Wiltshire Council to begin works to improve pedestrian facilities in Hilperton

Wiltshire Council will begin work to improve pedestrian facilities in Hilperton thanks to funding from Active Travel England to create new cycling and walking routes in the county.

The aim is to improve the links for people walking, wheeling, and cycling between Trowbridge and Hilperton, while also aligning to the existing active travel route to Melksham.

To minimise disruption, the work will be completed in three phases.

• The first phase, on Trowbridge Road, will take place from Monday 3 June to Monday 8 July and the road will be closed to through traffic at all times during this period. The closure will be between the Fieldways Roundabout and the Lion and Fiddle.
• Phase two, on Devizes Road, will take place from Tuesday 9 to Friday 26 July, with the closure once again in place for the duration along the length of Devizes Road. In all cases, access for residents will be maintained.
• Phase three, on Hilperton Road, will take place from Monday 29 July to Monday 12 August and will be under temporary signals.  

Cllr Tamara Reay, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: This new route will create a safer and more convenient route for walking, wheeling, and cycling between Trowbridge and Hilperton, and on to Melksham.

Leaving the car at home, particularly for shorter journeys, can help save people money, improve health, improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions, which is part of our Business Plan commitment to make the council carbon neutral by 2030. It is also our priority to ensure residents can get around safely and easily, and our investment here will help to connect these communities.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this work, but we look forward to the completed scheme providing a joined-up route between these west Wiltshire communities.

During the first phase of the work, the footway will be widened on the north side of the road between the A361 and the start of the housing, continuing the shared use path to the existing link on Elizabeth Way. An off-carriageway cycle link will be added to the southern side of Trowbridge Road to allow cyclists to access a safe crossing point. The refuge island will be widened across Trowbridge Road and will improve access on to the shared use path for journeys to the north and west.

The next phase will continue the scheme to the east of Trowbridge Road via Devizes Road. A filter will be added on Devizes Road to the west of the Stourton Park mini roundabout to prevent use of the road by through traffic. While through use by vehicles will no longer be permitted, people walking, wheeling and cycling will have access through the filter in both directions. This has long been an aspiration of Hilperton Parish Council, and will create an attractive, lightly trafficked route for residents. This route already links to Hilperton and Melksham.

The final phase will see the existing zebra crossing on Hilperton Road, near to Fieldways hotel, upgraded to a parallel crossing. This means a cycle crossing will be added alongside the pedestrian crossing to create a safe route for cyclists to cross between the paths on the north and south sides of the road. The existing island will be removed, and the carriageway will be resurfaced.

To find out more about active travel schemes in Wiltshire, people can visit New active travel schemes