Introduction and Background - Winchester Town Access Plan

Having good access to shops, employment, health services, schools, leisure and other facilities is important to all of us, whether it is by car, on the bike, walking, or catching the bus or train. Balancing the needs of different users can be difficult and ensuring good access in and around Winchester needs careful planning.

Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council are now working together on the development of the Winchester Town Access Plan a long term strategy that will set out the transport and access improvements we want for Winchester. It will be used to develop priority areas for improvement, co-ordinate funding, and support the wider environmental and economic objectives of the town centre.

Background - The Winchester Movement and Access Plan - WMAP

The original Winchester Movement and Access Plan (WMAP) was a ten year plan developed in the early 1990's and adopted to cover the period from 1994 to 2004. At the time of development the WMAP went through extensive consultation to ensure that its aims and objectives were widely supported.

WMAP made significant progress in the implementation of its programme including:

• The introduction and subsequent expansion of park and ride at Bar End;
• Enhancements to High Street and Jewry;
• Improvements to passenger transport information;
• improvements to the network of cycle routes;
• The provision of air quality monitoring and information dissemination;
• The creation and expansion of a Controlled Parking Zone;
• The creation of a Shopmobility scheme;
• The provision of bus priority;
• School and business travel plans; and, a range of traffic management measures to favor pedestrians and cyclists, slow traffic, reduce accidents and rationalize traffic movements.