A cycleway beside Oaklands Way, Northgate to College Lane, is out to consultation until 19 November. What it includes, the bus stop that goes, and the drop-in.

A separate footway and cycleway could be built along Oaklands Way, and West Sussex County Council wants to hear from people who use the road. The route would run on the northern side, from the Northgate gyratory to College Lane.

The consultation on the council’s Your Voice site opened on Thursday 8 October. It closes at 11.55pm on Thursday 19 November 2026.

The project team is holding a drop-in on Thursday 15 October, 3.30pm to 7.30pm, in the Studio Room at the New Park Centre, New Park Road. There is no need to book.

What is proposed

The county council’s plans include:

  • a dedicated footway and cycleway on the northern side of Oaklands Way, between the Northgate gyratory and College Lane
  • raised tables at junctions, to slow traffic and give people walking and cycling priority when they cross
  • upgraded tactile paving
  • re-laying the stone-paved area where College Lane meets Spitalfield Lane
  • removing the Franklin Place bus stop layby and putting an on-road bus stop in its place, which leaves room for a wider footway

The council has published maps of the proposals and two artist’s impressions, one of the College Lane junction and one of the Northgate car park entrance. Both are on the consultation page.

The route would join the existing cycle lanes around the Northgate gyratory. Those already link north along Broyle Road and round the city centre.

Why the council says it is needed

Oaklands Way is a busy dual carriageway with no cycle lane. People on bikes share the road with cars and buses. The council says this “can feel unsafe” and puts people off cycling short, everyday journeys. It also says the footway is narrow in places.

The road links the city centre with Oaklands Park, the University of Chichester and St Richard’s Hospital. The Chichester Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan names it as part of a key walking and cycling corridor serving the university.

The 2023 consultation chose this design

This is the second round. A consultation in late 2023 offered two options:

  • a shared path for people walking and cycling
  • a cycle track kept separate from both the footway and the road

According to the county council, 53% of respondents supported the separate cycle track to some degree, against 47% for the shared path. The new plans follow the separate track.

It is not yet funded

Nothing is agreed and there is no build date. After the consultation closes, the council will publish a report on the feedback and carry on with detailed design. It says any decision to build depends on the consultation, the design work and “the availability of funding”. The feedback will also help it build a case for that funding.

What it means for you

  • If you cycle between the city centre and the university or St Richard’s Hospital, this is the stretch the scheme is meant to fix. Say what would make you use it.
  • If you catch the bus at Franklin Place, the layby would go and buses would stop on the road. Traffic behind a stopped bus would have to wait. That is worth a comment either way.
  • If you drive Oaklands Way, the raised tables would slow traffic at junctions.
  • To see the plans in person, go to the New Park Centre drop-in on 15 October. For help with the survey or another format, the council’s active travel team is on 01243 642105 or activetravel@westsussex.gov.uk.

The scheme would meet a second route coming the other way. Chichester District Council has funded an all-weather path across Oaklands Park to Oaklands Way, due in spring 2027. We covered it in our Oaklands Park path story.

For other road changes in the city, see our Chichester roadworks and travel page.