Many respondents felt that no more houses should be built in Wivenhoe unless something could be done to ameliorate existing traffic congestion within Wivenhoe and on roads into Colchester. The survey also asked specifically about traffic issues. A total of 791 people identified 968 different ‘problems’. The top three issues (60% of all answers) were:

• Traffic and access on the Avenue/High St – mentioned by 270 (34%) people, many referring to problems congestion and parking.
• Road safety and the enforcement of regulations – mentioned by 161 or 21%.
• Access and parking in other areas of Wivenhoe – mentioned by 144 or 18% people.

Access/parking in Lower Wiv/Cooks Shipyard, Commuter parking around station, Congestion on Clingoe Hill/access to Colchester, Cycling issues, Potholes and road maintenance and Buses and public transport were also mentioned. Many people couldn’t think of solutions to these problems but overall 774 solutions were suggested, the top three (82%) answers were:

• enforcement of existing or new traffic regulations eg. speed limits (237 suggestions)
• stricter controls of on-street parking, or more space for residents (230 suggestions)
• small infrastructure changes eg.pedestrian crossing or one-way system (166 suggestions)

Pavements

There were 98 spontaneous comments about the need for better pavements (despite no specific question being asked). 75 people discussed the need for smoother surfaces, widening, or pavements where there are none. The High Street and the railway bridge were repeatedly mentioned as being too narrow and the unevenness of surfaces was highlighted frequently as a concern for people with walking difficulties, and those with buggies or children on scooters. A further 12 people complained about pavements blocked by parked cars and hedges.

Public Transport

Overall, people feel that Wivenhoe is well provided for, however, nearly a quarter of those who answered mentioned the lack of a direct bus service to Colchester General Hospital (and to a lesser extent the Essex County Hospital). People also expressed the need for a bus route to Cowdray Avenue and Colchester Leisure World. The lack of buses to lower Wivenhoe, Brightlingsea, and Clacton in the evenings also featured in the comments. The dearth of ‘kneeling’ buses, came up repeatedly.

The most popular suggestion regarding the rail lines, mentioned by 70 people, was for a better service to London, especially more off-peak trains and quicker journey times. 58 people wanted a better local service, again more frequent or timed more efficiently to coincide with the London services. The station also drew harsh comments from 32 people talking about the various difficulties accessing the station as a whole, with a further 45 highlighting the Clacton-bound platform in particular.

Cycling

There was strong support from 174 people, many concerned about safety, for the completion of the proposed Wivenhoe/University cycle route. The new track would encourage 171 out of the 263 people who said they travel regularly to the University by other means to start to cycle. 81 people would like to see more done to encourage cycling, including measures to separate pedestrians and cyclists to lessen conflicts between their needs. Better maintenance of existing routes, including the Wivenhoe Trail, was requested by 70 people.