Have your say on walking and cycling networks in Essex

New survey asking residents’ opinions on networks in Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Loughton, Harwich and Dovercourt, Maldon, Clacton and Jaywick and Waltham Abbey.

Residents and businesses are being encouraged to give their views on local walking and cycling networks in their area.

Essex County Council has today (Wednesday 14 August) launched a survey asking members of the public their views.

The findings will help the council develop and plan routes over the next ten years, helping to increase the travel options available to members of the public.  

The survey focuses on the areas of:

• Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell and Loughton
• Harwich and Dovercourt
• Maldon
• Clacton and Jaywick
• Waltham Abbey

Residents are being asked whether the routes provide the right local links. They are also being asked whether there are any routes that should be extended to reach specific destinations.

The consultation will run until Sunday 13 October.

Called Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs), these networks are designed to create coherent cycling and walking routes.

They are an important step for Essex to achieve the vision of a safer, greener, and healthier county.

LCWIPs ensure that a long-term approach is taken to targeting investment in the right places. They also form a vital part of the Government's strategy to increase sustainable trips.

Councillor Tom Cunningham, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways, Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport, said: “We want to ensure residents have choice in the way they travel, particularly for shorter journeys.

“By developing cycling and walking networks, we can prioritise how to use Government Active Travel funding in our streets so they become healthier places, are more accessible and have better air quality. They will also become safer for those who choose to walk or cycle leading to everyone having more travel choice and independence.”

Only views on the overarching network of routes are being sought at this stage, not on specific infrastructure.

To take part in the survey, visit www.letstalkessexsustainabletravel.co.uk.