Work striding ahead at trio of Active Travel schemes

Construction is progressing well at three Active Travel Fund schemes in West Sussex which will all provide improvements for cyclists and pedestrians.

The projects, at Drayton, Findon/Findon Valley and Shoreham, are West Sussex County Council Active Travel initiatives, funded by the Department for Transport. 

The council has outlined several aims of the schemes:

make walking and cycling to work, education and leisure activities more attractive
improve health and wellbeing by offering eco-friendly travel choices
broaden travel choices by offering safer, quick and easy walking and cycling options, particularly for short journeys
support zero emission journeys and reduce reliance on car travel.

Joy Dennis, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, visited all the sites recently to see the progress first-hand.

Joy said: “Given the importance of Active Travel, I am delighted to see these improvements being built. These are the first of many such schemes I want to see across the county. 

“By encouraging more walking and cycling, we can help to cut congestion, reduce carbon emissions, help improve people’s health and wellbeing and support the local economy. 

“Active Travel is one of the key aspects of the West Sussex Transport Plan 2022 – 2036 , which underpins the Council’s approach to improving the transport network and dovetails with Our Council Plan. ”

At the Findon/Findon Valley site, construction of a 2km-long shared cycleway/walkway route, connecting Findon Valley with the South Downs National Park gateway of Findon Village, has begun.

The new route will provide a link for those wanting to opt for a more active way of travelling to see one of the county’s stunning attractions – the South Downs. It also has the advantage of linking in with an existing cycleway south of the Findon Valley shops, towards the A27 and a signed route into Worthing town centre.

The project has been delayed by unforseen factors, such as adverse weather, and is on track to be complete by mid-January 2023.

The A283 Steyning Road site in Shoreham has seen the construction of a crossing for both pedestrians and cyclists.

That is on track to be finished by 18 November 2022, subject to unforseen factors.

Improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers at the A259 Drayton, near Marsh Lane, site are expected to be complete by 9 December this year. 

These improvements include a new 'Toucan' crossing and a lower 50mph speed limit being introduced.

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