PLANS are afoot to make Ringwood the safest town in the New Forest for pedestrians and cyclists.

A host of routes to get people from A to B and back again safely - and healthily - have been drawn up by Hampshire County Council.

The urban network will eventually link in with strategic cycle routes in the New Forest and west along the Castleman Trail to Poole.

The plans were unveiled as part of the public consultation process last week with an exhibition in the town council offices and in the library.

Ringwood town councillor Veronica Sullivan said: "It's taken two years to get to this point."

She, councillor Danny Cracknell and deputy town clerk Jo Stannard walked the town searching out ways to improve footpaths, create new ones and set up a system of cycle ways.

"Since September 2002 we walked two, three or four hours some days. We started at eight o'clock and finished at 12 some mornings," said Mrs Sullivan.

They were accompanied by county council highways experts who took numerous photographs of locations where improvements can be made.

"There appears to be money to put this in hand. It's not coming from local pockets, but trickling down from government," she said.

More funding is likely to come from "develop-er's contributions", money provided by builders for improve-ments to towns and villages.

Many of the new routes will be joint use for cyclists and pedestrians. Observations showed where walkers were taking short cuts and these well-worn paths could become paved rights of way.

Road crossing points are to be set up, perhaps using pedestrian refuges to improve safety or dropped kerbs to aid cyclists and parents with pushchairs.

Mr Barton said the public consultation process will enable the council to prioritise and then carry out the work.

"The idea is then to go around the other New Forest towns and do the same thing. Hopefully that will then link up with the strategic route for the New Forest.

"The ideas are there, but it takes time and money."

First published: April 26