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The long-held dream of a safe cycle route from Wootton Bassett to Swindon is inching closer, with Sustrans and Wiltshire Council working together to design a new route.
The Gazette and Herald reports that the final sticking point is Lydiard Fields, where agreement has not yet been obtained from a landowner. However, a fallback plan has already been identified.
A council spokesman told the newspaper:
“If we can successfully negotiate the land issue at Lydiard Fields, we will hopefully be able to apply for planning permission in late spring or early summer. However, we have yet to secure funding – likely in the region of just over £1m.”
Separately, a campaign has been launched for another commuter route into Swindon, from Highworth.
As segregated urban cycleways become more common in Britain, traditional straight-up kerbs have come in for criticism.
Standard vertical kerbs reduce the width available to cyclists, and make it more difficult to pass on and off the cycle track. Sloping kerbs, as used elsewhere in Europe, are better for bikes – but when road space is being ‘reallocated’, a straight kerb might already be in situ.
A Coventry firm has now invented a drill which converts straight kerbs to sloped ones, making them bike-friendly in a matter of minutes. The Cyclpath – devised by D-Drill managing director Julie White and her father and former owner of the business, Peter – means that kerbstones which until now would have to be replaced involving road closures, excavating and disposal in landfill, can simply be cut and remain in place.
The Whites devised the machine when the company was approached to see if it could angle-cut a kerb by a contractor creating one of London’s new Cycle Superhighways. Aptly named the ‘Cyclpath’, its first job was to cut 20 metres of granite kerb just off Piccadilly Circus, Central London, on behalf of Westminster City Council to avoid closing off the road. Once the kerb has been cut to shape, a vapour-blast machine provides an finish and texture in keeping with the rest of the street.
Julie White explained:
“When we were originally approached, I presumed there would be a machine on the market. When I explored the UK and found nothing, I tapped into my contacts in the USA and elsewhere in the world and everyone was drawing a blank. Within a couple of months, we’d got a working prototype and then the first ever Cyclpath which we have patented.
“We are really excited by what this new machine could lead to because it is perfect for cutting angled kerbs for cycle paths – that was, in fact, what the original enquiry was about – and there is really healthy interest from councils and highway teams around the UK.”
The Cyclpath has also been demonstrated to Coventry City Council, who may now trial it in the city. Rob Little, senior engineer at the council, said “I hope we can arrange a trial on a road in the city so we can see how it works on a kerb that’s been in place for some time”.
The Shropshire Union canal towpath in Ellesmere Port, part of the Cheshire Cycleway, is to be given an all-weather hard surface.
As well as forming part of the round-Cheshire route, this 1.7km stretch links NCN route 5 to the Waterway Museum at Ellesmere Port.
Wendy Capelle, local waterway manager with the Canal & River Trust, said:
“This stretch of towpath is very popular and we are delighted to receive funding from Cheshire West and Chester Council to allow us to improve the surface for everyone who enjoys visiting the canal. The Shropshire Union Canal provides a wonderful green corridor away from the busy urban streets. With the funding the towpath will provide a good quality surface, even after heavy rain which is great news for local residents.”
Sections of the towpath will be closed while the work is carried out and diversion routes will be signed. The Trust is expecting to have the improved towpath open for Easter.
Swindon cyclists are campaigning for an old railway to become a cycleway to the nearby town of Highworth.
Highworth has a population of 8,000 and is just four miles from the edge of Swindon, but there is no safe cycle route between the two. Instead, bike commuters must brave the busy and narrow A361 in the rush-hour, with long queues regularly forming.
The ‘Missing Link’ campaign has now been formed to fight for a cycleway along the old railway trackbed. The line closed over 50 years ago, and its course has since been sold off to neighbouring landowners. However, the campaign says this is by far their preferred route:
“This would provide a pleasant ride or walk away from the noise and fumes of the traffic-filled A361. The route would be slightly longer than the A361 route, but given that the climbs would be gentler, we believe there would be little time difference for the average cyclist.”
They have begun to contact landowners in search of agreement, though have reported resistance from some. Still, the Missing Link campaign has already received backing from local MP Justin Tomlinson, who said:
“Swindon and Highworth are so close to one another, yet cycling between them is extremely difficult and I know this is frustrating to many local residents. A cycle route would be a fantastic boost to both Highworth and Swindon, providing a vital link between our two communities.”
Meanwhile, Pam Adams, Mayor of Highworth, called for the path as an end to “risking life and limb by riding along the A361”.
Read more on the Highworth Missing Link campaign’s new website.
A proposal to require towpath cyclists to pay for an annual permit has been dropped. Not on the British canals – where towpath access has been free since a short-lived permit scheme on the Kennet & Avon in the 1990s – but in the US, where the owners of the 185-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal towpath were seeking a new way to raise funds. A public outcry has led to revised proposals where the price rises will fall mostly on drive-in campsites.
Made in the Cotswolds. Published by Éditions Système D Ltd.
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