The Northants Green Party has this week written to Council Leaders across Northamptonshire, asking them to take simple steps to support pedestrians and cyclists as restrictions on movement are eased in the next few weeks.
Last weekend the government created a £250 million emergency fund to support councils to deliver pop-up cycle lanes with protected space for cycling, wider pavements, safer junctions, and temporary infrastructure that enables people to walk or cycle whilst maintaining social distancing.
New statutory guidance has also been published on reallocating road space, making it clear that the Government “expects local authorities to make significant changes to their road layouts to give more space to cyclists and pedestrians”.
As part of this, we would like to see “School Streets” implemented outside Primary Schools across the town, and 20 mph zones widened in residential areas to enable parents and children to travel to schools safely without relying on motor vehicles.
We would also like the Council to consider how they can make our Town Centres more safe for people to cycle in, and look at closing some routes to motor vehicles to enable more active travel, and consider where they can widen pavements to make the town centres safer for pedestrians.
Green Party campaigner Steve Miller said, “We’ve been saying for years that the Council has to make our roads safe for pedestrians and cyclists. Now that the government is on board with this idea, we’d love to see Northamptonshire County Council, Northampton Borough Council and Kettering Borough Council grasp this opportunity. It just needs political will and some imagination, and we are keen to support our Councils to take measures that help ensure social distancing can be maintained across the town as people go back to work and schools are asked to reopen.”