Cabinet approves plans for new local cycling and walking routes
12 Oct 2022 ARCHIVED (over 3 months old) - view latest news
Council members have agreed to plans for new cycling and walking routes for three areas in Northumberland.
Cabinet members agreed to the development of high-quality Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIP) in Ponteland, Ashington and Blyth which will create stronger and greener links between towns for work, education and leisure purposes.
In Ponteland, the Callerton Cycle Route will connect the town centre to the Newcastle city boundary line which will allow access to Callerton Metro Station for onward journeys.
Blyth will benefit from the installation of a new Toucan crossing on Renwick Road to the south of Waterloo Road. This will link Lynn Street on the West side to Bondicar Terrace on the East side together with the provision of a new three-metre-wide shared-use footway/cycleway from Bondicar Terrace up Waterloo Road, with a new parallel crossing on Waterloo Road.
There are also plans for improvements to the north-south corridor in Blyth, with a proposed town centre ‘gateway’ at Waterloo Road/Renwick Road roundabout, to make a direct route across Blyth to South Beach.
In Ashington, there will be improvements made to the corridor that links the town centre to existing infrastructure via industrial and residential sites, Northumberland Line station, Northumberland College and existing infrastructure in North Seaton.
Cllr John Riddle, chair of the Northumberland Cycling and Walking Board, said: “This is fantastic news and a real step forward towards more active and sustainable transport in our county.
“Infrastructure is one of the barriers to residents using more active means of travel and I’m so pleased we can start to make progress on these safer and more efficient routes.”
Funding for the development will come from the LCWIP fund within the Council’s capital programme and top-up funding from the Transforming Cities Fund and the Active Travel Fund.
The new improved cycling and walking routes link in with the Big Northumberland Gear Change campaign, which encourages people to adopt more sustainable ways of moving around the county by walking, cycling and using public transport more often.
Cllr Riddle continues: “We already have some fantastic tourism-focused cycle routes in Northumberland, including the Coasts and Castles Cycle Route connecting our AONB.
“It is hoped that these new urban routes will not only enhance our area for visitors but will make sustainable transport more accessible for short ‘every day’ journeys for our residents who live and work in the county and will support our aim to be carbon neutral by 2030.”