Conwy Council Disconnected from Climate Change and Back Pedalling on Cycling?
Elsewhere on this website we have drawn attention to the disgraceful conditions for cycling along sections of the national cycle route between Conwy Marina and Llanfairfechan. Lives are at risk, and it seems that government in Wales, both at local and national levels, is just not interested.
Conwy has had an opportunity to take part in a major Sustrans initiative (Connect 2) to obtain funding for Welsh schemes which would encourage cycling and walking. Out of 130 UK projects, ten have been submitted by Welsh local authorities. All but one, (Rhyl, Denbighshire) are in South Wales. In terms of potential community benefits, and the alleviation of road hazards for cycling and walking, none are more important than linking Conwy Marina to Penmaenbach to avoid the appalling conditions along the A55 east bound carriageway.
We would have expected Conwy CBC to have put every effort into promoting a safe route between Conwy and Penmaenbach for inclusion, not least of all following the Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom's shock at cycling along this route himself, and realising the danger to others.* But it seems Conwy CBC is just not interested. Do we have to await another major cycling tragedy within the borough, before this local authority faces up to its responsibilities to promote safe cycling?
Click for details of Sustrans Connect 2 Scheme
For details of the project in which Conwy has apparently no interest CLICK here
Chief constable Brunstrom has also recently included the following apposite comment to his blog: 'While in the Netherlands I was as usual struck by the excellence of their public transport infrastructure. I used train and tram - all were exceptionally easy to use (and consequently very well used), and startlingly cheap by UK standards. They understand travelling by bike, and do much better than we do in making it an attractive (and therefore popular) option. Why on earth can’t we do all this as well as they? It is humiliating. (230607)
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Just imagine a mother with child in a trailer next to this high speed traffic. There is an alternative to the A55 that takes the route through the sand dunes on the seaward side of the rail line, just out of the picture to the left. Bob Bullimore of Penmaenmawr is featured above. Following a severe industrial injury, cycling is Bob's primary and preferred form of transport |