Question 5
More busses into Bedford and St. Neots. Currently there are no buses available from little Staughton into St. Neots yet the distance is the same as it is into Bedford. This would significantly reduce the carbon foot print with less cars on the road enabling cyclists and walkers more freedom. More foot paths are also required and better drainage.
Green infrastructure - supporting, maintaining and developing natural ecosystems in conjunction with, not separate to, our developed spaces. Social infrastructure - people should be able to access all of the things they require for everyday life (schools, healthcare, shops, recreation, workplaces) without the need to use personal motorized transport. Transport infrastructure -The social infrastructure needs to be supported with transport enabling people to reach all of these things within walking or cycling distance and be able to do so safely. Longer journeys should be made possible with easy access to sustainable public transport infrastructure (electric trains/trams predominantly). Technological infrastructure - much unnecessary travel/commuting can be avoided if people have the opportunity to access high quality technological services in, or close to, their homes.
Properly defined cycle ways and pathways for walking. Well maintained bus services. Roads with quieter road surfaces to reduce noise pollution
Rail. Direct trains from Bedford to Cambridge, Oxford and London. Any new large-scale housing should be sited near existing or new rail stations. We also need off-road paths so that more people can access the stations sustainably (by foot or bike). All new developments should have paths for pedestrians and cyclists enabling them to access nearby facilities (towns, shops, stations).
Joined up public transport. High speed broadband and good mobile phone reception so that people can work from home. Quality drainage/sewerage systems. Open spaces and woodland.
Our health and GP services are under strain so BCCG or whatever format it eventually takes need to organise better facilities for residents. So, new medical infrastructure is essential.
Difficult to suggest at this time until more detailed plans are available.
On the macro scale, rail. I feel BBC is doing a good job of supporting EWR already, in coalition with the other local authorities on the route. I'm very glad the route chosen calls at Bedford Midland for the sake of interconnection. Part of the business case for this route is that there is housing and fare revenue growth through interconnection, so Bedford must be seen to support this to keep EWR alive. For connection to rail stations, and local trips, cycling. More and clearer cycle lanes. Bedford is flat and not that dense - it's very well suited to massive uptake of cycling as seen through COVID. I would strongly support removing main carriageway lanes to create segregated cycle lanes. Shared pavements are only really helpful for kids moving slowly en route to school (e.g. Newnham Ave), not commuting, which has to be competitive with car journey times to get real mode shift.
The roads are already very congested. Any development must be supported by adequate road provision. Some plans for example Brown place huge strain on existing roads in existing locations around Bedford and Sharnbrook.
For me there needs to be creative planning to ease traffic to and from the A421 and beyond. There needs to be more choice of routes out including different means. Education is so important Outdoors is growing in importance and adds significant value to people's lives, be it in the form of learning, relaxation or sport etc.
Schools and doctors surgeries are obvious infrastructural needs although my major concern is specifically roads. In particular roads that are not overloaded at peak times of the day. For example, the A6 north of Bedford is very congested at peak times during the day.
There needs to be more environmentally friendly growth of infrastructure. More electric charging points in the villages, increasaed bus routes and times, cycle routes. We will also need to have an increase in medical and school facilities.
East West Rail, more housing and the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park
Transport (including charging points for electric cars), schools, health provision (GP, hospital, walk in centres), green space, leisure facilities are key to deliver growth in Bedford Borough as well as an attractive town centre.
The Biddenham Society considers this to be outside of its remit and does not wish to comment.
A key priority is to provide physical infrastructure that supports new developments and in particular new settlements or urban extensions. Opportunities for digital infrastructure to support connectivity and economic growth alongside transport infrastructure should also be prioritised. The identification and delivery of additional physical infrastructure must be balanced with other forms of infrastructure such as social infrastructure and green infrastructure to promote health, wellbeing, social inclusion and conservation opportunities. Detailed assessment of the infrastructure requirements arising from the eventual Development Strategy and the preferred locations of growth within the Local Plan will be essential to demonstrate the quantity, nature and location of infrastructure provision or improvements needed. The updated Local Plan should be accompanied by an infrastructure delivery plan to demonstrate how and when the identified essential infrastructure will be provided to ensure that any new potential developments do not create additional strain on existing infrastructure within Bedford Borough or in surrounding areas.
