Report from Public Meetings September 2019:
There was a general recognition at the public meetings in September that there needs to be significant change in how we get around in and beyond the parish. Better bus service and alternatives to private car use, as well as road safety, were common themes in the discussions, which are summarised below. Several people said how pleasant Bisley had been without cars for the filming of Pale Horse in August.
Public Transport: Many participants said we need better bus service – more frequent, smaller and cheaper buses are needed. The idea of a circular route bus or mini-bus going around a loop from Stroud through Bisley, Eastcombe and Oakridge, down to Chalford and back to Stroud, got a lot of support. Electric buses to replace petrol/diesel were suggested, perhaps community-run.
Electric Vehicles: Recognising the need to switch from fossil fuel to electric power, a number of people said we need (more ) charging points, perhaps powered by local wind or solar generation.
Shared Transport: Car-share, car-pooling, and local shared taxi schemes were all proposed. It was suggested that the parish/community could own and operate a car club system, like that those that exist in Stroud and elsewhere.
Cycling: To encourage more people to cycle, we need bike lanes or dedicated bike routes, both around the parish and to nearby towns. The road from Bisley to Stroud, and that from Eastcombe to Chalford were both mentioned – the latter to link up with the cycle route planned for Chalford-Stroud. Electric bikes were seen as part of the solution, perhaps with shared community ownership. Use of cargo bikes to distribute deliveries was also suggested.
Deliveries: The number of delivery vans in the villages was seen as a problem. Several people suggested a common hub for deliveries, with some scheme for distribution to houses – perhaps by cargo bike.
Walking: Lack of safe walking is a problem, especially in Eastcombe and Bisley. Pavements are needed where these are lacking, and more off-road footpaths, e.g. to get to the Green Shop from Bisley, and to the school in Eastcombe.
Traffic-Calming: Speeding traffic, especially through Bisley and Eastcombe, is a serious problem. Suggestions for traffic-calming included: Lower speed limits (e.g. 20mph on the ‘main road’ through Eastcombe and roads through Bisley that are currently 30mph); speed bumps, chicanes and pinch-points, where appropriate (though these also have opposition); speed cameras; traffic lights on the bottle-neck near the Stirrup Cup in Bisley; ‘Green Lanes’ with 20mph speed limits; some change to the junction of Toadsmoor and Dr Crouch’s Road; a car park outside the village of Bisley, to reduce cars especially in the High Street; ban on parking in the High Street (opposition also to this); parking near the shop in Eastcombe is also a problem.
Road Changes: Suggestions included: widen the Bisley ‘bypass’; build a new bypass; make Dr Crouch’s Road one-way; change road markings to make clear cars are on our streets by invitation, not by right; change priority road markings around (e.g. Stroud Road-Mare’s Lane junction outside Bisley; Toadsmoor-Dr Crouch’s Rd. junction); Bisley High Street traffic-free.
Car Parking: Find solutions to the problems by Eastcombe shop; and Bisley High Street; parking outside village only; require off-road parking for all new houses.
Communications: Better mobile service is needed; but there is some opposition to 5G.
