Saxmundham

Transport, traffic, mobility… how can we make Saxmundham better?

Saxmundham faces a lot of issues when it comes to questions of transport and mobility.  Here are just a few thoughts for starters – but we want to hear what you think are the key issues, and take on board your ideas for improvement!

Public transport

Despite our railway station being destroyed by fire just a few weeks ago, Saxmundham station remains an important rail transport ‘node’ or link for the whole area – and we need to ensure that the rail service is improved and developed in the coming decade.

But public bus services are less frequent, and have been reduced in recent times.  We need a deeper review of the role of local buses in tomorrow’s world, noting that it is the poorest and most isolated who depend on them to access shops and services, and visit friends and families.

Town centre traffic issues

Unlike many smaller towns, Saxmundham today has no pedestrianised streets in its centre, save maybe the link from Waitrose to the High Street if that counts.  Nor do we have any one-way system or other way of regulating traffic.  At peak times, there is congestion, and parking is a constant issue.  As part of the Neighbourhood Plan process, we want to consult residents and businesses, and also the local authority highways team, and emergency services, to see if we can agree on feasible improvements.

Pedestrians and cyclists

The newer housing in Saxmundham is not always been combined with adequate road safety measures, e.g. well-marked and lit pedestrian crossings, or lack of pavements forcing pedestrians to cross busy roads.

We also need to look closely at ways of improving access to the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists.  In particular, we need to encourage  – for reasons of health – as many local journeys as possible by foot or on bikes.  There have been plans for a safe and mainly traffic-separated cycle link between Benhall, Saxmundham and Kelsale, also linking to schools, but this requires more help from local authorities and landowners, as well as resources.

Access for people with disabilities

We would like to hear from those of you with mobility-related disabilities on what the priorities should be for improvement in the public sphere in the town.

Help us work on the transport and mobility challenges

As the above list indicates, there are are a lot of things to look at.  Some will need more in-depth work than others, depending on people’s priorities. If you would like to volunteer as a member of a transport and mobility working group, please contact us at saxmundhamplan@gmail.com