The Cycling Opportunities Group Salisbury (COGS) are bitterly disappointed that Wiltshire Council have once again delayed work on improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure in Amesbury.

The pedestrian toucan crossing element of the route across Countess Road had already received funding from Active Travel England, and had been delayed once already, for an unspecified reason.

The excuse for delay which Cllr Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport, has given now is that funding for the rest of the scheme, to give safe cycle access to Woodhenge and on to Larkhill and Durrington, is now uncertain following cancellation of the A303 Stonehenge project. 

Hadrian Cook, the Chair of COGS, said: “There are examples of cycle infrastructure all across Wiltshire where delivery occurs in a piecemeal fashion – River Park in Salisbury provides one such example. Funding for future phases is uncertain but useful initial improvements can be made.  Cyclists travelling from Amesbury towards Durrington or Larkhill emerge from the A303 underpass on the wrong side of the road and are obliged to cross Countess Road. This crossing also forms part of National Cycle Network Route 45 linking Salisbury to Stonehenge. There is no other safe route for walkers and cyclists to reach the World Heritage Site.”    

Hadrian added: “I know Amesbury Town Council are keen to encourage tourism. So it seems extraordinary that there would be any hesitation over progressing this step towards a safe route for walkers and cyclists coming via Amesbury to visit Stonehenge.  Cllr Reay has expressed a commitment to enabling residents to live healthier lives and improving walking, cycling and wheeling routes in Wiltshire. I would urge Wiltshire Council to review walking and cycling access across this area, together with local stakeholders, as a matter of urgency.”

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