Here at Essex County Council, we want to make walking and cycling so easy, straightforward and fun that it becomes the automatic choice for getting around, especially for shorter journeys.

With over 90% of Essex residents recently saying that they were concerned about traffic congestion, air pollution and road safety, our ambitious and exciting aim is to transform the transport network into safer, greener, and healthier routes, specifically designed for people who cycle and walk.

More and more of us are walking or cycling – often because of all the positive health benefits that exercise gives us, such as reducing the risk of heart disease or type 2 diabetes. Or perhaps, some of us want to do our bit for the environment, improve air quality and reduce our carbon footprint. And let’s not forget that walking and cycling is a cheaper option than driving.

Over the last 12 months, there has been a massive 20% rise in the number of people walking regularly while 58% of us are cycling at weekends and 9% on weekdays. We want these numbers to continue to rise and that’s why we’ve been working on plans to make walking and cycling something which we can all safely enjoy across the county.

As more people take up walking and cycling and avoid using their cars for short trips, it will mean fewer vehicles on the road and ease congestion for those who have no alternative but to drive, making their journeys more reliable and efficient.

Essex County Council has been working with district, borough and city councils and local community and accessibility groups to create a partnership known as Active Travel Essex. Our plan is to re-allocate road space to make more room for everybody to safely and efficiently walk and cycle in five Essex towns - Braintree, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Colchester, and Wickford.

With your input, we can help transform these town centres and neighbourhoods into thriving, healthier areas, with fewer cars but more people cycling and walking, allowing us all to breathe cleaner air and enjoy a better way of life.

We’re now ready to share our plans with you and want to hear what you think about travelling around in Essex generally and also about the proposed changes in the five locations. To find out more, please visit www.essexhighways.org/active-travel-essex.

You’ve got until 2nd July to give us your feedback.

With your support we can make Essex safer, greener, and healthier.

www.essexhighways.org/active-travel-essex