Buckinghamshire County Council have sent us the following information that is great news for young cyclists in Marlow.
Construction of the first link in Marlow's cycle network is due to begin today (April 4). The new shared footway cycleway is set to be built over ten weeks using the existing footways from Rookery Gardens and along Little Marlow Road between Chapel Street and Woodside Gardens. The works will involve widening of footways as well as an upgrade to the existing crossings to make them Toucans, which are suitable for cyclists and pedestrians to use.
To minimise disruption, carriageway working will be restricted to off peak times and the upgrade to the crossing outside Foxes Piece school is planned for the Easter holidays to reduce the impact on children getting to school.
The development of a cycle network for Marlow was one of the results of the town's car free day in February 2007. A significant level of local support, including a rally of over two hundred cyclists on the day, called for an improved network in the town, and subsequently a petition of around two thousand signatures was presented to the County Council and local area committee on July 19 2007.
Building on this local support, a consultation was carried out in the town to find out what routes or networks residents would like to see. Eighty-six percent of the respondents were in favour of the proposed network and three routes were highlighted for development. A programme for the implementation of the three routes has been developed with proposals to introduce routes along Wycombe Road and Henley Road over the next five years.
Buckinghamshire County Council Cabinet Member for Transport, Valerie Letheren said; "Residents have been calling for improvements to Marlow's cycleways since 2007. I am really glad that this route will be ready for the summer. The cycleway will provide a link to Foxes Piece, Holy Trinity and Great Marlow schools. It’s a great way for children to get to school and means they can get active on their way."
When my children were at Primary school I regularly walked with them to and from school. However it wasn't always easy, we had to walk on the road in places and the pavement was very narrow somewhere else. We had to cross a busy road as well. Anything such as this new cycleway that enables children and their parents to cycle safely to and from school in Marlow is to be applauded.