Petition swells for Wye Valley cycle path

Sustrans is campaigning for a disused railway line on the English-Welsh border to be turned into a cycle path

A plan for a cycle path along a disused railway line that was first proposed in 2010 is gathering further support after years in limbo.

The £750,000 scheme to build a path through the Wye Valley in Chepstow on the English-Welsh border was submitted by Sustrans to the Monmouthshire Council and Forest of Dean District Council four years ago to provide a traffic-free route for cyclists and pedestrians. However, planning issues meant that the scheme fell by the wayside and the National Lottery money was allocated to other projects.

But there remains a strong will for the path that will connect Newport to Chepstow via a footbridge over the River Wye that would meet the proposed Tintern Path.

A recent meeting with Monmouthshire Council was positive with the council saying that the path will “alleviate the congestion by encouraging free use of these properly designed paths”.

A petition asking for the councils to jointly grant planning permission for the path has exceeded 2,500 signatures. It says: “There are no cycle paths through Chepstow while everywhere else benefits.

“Despite all the Bills, Papers, and Consultations you pass and now 'The Wales We Want' campaign, we are ignored.

“This path would enable less able bodied people to access the beauty of the Wye Valley, it would provide business and opportunities locally, and hold these opportunities within Chepstow and surrounding villages where presently people go further afield for leisure facilities.”

 

Credit: Google Maps

Six metre Birmingham cycle lane branded "ridiculous" by cycling campaign group

Cambridge to spend £500,000 on cycling projects despite financial problems

Improvements to be made to Cambridge's cycling infrastructure despite city council's 'difficult financial situation'

Nearly £1m for Oxford cycle projects — and no one's spending it

Row breaks out as city council claims infrastructure projects are being blocked

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Chris Marshall-Bell

Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.


Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.