Campaigners welcome new cycle path link

Cllrs Claire Young (left) and Paul Hulbert (centre)
joined cyclists Kate Kelliher, Denis Butterworth
and Bob Keen and rider Ann Fay on the new section

Campaigners who have been pushing for the completion of the "Yate Spur" cycle path are celebrating the opening of the latest section, which is designed for use by horse riders and walkers as well.

The off-road cycle path will eventually link Yate to the Bristol Bath Railway Path, opening up the cycle network to many more people. The latest section links Broad Lane, Westerleigh with the cycle crossing point on Westerleigh Road.

Paul Hulbert and Claire Young with
the cycle path petition in 2014

Cllr Claire Young, the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Thornbury and Yate, started a petition in 2014 calling for the completion of the cycle path. She said:

"It is fantastic to see another important link in this route open. Hundreds of people showed their support for completing the path by signing our petition. When finished it will make commuting to work by bike an option for more people as well as being a great way for families to get out into the countryside."

"We will keep pushing for the final sections to be completed. The link from Dodmoor Crossing to the Nibley Lane junction and the section under the railway bridge by the Shire Way roundabout will bring some of the biggest safety improvements. I look forward to celebrating the opening of the finished path."

But there's disappointing news too. Paul Hulbert, chairman of the Joint Cycleway Group, said "The JCG has just been told that the next leg - from Broad Lane to Nibley Lane Corner - will cost more than is available in the current spending round because of drainage and access problems. We've asked South Glos to look at alternative ideas and funding sources. However we have been told that some small improvements we requested on the A432 Kennedy Way will be done this financial year"

Campaigners call for cycle path to be finished

Paul Hulbert and Claire Young launching the petition in August

Westerleigh Councillor Claire Young delivered a petition to a meeting of South Gloucestershire Council on Wednesday as part of an ongoing campaign for the completion of the ‘Yate Spur’ cycle path. The petition has so far been signed by over 300 residents from Yate, Westerleigh and further afield.

Claire said: “This petition shows there is strong support for completing the “Yate Spur” cycle path, which currently stops just south of Westerleigh but is planned to link up the village and Yate with the Bristol-Bath railway path and the wider cycle network. When it’s finished, it will provide a safe, off-road route for travelling to the Science Park at Emerson’s Green, Bristol city centre, Bath and beyond. Families will be able to enjoy leisure rides and it will make commuting to work by bike a realistic option for many more people.”

Local resident Rob Bushill spoke at the meeting in support of the petition.“There are just two ways in and out of Yate towards Bristol. Via Badminton Road, which has a lot of heavy traffic, or via Westerleigh, a narrow rat run of twisting bumpy country lanes that is so off putting and dangerous that even experienced cyclists avoid it. Yate has become an island to anyone bar the car driver, which is incredible considering that 30 plus miles of great cycleway is available just 2 miles away."

“By constructing this small but complex stretch of pathway, it will open up the shops of Emerson’s Green, the things for the family in Bath and Bristol, even provide a safer but longer route to the offices of Emerald Park and the Science Park. It’s 50 minutes to Bristol by bike, it’s a viable means of transport in the week and a source of family enjoyment at the weekends. It’s definitely not just for lycra-clad cyclists. By building these last few miles of cycleway, a huge barrier to people making those trips would be taken away.”

The Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Investment Board are due to consider further funding for the scheme at a meeting today. Claire called upon the Council to present the petition to them and lobby for the extra funding. We will continue campaigning until we have secured this vital sustainable transport link You can add your support here.

Update on Westerleigh cycle path "missing link"

Work is currently under way to widen the carriageway on the northern side of Westerleigh Road near on the the Kidney Hill junction to accommodate a new refuge for the cycle route crossing. If you've driven out of Westerleigh towards Bristol recently you will have encountered the temporary traffic lights we warned about a couple of weeks ago.

