Access, Movement and Parking
Scroll down to read more about access, movement and cycling around the Town Centre.
Take the survey to tell us which streets you think should be prioritised for pedestrians, where you think a new mobility hub could be located and where car parking might be relocated in the future.
The Town Centre is accessible by both the local and highway networks. Even though its core is compact and permeable as a result of a network of corridors and pathways, it lacks connectivity with the wider context. There is an opportunity to establish an improved network of walking and cycling routes that better connects the surrounding areas with it.
The Town Centre is dominated by cars and car parks, which disrupt pedestrian movement and create a poor quality urban environment. Although in recent years pedestrianisation improvements have been made in Market Place, in the interests of sustainability, placemaking and health the Framework Masterplan should seek to reduce the number and frequency of vehicular movement in the centre and enhance the pedestrian experience. Cirencester has plenty of bus connections, but both the location of the current bus station and National Express stop do not allow a convenient and easy access to bus services. The potential transport hub could provide better accessibility.
Walking and Cycling
To address modal shift and 21st century mobility, active travel must be encouraged in and around the town centre.
"Modal shift" means in basic terms encouraging more sustainable (and often more active) forms of getting around - walking cycling, using public transport - rather than relying on the private car.
To encourage walking and cycling, safe, secure routes need to be established along with dedicated footpaths/cycle lanes and adequate and appropriate crossings.
Public Transport
It is proposed to locate a new mobility hub within the town centre. This would bring together shared transport (e.g. car clubs), public transport (e.g. coaches and buses), and active travel (e.g. bicycles and scooters), into one central location, improving the public realm and accessibility to the town for everyone.
Car Parking
The Council is in the process of commissioning a study that will assess how people access and move around the town centre, which will ultimately underpin the masterplan over the next year. The study will investigate the issues, risks and benefits of relocating town centre parking to the periphery, introducing facilities such as ‘Park and Ride’ or ‘Park and Stride, as well as opportunities to better connect the suburbs with the town centre through active travel measures.