Final phase of Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone works completed

Southampton City Council is delighted to announce the completion of the Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone (ATZ) with the conclusion of the final phase of the scheme at Bishops Road.

ATZ: One of the new zebra crossings on Obelisk Road that have been installed as part of the Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone

The ATZ, which has been funded by the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund, prioritises people walking, wheeling, and cycling in the local area, calming traffic, and making it easier, safer, and more pleasant for people to choose active travel methods for local journeys.

The ATZ was first suggested in August 2021 when local people were asked about how to get the most out of Woolston, Itchen and surrounding neighbourhoods by making attractive, liveable streets that are easy to get around and connect with the district centre, local schools, places of worship, community centres and green spaces, as well as the wider city.

Throughout the consultation process we have been working in partnership with local people, and we have received thousands of comments that helped to identify the key locations where improvements would have the greatest impact as well as to agree what type of improvements would be appropriate to each location.

Since February 2023 we have been installing zebra crossings on Obelisk Road and Weston Grove Road, a pedestrian and cycle crossing on Radstock Road, traffic calming buildouts at John’s Road and Archery Road, continuous crossings at Fort Road, Bishops Road and John’s Road, new dropped kerbs on Peartree Avenue, Bishops Road and Swift Road and a traffic filter at Sea Road alongside shared use paths and resurfacing throughout these locations.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “With the finalisation of the infrastructure works at Bishops Road, the Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone is now complete. I would like to thank everyone for their patience while these works have been ongoing as well as all the local people who have worked together with us to envisage and deliver these improvements.

“The Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone, together with the Eastern Quietway and the forthcoming Woolston Travel Hub, will make active travel a more viable option in and around Woolston and Itchen, connecting local people who would like to travel more sustainably with travel choices that work for them, for journeys locally, across the city and beyond.”