The funds currently available for cycling schemes won't cover much more work, however. The major part of the scheme will be to bypass Westerleigh on a largely off-road track that will emerge under an unused arch of the railway bridge near the Shire Way mini-roundabout. We talked about the reasons for this strategic scheme in our blog post back in August when we launched our petition to get the final section of the route done as soon as possible.

Two lots of money will be needed - one lot for the detailed design work, consultations with residents and legal work, and one lot to carry out the actual construction. Probably the trickiest part of the design will be the last leg through to Shire Way, but it also brings opportunities to sort out the notorious Nibley Lane / Westerleigh Road junction, which will benefit motorists, and to get better pedestrian crossing facilities across Westerleigh Road near the bungalows so that local people can cross between the bus stops more easily.

We think South Glos are now well aware of the need to carry out proper consultations for schemes like these, but we'll keep on their case to make sure that they do.

So whether you're a cyclist, a motorist or a pedestrian - and lots of people are all three - please sign our online petition here: http://tinyurl.com/cyclelink to make sure that the "missing link" is completed soon as possible.

Still time to sign the "missing link" cycle path petition

If you missed the launch of our petition to gather support for completing the “missing link” of the cycle path from Yate and Westerleigh to Bristol and Bath, there's still time to sign it.

The path currently ends just south of Westerleigh. South Glos has been awarded some government money from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The cycle path project was part of the bid, but as ever not enough money has been awarded to do everything. The council will be deciding which projects should go ahead next March.

The petition is available online at http://tinyurl.com/cyclelink. Paper copies are available from Paul Hulbert by emailing paul.hulbert@gmail.com.

Let's close the cycle path “missing link” - please sign our petition

Cllr Paul Hulbert and bike with Cllr Claire Young
and petition forms. The existing cycle path ends abruptly
near the Kidney Hill junction on Westerleigh Road.

Liberal Democrat Focus councillors have launched a petition to gather support for a project to close the “missing link” on the cycle path from Yate and Westerleigh to Bristol and Bath.

At the moment there is a link from the Bristol-Bath Railway Path – the “M1” of the national cycling network – but it stops south of Westerleigh.

South Glos has been awarded some government money from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The cycle path project was part of the bid, but as ever not enough money has been awarded to do everything. The council will be deciding which projects should go ahead next March.

South Glos Cllr Claire Young said “I am regularly contacted by cyclists wanting to know when this path will be finished. We're know there's strong support for the missing link and we hope to show that with this petition”

Dodington Parish Councillor Paul Hulbert said “I’ve been campaigning for a decent cycle link to the Bristol East Fringe for many years. This path would allow local people to get to the Emerson's Green Science Park, the nearby retail and distribution centres and many more employment and education opportunities”

The petition is available online at http://tinyurl.com/cyclelink. Paper copies are available from Paul by emailing paul.hulbert@gmail.com.

A listening council? Only if you shout loud enough!

South Gloucestershire residents will have to get a massive 2,500 signatures on a petition to require their Council to debate an issue after Tory and Labour Councillors blocked Lib Dem plans for a lower figure.

At last week's Council Meeting, the Lib Dems argued that 500 was a large enough number to deter time wasters and said there should be the option to debate any petition or explain why not. They expressed concern about the impact on people in rural areas, as small communities would struggle to get 2,500 signatures.

Frampton Cotterell Councillor Pat Hockey said, “If we send out the message that we are interested in the issues raised by petitioners and ready to debate them, they may come along and make Council meetings more lively and worthwhile. If 500 people want their Council to debate something then I certainly believe it must be important and that it is our duty as a listening council to do so.”

Dave Hockey added, “The Council claims on its website that ‘We’re committed to getting involved – working with, listening to and involving local people in our decision-making and action.’ Our proposal would have put those words into action. Why are the other parties so afraid of discussing what local people would like to be done?”

Pat Hockey explained the reasons behind the Lib Dem proposals on Radio Bristol this week - fast forward to the 7 o'clock news (30 minutes in) then the report and discussion (37 minutes in)