Worcester City Council has outlined a three-year plan to encourage more people to cycle, walk and use active travel options.
As part of the proposed plans the Arches walkway at Foregate Street, is set to become a mobility hub for a range of sustainable transport options.
The new walkway links the train station, the Hive and the Riverside, and will have secure cycle parking in addition to a Beryl bike bay, providing convenient links between different modes of travel in Worcester city centre.
The City Council’s Place and Economic Development Committee recently approved a refreshed Active Travel Action Plan for Worcester, to be implemented over the next three years.
A key focus of the plan is encouraging local businesses and schools to promote active travel options as well as supporting active travel by councillors and the council’s staff.
The City Council’s previous Active Travel Plan, which covered 2023 to 2025, successfully introduced the Beryl bike hire scheme – enabling over 52,000 cycle journeys in the city in the past year alone.
The council also promotes walking as an efficient way of moving around the city and provides details on its website, including a map giving walking distances between locations across Worcester City Centre, a separate map highlighting where benches are located, and a map of cycle parking.
Councillor Robyn Norfolk, chair of Worcester City Council’s Place and Economic Development Committee, said: “This plan is about making walking, wheeling, and cycling viable and attractive travel choices in Worcester, particularly for shorter journeys.
“The previous Active Travel Plan has shown how a project like the Beryl bikes can encourage active travel across our city. This forms part of our wider Worcester City Plan, which includes a key theme for Worcester to be a healthy and active city. We look forward to working with our partners to continue to increase the amount of people using active travel across our city.”
