Transforming travel in Woolston

With the conclusion of the Woolston Travel Hub project, the active travel improvements in Woolston and the surrounding areas enabled by the Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) have now been completed

Woolston Travel Hub has delivered new electric vehicle charging points, car club bays and e-scooter and e-bike hire locations in Colonnade Car Park along with upgraded lighting in the subway to Woolston Station, footway resurfacing, handrail replacement, shared-use pathways, and real time public transport information.

Jody, a local resident, said:

“I’m really pleased that we’re getting car club bays in Woolston, so we no longer have to go over the Itchen Bridge to pick up a car. Car clubs can help provide car access for families who can’t afford the rising costs of running a reliable car and has helped ours go car-lite!”

Southampton is expected to grow by around 17,000 new households by 2040 and as a result our Local Transport Plan (LTP) is delivering new, improved, and affordable alternatives to travelling by car to enable our growing population to travel around the city easily, efficiently, and safely. The LTP aims to encourage and enable people who can travel by public transport or active travel to do so while maintaining accessibility for people who must drive. These objectives were reiterated at the recent Southampton Citizens’ Climate Assembly where members highlighted that they want a future where people in Southampton use public transport and active travel as their main way to travel in and around our city.

Woolston and Itchen Active Travel Zone, Eastern Quietway and Woolston Travel Hub have made a series of improvements across the area to make walking, wheeling, and cycling easier and safer, supporting the objectives of Southampton’s LTP and the Citizens’ Climate Assembly at a community level.

Since Autumn 2021, the council has been working in partnership with communities in Woolston, Itchen and Sholing through surveys, co-design workshops and consultations on identifying and prioritising locations for improvements and designing the final schemes which can now be found throughout these areas.

From new zebra crossings and continuous footways to traffic calming, the three projects provide better active travel options for people wanting to go to the district centre, as well as essential community facilities in the wider area such as schools, doctors’ surgeries, pharmacies, train stations, community centres, green spaces, shops, and places of worship. By making these important community assets easier to access, we hope that local people will take advantage of the dual benefits of improving their health and wellbeing through exercise as well as supporting their communities.

Kate Paul, owner of Williamsons Haberdashery, said:

“The improvements are great for ‘dwell time’ in the district centre. When people drive, there’s always a bit of pressure to do everything that they want to do before their parking runs out, however when people walk or cycle instead, they’re free to browse, check out some of the unique businesses in Woolston or get a drink or a bite to eat, helping to build a vital and thriving community.”

Importantly, Woolston Travel Hub, along with the improved access to Woolston district centre for pedestrians and cyclists, will help local people to make onward journeys using public transport, with improved links and real time bus and train information. This goal is supported by Southern Railway’s new, more frequent timetable at Woolston Station and the improved frequency of the Bluestar 13 and 19, which has come about through the Bus Service Improvement Plan, another element of the LTP.

Councillor Eamonn Keogh, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said:

“I would like to offer my thanks to all the people involved in bringing these schemes to life, particularly everyone who has worked in partnership with us to develop these proposals and all those people across Woolston, Itchen and Sholing who have been so patient while the installation works have taken place.

“Local people have embodied a pioneering spirit with Southampton’s first travel hub of its type installed in Woolston as well as being one of the areas that are leading the way with active travel improvements, enacting the aspirations of the Southampton Citizens’ Climate Assembly and helping to lay the foundations for a healthier and more sustainable city.”