Clevedon~Weston Super Mare

[rjb]

Ive just posted a support comment on the planning site. I had to enter my details. Currently shows the objections and supporters. 5 objections and 400 supporters but a few more supporters wont hurt.
Here's hoping it gets built now.

[whoof]

Have supported this application.

[brooksby]

I read that North Somerset’s planning committee has approved the plans to build a 1.4km shared-use path linking the villages of Wick St Lawrence and Kingston Seymour.

The villagers of Kingston Seymour are up in arms over it! Apparently it might attract cyclists to their village, which will cause them delays and other problems, and some people might drive there and try to park and there's no parking anyway so you'd better call the whole thing off! - apparently they said that the roads were already busy and dangerous because they were narrow and winding and used by farm machinery (isn't that why the council wants to build a new stretch of cycle path?)

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/coastal-cycle-way-link-go-2339436

[mjr]

[...] apparently they said that the roads were already busy and dangerous because they were narrow and winding and used by farm machinery (isn't that why the council wants to build a new stretch of cycle path?)

I think it's more that the current route is a long long detour onto the horrible A370, including a section of cycle track through the central reservation and central island of a motorway junction that the cabinet member for transport refused to ride when invited to by the BBC. I saw that section again last week and it's unsurprisingly overgrown while most cyclists continue to use the back road detour to join the A370 further east and the few who do cycle it brave getting into the right-hand lane of the 50mph dual carriageway.

Current route: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/85178 15.3 miles, incl 3.4 miles busy road and about half a mile on that central reservation one. Clicking "Get Route" shows you the current avoiding-A370 route of 19.8 miles.

Future route: https://cycle.travel/map/journey/85179 13.3 miles, no busy road.

By car and motorway, it's about 11½ miles, so even shortening the decent cycle route by 6½ miles still doesn't make it quite as good as if we built dual-carriageways and motorways with proper cycleways... but it'll probably be much nicer riding the old railway than alongside the motorway.

[Bmblbzzz]

I'm not particularly phobic of main roads but have never found the A370 (at least that section of it) at all pleasant. The new route will be far more pleasant and complete a nice route.

[rjb]

Its gone very quiet again. Can anyone give an update if work has started or a timetable for completion.

[Richard Fairhurst]

Just had a press release from Highways England saying they're giving £1.3m to it. Total project cost is £2.09m. There's no indication of a date in the release.

[rjb]

Thanks Richard.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cloc ... tal-scheme
Ive got a friend that walking the whole coast of the uk. Hes very frustated about the lack of access across the Tutshill sluice and the extended detour to get around it. Its the last bit on his England stretch that he wants to complete.
Keep us updated. Cheers roger

[Bmblbzzz]

Good news. Shame about the lack of an even aspirational date. But still, it's not a big project so there's not much room for time-slip, is there? I mean, they've only been thinking about it for 41 years so far...

[Richard Fairhurst]

Ha! I believe that construction was meant to be this summer, but obviously under current circumstances, everything is up in the air.

Amazing how comparatively simple projects slip into the millions these days.

[whoof]

Thanks for the update,looking forward to a ride to WSM for an all day breakfast and to see the donkeys but might be taking my unusual route before this is open.

[rjb]

Not starting until next year. (2021) The gears must grind incredibly slowly.
https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/news/coun ... ycleway-2/

[simonineaston]

Not starting until next year. (2021) The gears must grind incredibly slowly.
https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/news/coun ... ycleway-2/

There's something about that neck of the woods that seems to affect the transport planners ability to think - the Portishead railway link has been on / off / on / off more times than I've got fingers & toes!!

[mjr]

It afflicts road schemes there too, such as doing anything to deal with the ludicrous single track A368+371 through Banwell. North Somerset Council is a small highway authority with limited resources and too often politicians with hobby horses (and rarely bicycles), often fighting a Highways England that sees traffic visiting WsM or Cheddar as somebody else's problem and their priority is Londoners and midlanders heading to Devon and Cornwall. It's notable that National 33 North has only moved forward once HE helped fund it.

[Bmblbzzz]

Some people have been known to refer to it as "north somerset parish council" and yes, the lowercase is deliberate.