Further duelling of A6 north of Bedford Improvement of some junctions and traffic flow in urban area. More detailed information and plans on exact route for E-W rail link. Infrastructure needs to be cost effective : large infrastructure investments in some rural areas may not yield the level of housing and economic growth that the same level of investment would do elsewhere.
A new railway station at Wixams forming a new north-south and east-west hub that is connected to the east-west road infrastructure that was built there for this very purpose in the first place.
Public transport Separated cycle routes
Any development must be based on sustainability and carbon reduction - this means that housing without infrastructure and sustainable transport systems that increase car usage would be inexcusable. Bedford can lead the way to a sustainable, low carbon future. Expanding villages that are effectively without sustainable transport links or services should be totally unacceptable
1. In order to achieve more sustainable development the current principle of developing additional primary road networks to facilitate new development needs to be abandoned in favour of environmentally sustainable alternatives. The emphasis needs to be on ensuring easy access to public transport, and sustainable transport alternatives – encouraging good quality “first mile – last mile” connections and sustainable transport hubs. An integrated network of “Dutch style” segregated cycle routes in both urban and rural areas needs to become the norm encouraging people of all ages to feel safe and use their bicycles more regularly. Current practice of simply painting the roads to enable poor quality unsafe cycle routes needs to be ended. The priority currently given to the car over cycling and walking needs to be wound back. Easy access to electric cars, charging points and car clubs – see trials operating in other areas of the country e.g. Bristol. Soft infrastructure e.g. doctors surgeries, shopping facilities, sporting/recreational facilities, community center’s etc. need to be available locally reducing the need for residents to use the car to access them. 2. What is meant by Growth? BBC needs to define more clearly what it means by “Growth”. Does it mean, as now, Growth at any cost no matter what the environmental damage or reduced “quality of life” - encouragement of huge population growth (+1.9m people) and the creation of a mega urbanisation (1 million homes equivalent to 20 cities the size of Cambridge) across the Oxford – Milton Keynes – Bedford - Cambridge Arc, with Bedford Borough as the warehouse capital of the Arc? Or, does it mean Growth which results in, as priorities; improved “Quality of Life” for all residents, reduction in carbon emissions, increase in biodiversity, reduced air pollution, affordable homes (especially homes for social rent) for all local people, quality open green spaces for both urban and rural communities, a viable and sustainable countryside – our “Natural Health Service”, quality employment opportunities for local people etc. etc.? Clarity on this issue will define more clearly the way forward.
• Primary AND SECONDARY schools • Doctors • Public transport • Improved roads and traffic calming / average speed cameras • Park and ride schemes – particularly north of Bedford. • Safe cycling and walking routes • Superfast broadband to all properties
Major development outside Bedford town requires either good road structure in both north/south and east/west directions. There is no major east/west road close to proposed developments north of Bedford and the A6 is already at capacity at peak times. The infrastructure to the south of Bedford is much better given the proximity of the A421.
Improve Bedford town centre and access to it. We are less likely to go there now the High Street is an unsightly single lane. Access to the interchange retail area is also bad, Lakeside at Rushden may be further, but is so much easier to get to.
Improved access to better quality green spaces.
Any significant development in the north of the borough will immediately overwhelm the current A6 route into town. If the council is to succeed in its vision to make Bedford “a great place to live, work, shop, learn and explore” it must also make it accessible.
Enhanced public transport provision as well as improved walking and cycling infrastructure is considered key to supporting the delivery of future residential development. Enhancement, particularly in rural areas will help facilitate growth in all parts the Borough, not just the urban area which currently benefits from reasonable levels of infrastructure and existing services.
Education, health, good transport links, small/local retail facilities and open space/leisure use.
• Public transport. • Park and ride schemes. • Roads built to a modern standards and maintained, along with traffic calming and average speed cameras through villages and urban areas. • Safe cycling and walking routes. • Primary and Secondary schools. • Doctors and pharmacies. • Superfast broadband to all properties. • District Heating (e.g. as described in my Q4 Yellow option response – in the Wootton/Kempston area use of the BMK Waterway for pipework from the Rookery South Energy Recovery Facility to new housing developments). • The BMK Waterway Park – bringing blue-green environmental infrastructure to developments and business and tourism directly into the heart of Bedford town centre.
The rivers flood risk to roads in North Beds is very disruptive and needs to be resolved. No cycle paths have been constructed within rural north beds in living memory, children need to be able to walk or cycle to school in safety and that means separating them physically from road traffic as per the Governmemts transport policy document