People living, working and commuting to Havant now have improved walking and cycling facilities in the town centre.
The £2,155,000 scheme was delivered by Hampshire County Council and funded from the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund in partnership with Havant Borough Council.
Councillor Nick Adams-King, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Universal Services, said: “I’m delighted to confirm the completion of this package of improvements which will make cycling and walking an easier choice for people. Schemes like this enable people to choose to leave the car at home, helping to reduce pollution and promote healthier ways to travel for people living, working or visiting the town. Working with Havant Borough Council, the aim has been to link areas of Havant through the creation of better, greener connections to the town centre and public transport hubs like the railway and bus stations, and beyond to the Portsmouth city area, making door-to-door journeys in the area easier.”
Councillor Lulu Bowerman, Hampshire County Councillor for Emsworth and St Faiths, who is also Cabinet Lead for Environmental Services at Havant Borough Council, said: “By working in partnership with Hampshire County Council, and investing £250,000 of the borough's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding into this project has resulted in securing a wider package of improvements that will benefit residents and those working and visiting Havant. This active travel route for cycling and walking has vastly improved the main link between the train station, town centre and the college, as well as connecting with the extremely popular Hayling Billy Trail. Having the new segregated, parallel right of way – known as a Sparrow crossing and the first of its kind in Hampshire - is a testament to our joint commitment with Hampshire County Council, in promoting safe and active walking and cycling routes.”
A Sparrow crossing is a signalised parallel crossing which means that people travelling on foot and by bike can cross the road separately from each other on the crossing and both have buttons to call the signals for them to cross - other signalised crossings have one set of buttons for both to use in a shared environment. The Sparrow crossing increases safety and makes journeys easier.
The scheme includes:
• A segregated stepped cycle track - which is built higher than the carriageway, but lower than the footway and allocates road space to cyclists only - adjacent to a realigned pavement between Havant College, Train Station and National Cycle Route 22 via Elmleigh Road.
• An upgrade to the crossing facilities on Petersfield Road to provide the new Sparrow crossing.
• Pedestrian and cycle priority across the Civic Centre Road junction.
• A new raised pedestrian and cycle crossing on Elmleigh Road in the vicinity of the Station footbridge. This allows people to cross the road at the same level as the footpath and the crossing acts as a traffic calming measure.
• Works to enlarge the current splitter island at the roundabout to discourage the use of Elmleigh Road by HGVs accessing the New Road industrial estate and provide an improved pedestrian crossing. A splitter island is a raised or painted traffic island that separates traffic in opposing directions of travel typically used at roundabouts.
The scope of the original scheme was extended to include an additional section of Elmleigh Road from the footbridge to link with the National Cycle Network Route 22 at Leigh Road where another cycling scheme had been constructed, thereby extending the continuous link from the college to the National Cycle Network.
The County Council appointed Knights Brown Construction Ltd to construct the new road layouts along Elmleigh Road. Work started in May and the project was completed at the end of November 2023.
Funding
Most funding for the scheme came from a successful £57 million joint bid by Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council and the Isle of Wight Council to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund to support 23 schemes that will improve the way people travel around South-East Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight - either on foot, by bicycle or bus.
In South-East Hampshire, nine schemes totalling £22.316 million will be delivered by Hampshire County Council.
For more information visit: https://bit.ly/elmleigh-road-improvements
For more information on the County Council’s South East Hampshire Transforming Cities programme visit:
https://www.hants.gov.uk/transport/transportschemes/tcfportsmouth
Picture caption: Councillor Nick Adams-King, Hampshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Universal Services, with Councillor Lulu Bowerman Hampshire County Councillor for Emsworth and St Faiths, who is also Cabinet Lead for Environmental Services at Havant Borough Council, trying out the new completed Sparrow crossing on Petersfield Road and new pedestrian and cycle crossings on Elmleigh Road in Havant with Roger Knight and Wilf Forrow from Cycle Hayling and Havant.
This press release was originally written and issued by Hampshire County Council.