Buxton on the move

Keeping Buxton on the Move was hosted by the Town Team’s sustainable travel group to outline progress made in partnership with local councils, businesses and other groups and organisations since the first Buxton on the Move conference in 2016.

The conference heard that better train services and integrated fares were on track as part of plans to take over Northern Rail’s services and integrate them with Greater Manchester’s Bee Network.

And Town Team proposals for a battery-powered train link between Buxton and the Monsal Trail at Blackwell Mill are now being assessed by transport consultants.

The group’s campaign to create a safer walk and ride network in the town has been backed by both Derbyshire and High Peak councils and Active Travel England.

With over 65% of Buxton employees living and working in the town, the aim is to make active travel the first choice for short everyday trips.

Design work is due to start next May on the council’s Next Steps Project, based on the Town Team’s ambitions for a ‘Buxton Boulevard’.

The authority has also completed preparatory work on Buxton’s section of the White Peak Loop, a 54-mile route through Derbyshire for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. The link will connect the Monsal Trail with the High Peak Trail.

Meanwhile, campaigns by the Town Team and tourist board Visit Peak District & Derbyshire have increased the number of people travelling by bus.

The community group is now working to establish an off-road bike track for local young people, giving them the skills and confidence to cycle safely.

“The Town Team is a group of volunteers with no money,” said sustainable travel group co-ordinator Tina Heathcote. “But by working in partnership with other organisations we’re delighted with what has been achieved so far.

“There is always more to be done, and we are ever grateful for the support we continue to receive from our partners.”

In addition to local community organisations and businesses, the conference was attended by representatives from the borough and county councils, the Peak Park, the new East Midlands Combined County Authority, quarry companies and High Peak MP Jon Pearce.

Bus and Rail operators were joined by the East Midlands transport authority, Transport for the North, Transport for Greater Manchester, rail rolling stock owners and the company behind Buxton’s proposed electric train.

For more information on the groups sustainable travel initiatives and other projects, visit www.buxtontownteam.org