A group of local resident volunteers have drafted a plan for Arundel cycle routes and walking areas, using Government guidance and with the support of Arundel Town Council.
An LCWIP is a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan: The guidance provides technical advice and highlights the need to involve the community in identifying routes and considering improvements.
The Arundel LCWIP Group have experience in transport planning, cycling facilities, local government as well as community projects.
The Arundel LCWIP Group is:
- James Stewart – Chair (former Mayor, Chair of two Neighbourhood Plans)
- Kay Wagland (former Town Councillor, former chair of Traffic and Access Committee and has worked on the Crawley LCWIP with Crawley Town Council)
- Nigel Searle MBE (Stategic PLanning at GTR, graduate of the Chartered Institute of Transport)
- Dr Christopher Brooks (Data Analysis, Date Engineering, Data Governance, Data for Social Good).
They have set out a network of two walking zones, five walking routes and seven cycle routes that connect commonly used ‘origins and destinations’.
As well as their local knowledge, they have drawn on comments, concerns and ideas about walking, cycling and general access to key locations raised by Arundel people in consultations over the years, including the 2019 Arundel Neighbourhood Plan and the August 2022 Arundel Resident Consultation.
View/download the Walking Zones/Routes HERE.
View/download the Cycling Routes HERE.
View/Download the Arundel LCWIP Leaflet HERE.
The network includes the main residential areas, train stations, shopping areas, schools, churches, the surgery and other places.
The key walking and cycle routes are the ones from Ford and Arundel Stations into the Town centre and residential areas, and another connects Arundel to the parish of Lyminster and Crossbush and beyond to Littlehampton via the new Lyminster Bypass walking/cycle path.
Arundel centre is characterised, like many similar heritage towns, by narrow pavements, dominance of cars, non-continuous routes, poor crossing points and no dropped kerbs.
There has been little investment in infrastructure for the last thirty years, and so now is the time to look into ways this special town enjoyed by residents, those from nearby towns and villages and other visitors can be improved for all.
Click the HERE and the image below to view the summary of results from the August 2022 LCWIP Consultation:
There were 103 responses to the consultation.
Key findings:
- 94% support the aims of the Arundel LCWIP – to create better safety, better mobility and better streets.
- A high proportion were either car drivers (56%) or passengers (51%) for short trips rather than walking or cycling. (7% bus, 12% taxi, 4% train) – the main reasons given were safety, convenience and speed.
- 58% walk the whole journey daily, 64% avoid walking in Arundel due to the quality of the routes, consequently some (44%) walk less than they would like to.
- Cycling rates are low, 65% cite quality of routes as the reason, 67% cycle less than they would like to.
- Main barriers to walking and cycling are busy roads, indirect routes, difficult junctions and lack of knowledge of suitable routes.
Rustington and Lyminster & Crossbush parish councils expressed support for the Arundel LCWIP, as have Arundel Town Council, ADC and WSCC.
Two of the routes identified are already being assessed by WSCC: Ford Road and Mill Road.
As a result of the consultation responses amendments to the draft routes included:
- Walking Route 5 and Cycle Route 5 – Arundel Station to Crossbush was added to connect with the community there.
- Walking Route 2 – Arundel Station to St Philips School and High Street were extended to Burpham Road and Crossbush along the A27 for access for Burpham/Wepham/Warningcamp and to SDNP.
The Arundel Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan will be unusual in being entirely produced by the community.
An LCWIP is a high level network plan. It will include options, design ideas and very rough costs to implement each of the network routes.
Before approval and funds obtained, further full consultation with the community would need to take place.
Approved LCWIP’s that follow government guidance will take priority when considered for funding from Active Travel England. This is already happening with schemes across the country.
Our Draft LCWIP is currently undergoing a full and detailed review by WSP consultants engaged by WSCC for this purpose.
We expect that the outcome of this review will be close to the final Arundel LCWIP with costed routes, priorities and amendments in line with what is practical given the constraints within and around Arundel.
Further reading:
1) Gear Change:
Gear
Change describes the vision to make England a great walking and cycling nation.
It sets out the actions required at all levels of government to make this a
reality, grouped under four themes:
- better streets for
cycling and people - cycling and walking at
the heart of decision-making - empowering and
encouraging local authorities - enabling people to
cycle and protecting them when they do
2) LTN 120
This local transport note (LTN) provides guidance to local
authorities on delivering high quality, cycle infrastructure including:
- planning for cycling
- space for cycling
within highways - transitions between
carriageways, cycle lanes and cycle tracks - junctions and
crossings - cycle parking and
other equipment - planning and designing
for commercial cycling - traffic signs and road
markings - construction and
maintenance
