New cycle lanes and a 20 miles per hour (mph) speed limit have been kept in plans for a major overhaul of Farnham Road despite opposition in a council survey.

Slough Borough Council wants to ‘revitalise’ the main A355 road in the north west of the town. The plans aim to prioritise walking and cycling and give more priority to buses. They also want to give more space for outside dining at small shops and cafes.

Plans say the revamp aims to ‘encourage those who work and live in the area to take pride in their community space and support the vitality of the shopping area'.

Proposals to build new cycle lanes and reduce the speed limit to 20mph were the least popular in a recent public consultation on the plans. But council officers say that the cycle lane and lower speed limit are ‘critical’ to improving Farnham Road.

READ MORE: Government confirms £9.3 million to totally transform Farnham Road

The survey asked people if they agreed whether each proposal helped to improve Farnham Road, benefitting users of any type of transport and improving access to the town centre.

Of the 485 people who took part 58.1 per cent said they disagreed with plans to build a segregated, two-way cycle lane on the west side of Farnham Road.

Some 26.6 per cent agreed, 8.2 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed, 1.4 per cent didn’t know and 5.5 per cent didn’t answer.

Council officers say responses to the survey showed some people feel there are ‘too many cyclists'. But they say their data doesn’t back up this view – and add that if they were to scrap plans for a new cycle lane they would lose government funding for the whole scheme.

Meanwhile, 57.5 per cent of people opposed plans to cut the speed limit to 20mph through the main shopping area between Essex Avenue and Sheffield Road.

Some 27.2 per cent agreed, seven per cent neither agreed nor disagreed, 2.6 per cent didn’t know and 5.5 per cent didn’t answer.

People who disagreed worried that cutting the speed limit would lead to more congestion along Farnham Road.

But council officers say a 20mph limit is ‘critical’ to making Farnham Road safer.

They say: “Between Sheffield Road and Northborough roundabout there have been in excess of 30 collisions in the past five years which have included pedestrians (some of which are children).”

Officers add that lower speed limits can also help reduce congestion as they make the flow of traffic smoother.

They said: “Congestion from slower speeds is a common misconception and actually is the opposite with slower speeds resulting in a more consistent flow traffic this aids the reduction of congestion.”

In total Slough Borough Council plans to spend just over £10 million over two years, of which £9.3 million comes from a government grant. Council leaders are set to meet to approve the plans on Monday, May 20.