According to the Oxfordshire Local Transport and Connectivity Plan (which has been adopted), there is a commitment to develop Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for all main urban settlements (over 10,000 inhabitants) across the county by 2025.

This should include Wantage and Grove.

They then plan to implement local cycling and walking networks in line with LCWIP proposals as funding opportunities arise.

It is therefore very unlikely that the funding will get to this corner of Oxfordshire.

They also plan to support rural areas and smaller settlements to develop their own walking and cycling plans, but there is no mention of any funding to make anything happen.

The plan recognises that longer commutes by walking and cycling are less frequent but can be stimulated by better network connectivity, improved infrastructure, new technology (particularly e-bikes and e-scooters) and more convenient interchanges with other travel modes.

They aim to identify and support all opportunities to develop and link up the Strategic Active Travel Network in new developments, rural and major roadworks and road schemes.

I’m not sure what this will mean around Wantage and Grove but I wouldn’t want to ride any bike or scooter (electric or man powered) along the main roads around here, particularly when there is a hold-up on the A34.

It’s great being able to cycle within a new development but when the beautiful new cycleway or footpath gets to the edge of the development it’s like falling down a rabbit hole.

It’s a very different world.

There are few separate cycleways, and roads with pot holes and man hole covers make cycling along the edge of the road hazardous and the volume of traffic makes cycling in the middle of a lane much more dangerous.

The County seems to have great aspirations but we know that the funding is very limited.

I guess that the reason for these ambitious plans is so that if any grant funding is available the ideas are already formulated so putting in a grant application is much easier.

The biggest amount of funding which was available was the Growth Fund which was associated with the Oxfordshire 2050 plan.

As the plan has been abandoned, it’s possible that the money has disappeared.

Still I guess that the team of people who were working on the 2050 plan can now spend their time completing grant application forms.