Gloucester to Cheltenham Cycle Way (B4063)
It has long been considered a barrier to economic, environmental and wellbeing growth that there is no clear, fast and direct cycle way between Gloucester and Cheltenham. They are the two main economic hubs in Gloucestershire and therefore draw in substantial numbers of commuters generating significant congestion and pollution. This highlights a demand for sustainable transport infrastructure linking Gloucestershire’s two largest urban centres.
The A40 corridor is so congested that even the express bus service is scheduled to take over 50 minutes between Cheltenham and Gloucester in the peak period. Currently there is no route for cyclists, as the A40 linking Cheltenham and Gloucester is unsafe for cyclists due to its segregated junctions, high traffic volumes and speed. Providing a high quality route for cyclists and walking along the existing B4063 which runs parallel to the A40 will for the first time provide a viable fast, convenient and safe route for cycling between Cheltenham and Gloucester.
The scheme will follow the path of the B4063 through the villages of Churchdown and Staverton. It will provide an attractive, flat route and acts as a core connection from which to develop a complete cycling network that joins the two primary economic centres in Gloucestershire.
Key points:
- A permanent continuous corridor of walking and cycling facilities for all abilities along the B4063 between Cheltenham and Gloucester will provide quicker journey times for cyclists than can be achieved by bus and at peak times by car
- Creating a central spine of continuous active travel infrastructure between Cheltenham and Gloucester will be the backbone of Gloucestershire’s emerging walking and cycling network
- Includes re-allocation of road space, improvements to existing facilities, signal improvements and other interventions.
- Reducing traffic congestion and overcrowding on Gloucestershire’s most popular bus routes
- Potential threefold increase of cycling on B4063 proposed scheme (DfT Propensity to Cycle (PtC) tool)
- Continues the Tranche 1 London Road (B4063) work
Highways England has developed the scheme up to the end of preliminary design stage, and funding has been secured for £1.165millon of further detailed design costs. Highways England has allocated £5million of construction costs; however, there is currently a budget shortfall of circa £5.4m to deliver the scheme in its entirety. The revised design for this scheme will take account of latest guidance, specifically the cycle infrastructure design (LTN 1/20) published in July 2020. While the B4063 scheme is a standalone scheme, the whole purpose of it is to provide the
initial building block of a comprehensive cycling network across the county.
The proposed scheme will directly link to the £1.6m West Cheltenham Walking and Cycling. Infrastructure Scheme (WCWCI) that was recently approved by the GFirst LEP Board and which benefits GCHQ and the proposed Cyber Central development, with its proposed 1,100 homes and 7,500 jobs. A further c. 575 homes are planned in other developments along the route. In total, the adopted Joint Core Strategy (JCS) identified c.9,000 homes and c. 100 hectares of employment land in the strategic allocations for the north-west and west of Cheltenham.
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