Summary
- Where: The Avenue and Lovers Walk
- What: Proposed improvements to The Avenue
- Why: To complete a safer, dedicated pedestrian and cycle route for the city's north-south corridor and to widen the existing route along Lovers Walk to cater for current use.
Lovers Walk
Lovers Walk is a footpath across common land that links the Avenue to Burgess Road and runs adjacent to the University of Southampton’s Highfield and Avenue campuses. As such, it is a very heavily used footpath for both leisure and commuting. During peak use, the existing width of the footpath does not cope with demand and users step / ride onto the verges to pass each other. As well as user conflict, the current width results in exposed footpath edges, which are a safety hazard to users and maintenance issues.
These proposals will have a number of important benefits:
- Improving the experience for all users of the Common;
- Facilitating an increase of active and green travel to major clusters of employment in the City, helping to improve air quality and supporting healthier life styles;
- Extension of the northern radial corridor (SCN5) to connect with the Hampshire cycle network at Chilworth roundabout;
- A reduction in conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists, especially on Lovers Walk.