Great news from Hampshire County Council

Well this is nice: progress, of what might well be the concrete sort, in the form of an email from the HCC County Highways team:

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Dear Mr Stead

Re: A34 Junction with Nuns Walk and London Road Whitchurch

I have been asked to collate a single response regarding you enquiries about the shared use footway requirement near Nuns Walk [and] the sign location near Nuns Walk.

I believe my colleague has promised a response from myself specifically regarding your proposals for a shared use cycleway along Winchester Road starting at Nuns Walk.  I have looked into this and understand there are a number of issues.  Firstly there is a missing section of informal gravel footway between the A34 bridge and Nuns Walk.  This I have been informed is to be implemented in a similar manor to the existing path along the rest of Winchester Road (an informal gravel path).  This will obviously have no cycleway status but will provide an improvement in terms of linking the existing informal footpath with Nuns walk.  In the longer term it is going to be possible to consider a cycleway proposal as part of a programme of works for Whitchurch.  I need from you however the exact details of what you feel is required preferably with a plan showing the extents of the proposed shared use path.  Once I have received this, the proposal can be raised and discussed with Whitchurch Town Council.  If they are in agreement with the proposal and the scheme is prioritised by the Town Council members, funding options would be explored.  I would like to highlight however that this is a long term plan and I would suggest discussing your concerns in the area directly with the Town Council if you have not done so before now.

With regards to the sign location the requirement for the sign is being reviewed.  As part of the proposed informal footway works the sign will either be removed or relocated to the back of the footway.

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So it's off to the Keynote for me then, to draw up what I think would be a good answer to the vexed problem of getting children on bikes from Whitchurch to Tufton in a manner that is both safe and that feels safe.