Track4
A Cycle Track from Wivenhoe to the University 

In 1998, Wivenhoe Town Council first put forward a proposal for a cycle track to connect Wivenhoe and the University. This proposal was for a track alongside Colchester Road. Since then ECC Highways have kept it on their list of items for consideration but it has never quite achieved the necessary priority to get funding against all the other ideas highways officers have on their list across all the Colchester area.

  

With major development proposals at the University, the Town Council resurrected its cycle track proposal again in 2006. And, with new housing on Salary Brook Farm area, put forward an idea to link Boundary Road, with Broomgrove Schools, and with Colchester Road by the Wivenhoe Fire Station so that more people would benefit by connecting people in that new housing to Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools, and not just those people going to and from the University.

Following a meeting on 13th March 2007 with the head of the ECC Area Highways office, Mr Geoff Harris, the Town Council wrote formally to ECC Highways requesting these ideas be given serious consideration by means of a feasibility study. 

The idea for a cycle track has been gaining momentum too with other people and groups adding their support to this idea like Will Bramhill, Chairman of the Colchester Cycling Campaign and his colleagues; Emily Harrup, Colchester2020 Travel Plan Coordinator at Colchester Borough Council and Jo Leyland, Transport Policy Coordinator at the University of Essex. The idea is supported too by local County and Borough Councillors. 

I’m sure we all agree a cycle trail would be well used especially if ‘safe and all season’. The Town Council’s position is quite simply it wants to see a cycle trail connect Upper Wivenhoe with the University and is not bothered in which place it is located as there are merits for both principal schemes. 

Let’s hope ECC Highways Department can give it priority within their busy agenda and do what we asked them to do by starting with a feasibility study. 

Cllr Peter Hill

Wivenhoe Town Council

Links:

  • For the University of Essex Bicycle Users’ Group (BUG) – click here

  • For more information about the Bicycle Users’ Group’s e-petition – click here

  • Details of the University’s support for National Bike Week and Bike2Work day – click here

  • For the Colchester Cycling Campaign web site – click here

 

Map showing the existing footpath which connects Boundary Road with Chaney Road across two open fields and then through a copse. 

Note:  In the picture, Boundary Road is the road running almost horizontally near the top of the picture. Colchester Road is the road on the right hand side running from top to bottom. It is the main road into Wivenhoe from the A133 Colchester Clacton road. Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools are the blob near the bottom the picture, almost halfway between the end of the footpath and Colchester Road. The University campus is to the north of Boundary Road and just the top part of Upper Wivenhoe can be seen at the bottom of the picture. 
Map showing a possible footway / cycle track to connect the Business Park and new housing at Salary Brook Farm with Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools and Colchester Road. Salary Brook Farm lies on the Colchester side of the University campus (beyond the top left hand corner of the picture) . 
Map showing a cycle track along side Colchester Road and with an extension to connect to Broomgrove Infant and Junior Schools.