Draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy (2026) consultation

The council’s Cabinet has approved a consultation on the Draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy.

The Draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy (2042/43) will work alongside the Local Plan to prioritise the delivery of improvement to sustainable and active travel options through a vision-and-validate approach to managing the impacts of growth on the transport networks.


Plan proposal

  • Sustainable transportation measures are designed to reduce traffic flows across the district, and in particular on the approaches to and in the city of Canterbury.

  • Measures set out in the bus strategy and improvements to rail infrastructure will increase the use of public transport, walking and cycling by 2042. The government’s target set out in its long-term walking and cycling plan, Gear Change, is for half of all journeys in urban areas to be made by walking and cycling by 2030.

  • This will reduce the volume of traffic on the district’s roads, specifically on city centre roads where the majority of congestion is experienced, and therefore the volume of traffic is expected to reduce significantly as the potential for walking, cycling and local bus is greater.

  • The transport strategy will reduce congestion, improve air quality in the city and bring public health benefits as walking and cycling become more attractive.

  • Traffic flows and fleet composition will be continuously measured by fleet sensitive cameras and analysed to monitor the success of the strategy. Annual traffic counts by the Department for Transport and census data will further add information to the picture.


Consultation

In accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, Canterbury City Council is now publicising the plan proposal for a period of eight weeks: from Monday 23 March to Monday 18 May 2026.


How to comment:

Read the Transport Strategy and give us your views by completing our survey before 5pm on Monday 18 May 2026.

Alternatively, you can:

  • or write to Consultations Team, Canterbury City Council, 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2UR

Paper copies of the questionnaire are available on request. If you would like a copy, please email consultations@canterbury.gov.uk.
If you would like to see what you will be asked before starting the survey, you can view the questions.


Printed copies of the plan are available at the following venues:

  • Canterbury City Council Offices, 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2UR (Mon – Fri: 10am – 2pm)

  • Whitstable Library, 31 Oxford Street, Whitstable CT5 1DB (Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri: 10 am – 5pm; Thurs: 10am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: 10am – 4pm)

  • Herne Bay Library, 124 High St, Herne Bay CT6 5JY (Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri: 10am – 5pm; Thurs: 10am – 6pm; Sat: 10am – 4pm)

All responses must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday 18 May 2026.


What happens next

Representations will be analysed and summarised and will be submitted to the Secretary of State along with the Canterbury District Local Plan (Regulation 19) and supporting documents, and any proposed changes necessary to address soundness issues, for Examination.

The council’s Cabinet has approved a consultation on the Draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy.

The Draft Canterbury District Transport Strategy (2042/43) will work alongside the Local Plan to prioritise the delivery of improvement to sustainable and active travel options through a vision-and-validate approach to managing the impacts of growth on the transport networks.


Plan proposal

  • Sustainable transportation measures are designed to reduce traffic flows across the district, and in particular on the approaches to and in the city of Canterbury.

  • Measures set out in the bus strategy and improvements to rail infrastructure will increase the use of public transport, walking and cycling by 2042. The government’s target set out in its long-term walking and cycling plan, Gear Change, is for half of all journeys in urban areas to be made by walking and cycling by 2030.

  • This will reduce the volume of traffic on the district’s roads, specifically on city centre roads where the majority of congestion is experienced, and therefore the volume of traffic is expected to reduce significantly as the potential for walking, cycling and local bus is greater.

  • The transport strategy will reduce congestion, improve air quality in the city and bring public health benefits as walking and cycling become more attractive.

  • Traffic flows and fleet composition will be continuously measured by fleet sensitive cameras and analysed to monitor the success of the strategy. Annual traffic counts by the Department for Transport and census data will further add information to the picture.


Consultation

In accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, Canterbury City Council is now publicising the plan proposal for a period of eight weeks: from Monday 23 March to Monday 18 May 2026.


How to comment:

Read the Transport Strategy and give us your views by completing our survey before 5pm on Monday 18 May 2026.

Alternatively, you can:

  • or write to Consultations Team, Canterbury City Council, 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2UR

Paper copies of the questionnaire are available on request. If you would like a copy, please email consultations@canterbury.gov.uk.
If you would like to see what you will be asked before starting the survey, you can view the questions.


Printed copies of the plan are available at the following venues:

  • Canterbury City Council Offices, 14 Rose Lane, Canterbury, CT1 2UR (Mon – Fri: 10am – 2pm)

  • Whitstable Library, 31 Oxford Street, Whitstable CT5 1DB (Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri: 10 am – 5pm; Thurs: 10am – 6pm; Sat & Sun: 10am – 4pm)

  • Herne Bay Library, 124 High St, Herne Bay CT6 5JY (Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri: 10am – 5pm; Thurs: 10am – 6pm; Sat: 10am – 4pm)

All responses must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday 18 May 2026.


What happens next

Representations will be analysed and summarised and will be submitted to the Secretary of State along with the Canterbury District Local Plan (Regulation 19) and supporting documents, and any proposed changes necessary to address soundness issues, for Examination.