on the temporary cycle lanes that are already installed, so we are holding this online consultation.

“We will progress schemes based on the outcome of this consultation and further comments from the DfT, and we will also make a decision on the ones currently in place based on the feedback we receive.”

The Hilperton to Melksham 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.

To find out more about the other schemes, and to take part in the consultation, go to www.wiltshire.gov. uk/highways-road-reallocation-schemes