Question 5

Transport including the better provision of public transport, with better rural bus service to cover working hours which is not possible at the moment. Better provisions across the Borough and within each settlement for older children, young children are normally catered for by play areas, young teenagers are not catered for.

Dual-ling of the A428 past Kempston and Great Denham, linked to a dualled section of the A4280 between the A428 and the new A6 section past Biddenham country sports park and the dualling of this A6 section. Also completion of an Eastern ring road from the A6 to the A421 somehow North of Manton industrial estate and then onto north of Mowsbury park and through to Norse Road and A4280 This would complete a Northern ringroad of Bedford inside of which development could occur.

Railways and waterway

Cycle paths

Roads- if new settlements are proposed for North Beds, then the A6 must be upgraded to dual carriageway all the way from Bedford to Rushden. The Great Ouse Way and Frank Branston Way will also need dualing, and a northern bypass absolutely must be built rather than using old concrete roads as at present that are buckling under the current strain. Without such a bypass Thurleigh, Ravensden and Renhold will be overwhelmed by traffic trying to get to the A421 and then onto the A1. Even without building any new settlements in North Beds the A6 needs to be sorted and upgraded. A northern park and ride is required if you wish people to visit Bedford. Further parking at the station is also required as its impossible at the moment.

Rail links and buses to villages

I think we have a good level of infrastructure. I wonder if a “boris bike” type scheme would help in the centre of Bedford?

Well managed and maintained schools, road network that will ensure reduction in traffic at peak flow times (Could be managed by electronic signage) and new hospital

Restoring the East-West rail link is key to any sustainable growth. Without that we would simply be speeding up the climate catastrophe.

A proper dual carriageway running north south which subsumes the A6. And not one like the ridiculous A6 'bypass' at Biddenham which is an already packed single carriageway and has more roundabouts than Milton Keynes. A proper fast road is needed with one or 2 key junctions only. Yes it may well need a new bridge over the river but it's the only way. Then the whole town centre can be won back from traffic and traffic jams and fully pedestrianised like so many European cities have succeeded in doing. Then the town needs to invest in a tram system that links from Wixams to the town center to Clapham, with a link eastwards from Kempston to the Universities to seriously remove the need for most cars to enter the town. Again if some modestly sized European cities can introduce trams we can be inspired by their vision.

The town centre is not accessible and no longer a destination for shopping - focus should be on historic and leisure facilities Not enough enforcement has been given to roads and volume of traffic following large scale developments - roads are key Our hospitals have not grown despite massive mass produced housing Our secondary schools need investment We need to support local businesses and entrepreneurs over large corporate - they can all be found in MK Communities are key. The town should be supporting and growing individual local and village communities

Bedford needs much better public transport. For example, very few bus routes in Bedford encompass the railway station (EITHER railway station), which is one of the major reasons people still use their car. We also need more bike/moped/motorbike lanes for safer, cleaner travel. There are a number of bottlenecks around Bedford town (e.g outside County Hall, Prebend street, Post office roundabout), all of which cause more accidents than is necessary. If we are to encourage people to use their car less, and walk/cycle more, it needs to be much safer to do so. I'm certainly not going to walk round Bedford in the evening, to get to car parks, bus stations, it just doesn't feel safe.

A centre for sustainability.

Public transport- particular better rail access

Retail, agricultural, recreational and educational facilities, storage facilities also need to be provided. Each of these have a huge range of options and need to evolve on small, medium and large scales to cope with different markets, customers and service users. Many who are daunted by working or using in large scale facilities will use more modest ones without a problem. It is critically important that the needs of animals, wildlife and conservation are viewed in balance with these as they are interdependent. Many working in these areas will have animals and enjoy recreation in the countryside, even at a low level. It is a mental health issue.

Also: - Retail - Recreational and leisure - Storage - Arts and culture - Heritage, conservation - Animals and wildlife - Hospitality .... on small medium and large scales to suite different markets, service users and stake holders.

Tempsford airfield, as long as the history is preserved in a way which celebrates the use during WW2 for SOE.

Further Park and Ride locations in the Clapham and Renhold areas.

Enhanced roadways become an obvious for enhancement but primarily for the movement of goods, during the period in question retail sales will progressively become more of a remote / on-line activity. Long distance journeys should be by rail on the basis that the National Rail network will become more expansive and more crucially perhaps greener and more sustainable. The remaining aspect is the carriage of individuals either for work (commuting) or leisure. Buses do nit in my mind fulfil this purpose being of limited capacity and speed (and prone to delays) and are unlikely to become sufficiently green during the planning period being discussed. That leaves a the option of a light mass transit rail (LMTR) system as being, again to my view. something akin to the Docklands Light Rail System which initially helped open up the Canary Wharf area in London’s Docklands and relatively easily expanded as the area grew, even to the advance of the growth in some instances. The London Underground network facilitated the movement of large numbers of people from London and mainline rail termini into the area, which the East -West Rail (Oxford - Cambridge) link should achieve. The LMTR link could also extend into Cranfield and also into the MK area, possibly to Bletchley as the passenger service to the East west rail link.

Transport- Road and rail networks need to be fit for purpose Hospital- will require upgrading at the start of the process, not the end

Can only answer that when we know which developments are plannned Best thing any council could do now is build cycle lanes and paths

Provision for utilities, especially updated water supplies, improvement of current roads, new purpose built care homes, retirement homes, graveyards, end of life care. Any families coming to live in the Borough will eventually need these, it is not just about schools and community centres.

Public transport [especially rail] and cycling routes

Shops, pubs, offices, parks, schools, colleges, a new university to encourage more young people to study then work here

Bedford Borough has already grown greater than the local infrastructure can take. Proper consideration should be given to providing sufficient infrastructure is required to be put in place BEFORE the houses are built.

NEW BUS/SHUTTLE ROUTES FROM/TO THE STATION INTO BEDFORD AND INTO SURROUNDING VILLAGES FREQUENTE BUSES TO ATTEND THOSE ROUTES SMALLER SIZE BUSES; WITH GREENNER ALTERNATIVE ENGINES

Any development which is in close proximity to the proposed route of the Bedford Milton Keynes Waterway park should not only safeguard the route but deliver or fund delivery of the relevant section as access routes to it, part of a Green infrastructure requirement.

THE BROWN URBAN BASED GROWTH PLAN REQUIRES MINIMUM INFRASTRUCTURE, EXISTING SERVICE EXPANSION CAN MORE EASILY BE JUSTIFIED.

Growth requires to be based on making Bedford a part of any benefits to an East West growth. Infrastructure such as the proposed trainline may be key to this. Currently there is only one bus route from Cambridge -Oxford and it is unreliable, slow and does not provide good value. Growth of Bedford just to meet government housing needs and to become an expansion of cosmopolitan London is not beneficial to the local economy and will only have a detrimental environmental effect. Dispersed growth and expansion of London train/road routes should not be allowed.

Whatever infrastructure is adopted it MUST be integrated. Integrated cycle routes with secure storage, lockers and permanent routes linking transport and residential. Electric bikes have allowed the range of personal cycling to be increased but these still have to make sense with regard to rail timetables, train design (bikes in racks in each carriage, not banished to the guards van). We must recognise that bikes represent a significant investment in health and can not be entrusted easily to an area where no-one cares. We can learn from Europe and particularly Japan . The Covid outbreak has shown that we do not all have to work the same hours, travel at the same times or continue to be dependent on rush hours or travelling to work. Infrastructure developments must recognise the need to address customers - if the options do not offer a better choice they will not be supported. Greater development demands an integrated package - travel, recycling, waste reduction and effective enforcement must be done hand in hand.