Golden Valley Route A419 Stroud to Chalford

This study was commissioned by Stroud Town Council, Brimscombe & Thrupp Parish Council, Chalford Parish Council and Stroud Valley Cycling Campaign in collaboration with Stroud District Council and Gloucestershire County Council.

In 2019, Witteveen+Bos UK and Clifton Emery design were asked to look at whether and how the A419 between Stroud and Chalford could be improved, making it welcoming to everyone, not just cars.

Over that summer, they gathered ideas and opinions from people in the communities along the 4 mile long route. These came through surveys and in person, at meetings that discussed the best ways to make the A419 work for everyone...

Sample Question: Would you consider cycling on safe, segregated cycling infrastructure along the A419?

Key Finding: 62% of people asked don't currently cycle between Stroud and Chalford, but 92% might if there was a safe, high-quality cycle path.

From what people said, we imagined how our main Frome valley route could look. How pedestrians, cyclists and traffic could all safely and happily use the A419 alongside each other in a greener and pleasanter environment.

We developed an idea that we want to explore to see if it's doable. We want pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles to all be able to use all of the A419 between Stroud and Chalford. Pedestrians would have their own 2.5m-wide footway and cyclists a 3.5m-wide two-way cycle track. They'd be kept safely apart from vehicles by green verges, benches, cycle parking and bins where possible. There'd at least be raised curbs throughout.

The study highlights 8 places – 'villages' – along the route where extra steps will be taken to strengthen local communities. There'll be 20mph speed limit zones in the villages, with added measures such as raised-level zebras, visual narrowing of the road, and improved junctions and crossings.

Roads will be safer where people live, and crossing them will be easier. Bus stops and the canal towpath will be easier to get at and use.

If just half of the car journeys made along the A419 between Stroud and Chalford were made by walking, cycling or on public transport, then the carbon saved would be…

At 54%, transport is the largest single contributor to Stroud District's carbon footprint, and most of that comes from passenger cars. Very few other projects could help quite so much as this one.

Cutting carbon like this in the Frome valley would make it a safer, healthier, more neighbourly place to live and work. It would change the way people see what's outside their doors from a place to get through, to a community to be in. The air would be cleaner, our views would be greener, we'd get where we're going more easily. We'd be doing a lot to meet our climate targets.

The Inspiration Study literally provides the inspiration for how to do what we're aiming to do. Now starts the process of putting the dream into reality – next we need to look at feasibility and design.

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