Boost for pedestrians as work on Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone gets underway

Commencing on 6 March, Southampton City Council and their highways partner Balfour Beatty Living Places will be starting works on Obelisk Road and John’s Road, in the first phase of Active Travel Zone (ATZ) improvements to be delivered as part of the Woolston and Itchen ATZ

ATZs are neighbourhoods that encourage active travel through a range of measures which calm traffic and improve the environment for people walking, wheeling or cycling. This can help to address concerns with air quality, speed of traffic and safety. On Obelisk Road, this will take the form of new zebra crossings, carriageway resurfacing and improved, wider pavements while on John’s Road new buildouts will reinforce the one-way restriction and improve safety for cyclists joining the Southampton Cycle Network.

The idea of an ATZ for Woolston and Itchen was first suggested to local residents in a survey in August 2021 which saw nearly 3,000 contributions from local people and identified Obelisk Road and John’s Road as two of the locations most in need of improvements. Since then, the council has been working closely with local residents through face-to-face workshops and online surveys to co-design detailed proposals for improvements across the area, extending from Archery Road in the south to Bishops Road in the north.

The improvements to these two roads are anticipated to take approximately 21 weeks and be carried out in stages along the roads, however, works will be suspended for the week commencing 1 May 2023.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Transport and District Regeneration, said:

“We have been delighted with and thankful for the contributions and feedback from local residents in bringing these plans to fruition. The improvements proposed by the Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone will make walking routes to local primary schools more attractive and improve connectivity with Woolston district centre, Woolston Infant School and the Woolston Travel Hub which will be delivered later this year as another part of the Transforming Cities Fund.

“By making active travel easier and more attractive, we hope that the ATZ will improve air quality and peoples’ overall wellbeing in Woolston and Itchen and encourage those that can to consider leaving the car at home more often, especially for those shorter local journeys.”

Get full information about the phasing of the works to Obelisk Road and John’s Road as well as the wider Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone.