Wiltshire Council has completed improvements to the Green Lane shared use path in Salisbury, creating a safer, more accessible and more attractive route for people to walk, cycle, wheel and horse ride between Roman Road and Pearce Way.

Green Lane forms a key active travel link between Salisbury and Ford and provides an important connection between local communities, schools, services and open spaces. The route is approximately 500 metres long and the improvements have created a safer and more accessible route for people walking, cycling and wheeling.

The completed scheme includes:

• An upgraded Green Lane surface, providing a more comfortable and accessible route for walkers, cyclists, wheelchair users and horse riders.
• Improvements to the width of the route in key locations.
• New street lighting to improve visibility and personal safety.
• Approximately 42 low-level illuminated bollards using warm amber lighting rather than conventional white street lighting, helping to minimise ecological impacts while improving visibility and confidence for users during darker hours.
• Smart lighting controls that can dim lighting levels overnight, reducing energy consumption.
• A new parallel crossing on Pearce Way, enabling pedestrians and cyclists to cross safely together.
• Traffic calming measures on Roman Road to help reduce vehicle speeds and improve crossing opportunities.

The project has been developed with careful consideration for ecology, accessibility, sustainability and user safety. The route passes through a known bat commuting corridor and an area protected by Tree Preservation Orders, with the scheme designed to balance improved safety and accessibility with the protection of an important wildlife corridor.

To minimise impacts on wildlife, lighting has been designed to keep light levels above the path below 0.5 lux and the low-level bollards focus light on to the route, while reducing light spill into the surrounding vegetation.

The scheme forms part of the Salisbury Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) and supports Wiltshire Council’s ambition to create safer, more sustainable travel options for residents and visitors.

Cllr Martin Smith, Cabinet Member for Highways, said: “The completion of the Green Lane improvements is great news for Salisbury residents and everyone who uses this route. These upgrades have created a safer, more accessible and more welcoming environment for people walking, cycling, wheeling and horse riding.

“By investing in high-quality active travel infrastructure, we’re making it easier for people to choose healthier and more sustainable ways to travel, while improving safety and accessibility for all users.

“What’s particularly pleasing is that we’ve been able to improve this route while taking great care to protect the surrounding environment. The design strikes a careful balance between making the route more accessible and ensuring this important wildlife corridor continues to be protected.

“This scheme is another positive step towards achieving the ambitions set out in Our Wiltshire Plan and creating a greener Wiltshire where people can travel confidently and sustainably.”

The scheme was funded through a combination of Active Travel England grant funding and developer contributions.