Fate of UK's most popular cycle path hangs in the balance
Published: 22 Feb 2008
Requests made under the Freedom of Information Act have shown that the UK’s most popular cycle way is under threat. The Bristol-Bath route is the oldest part of environmental charity Sustrans’ National Cycle Network. Recently the charity also won the first ever televised National Lottery competition, and £50m to extend the network. The Green Party has tabled a motion to force a vote on the proposals by a local quango to run two lanes of buses along the path’s most used section. But if that vote is stymied, the plans could still go ahead.
Cllr Ricky Knight, South West Green Party Lead Candidate for the European Elections, said:
'This is an extraordinarily myopic move by Bristol City Council. In an attempt to 'do the right thing' by prioritising public transport, they have shot themselves in the foot, transferring a bus-route from the road, where it belongs, onto an established, much frequented and very popular Sustrans inter-city cycle-path.
'Compared to western Europe, where rural and urban infrastructure for cycling is prioritised, coherent and joined-up, in both senses, the UK is lagging far behind, despite the remarkable achievements of Sustrans and the National Cycle network. Consideration for cyclists and cycle-paths, not just for recreation but increasingly for commuting, as a safe and attractive alternative means of travel, is a vital part of any Council’s remit. This proposal sends out all the wrong messages to the public.
'A far more creative and sustainable solution would be to introduce dedicated bus lanes, encourage car-sharing and analyse the pricing and compatibility of the bus- and rail-timetables, with the specific intention of reducing car use, particularly all those thoughtless and unnecessary journeys.'
Charlie Bolton, the Green councillor who has tabled the motion to force a vote, said:
‘Although none of the other parties have come out clearly against the plans, this vote would almost certainly save the path. There’s been so much local anger that no councillor in their right mind would vote publicly for the plans. But it will do so only if the motion goes ahead in its current form. One or more of the other parties could still use procedural powers to push it so far down the agenda that it never gets discussed. Or they could introduce watering-down amendments to change the motion into something meaningless.
‘So we’re calling on anyone in the country who voted for Sustrans to lobby their MP, and the three main parties, to stop this. If the precedent is established that cycle paths are a more appropriate place for buses to run than roads, it will be the beginning of the end of the National Cycle Path Network. And all those votes cast back in November and December will have been cast in vain.’
