Results of Backwell Village Survey 2009: Safer cycling routes

The 2009 village survey asked residents what measures would encourage residents to cycle more. Here are the results:

 

The results indicated that the measure most likely to encourage Backwell residents to cycle more was the provision of safer cycle routes.

Where this option was selected, respondents were also asked to identify up to two locations for such routes.

The most popular choices were the “A370” and “Station Road”. “Backwell Common” was also popular, with many respondents wishing to see the existing Flax Bourton cyclepath extended all the way to Backwell.

The full results were as follows: 

1.     A total of 63 respondents identified “A370” or “Main road” as a priority for safe cycle routes, including the following specific locations/comments:

·         Farleigh Road (5)

·         West Town Road (4)

·         Rodney Road/shops to New Inn/Rising Sun (2)

·         “Backwell Crossroads to Old Weston Road”

·         “Brockley Combe”

·         “Crossroads to Dew Drop Inn”

·         “On A370 cycle lane on LHS”

·         “Cycle Lane on A370 through village”

·         “A370 to George PH”

·         “Along A370 from Flax Bourton to the Comprehensive School”

·         “Cycle path outside Parkers is useless”

·         “Wider pavements through town”

 

2.     59 respondents identified “Station Road”; comments included:

·         “Can’t get across, too narrow to cycle up”

·         “Widen Road”

·         “Safer lane on Station Rd”

 

3.     38 respondents provided non-specific locations of which 6 referred to schools:

·         “Everywhere” (13)

·         “Main routes” (4)

·         “All around” (2)

·         “To junior school” (2)

·         “Anywhere” (3)

·         “Throughout Backwell” (1)

·         “Backwell total” (1)

·         “Cycle Lanes on all major roads” (1)

·         “Around schools” (1)

·         “Backwell School” (1)

·         “School routes” (1)

·         “Many areas and main roads” (1)

·         “From schools” (1)

·         “To and from School” (1)

·         “Along most routes” (1)

·         “One end of Backwell to the other end” (1)

·         “Backwell” (2)

·         “Generally” (1)

4.     21 respondents identified Backwell Common including the need to extend or provide a link from Backwell to the existing Flax Bourton Cycle path; comments included:

·         “Extend cycle path to school and beyond”

·         “Cycle path across Backwell Common needs linking to Backwell”

·         “Extend Cycle parth from Flax Bourton to Backwell”

·         “Join the Flax Bourton cycle path”

·         “Backwell Common to cycle path”

·         “Access to Flax B’ton cycle path to Bristol”

·         “to link with cycle path”

·         “Extend cycle path to Bristol”

·         “Sustrans route came through Backwell”

·         “Continuation of cycle track”

·         “Continuation of cycle track from Chapel Hill to Station Road”

·         “Extend along railway”

·         “around Backwell Common”

·         “Sustrans route Backwell Common – Nailsea”

·         “Backwell Common Lodge Lane”

·         “Backwell Common – old Bridlepaths perhaps?”

·         “Backwell Common to Nailsea”

5.     19 respondents identified safe cycle routes to Bristol:

·         Via extending the cycle path (2)

·         Via the A370 (1)

·         No route specified (17)

6.     15 respondents identified safe cycle routes between Backwell and Nailsea:

·         Via Station Road (3)

·         Via Backwell Common (2)

·         No route specified (10)

7.     6 respondents identified Dark Lane.

8.     5 respondents identified routes to Yatton:

·         “Along A370 towards Claverham, Yatton etc”. (1)

·         “For Strawberry Line” (1)

·         No route specified (3)

9.     4 respondents identified Church Lane.

10.  4 respondents identified routes between Church Lane, Rodney Road and the Westfield area/West Leigh school:

·         “Church Lane to Westfield Drive”

·         “Rodney Road”

·         “Rodney Road to West Leigh”

·         “West Leigh School to Scout hut”

11.  4 respondents identified routes to Chelvey Lane avoiding the A370:

·         “Westfield Road to Chelvey Road (avoiding A370)”

·         “Westfield Road to Chelvey Road so that one need not ride on A370”

·         “Station Road to Chelvey Lane avoiding A370”

·         “Share lane with pedestrians between New Inn and shops”

12.  3 respondents identified Downside including:

·         “Downside and Hyatts”

·         “Downside to A38”

13.  3 respondents identified Long Ashton including “By-pass Long Ashton” 

14.  Other comments/routes included:

·         “Railway Bridge v dangerous”

·         “Crossroads and Embercourt Drive”

·         “To Portishead”

·         “Weston Super Mare”

·         “I thought there was a grand plan for cycle routes”