Major new Nidderdale cycle route wins huge support
By John Grainger
A MONTH-LONG public consultation on a major new cycle route through Nidderdale came to a close on Monday with a large majority apparently in favour of the plan.
The Way of the Roses cycle route will link Morecambe in Lancashire with Bridlington on Yorkshire’s east coast. Most of it is already open to cyclists, but the middle section, from Appletreewick through Nidderdale to Bishop Monkton, has yet to be designated.
North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) officers sought the views of parish councils and key stakeholders along the route and are compiling the responses into a report to be put before the executive members for highways: Couns Clare Woods and John Fort, who lives in Nidderdale.
The Herald understands that the consultation exercise drew 30 responses, with just one – from the British Horse Society – opposing the new route.
Controversially, the council did not actively seek the views of individual members of the public.
NYCC highways engineer Paul Roberts said: “We consulted parish councils and key stakeholders, but at 180 miles, the route is so long that we just couldn’t have consulted everyone. If we had consulted everyone along the whole route it would have involved an awful lot of extra work and time.”
The route runs from Appletreewick via Greenhow to Pateley Bridge, then on to Glasshouses, Wilsill and Brimham Rocks. It then turns left through Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, to Ripon market square, and on via Bishop Monkton to Boroughbridge.
It is intended that, following approval, the route will be officially opened on September 11 – the 15th anniversary of the birth of the National Cycle Network.
Sustainable transport charity Sustrans, which is a leading partner in the project, says that cycle routes often attract increased numbers of visitors and can boost trade.
A study of the economic impact of cycle tourism in the North East, carried out by Sustrans in 2007, found that users of four cycle routes in the region had contributed 9.6 million of direct expenditure to the North East economy in the previous year.
Cyclists from outside the region had generated 5.9 million, supporting 95 full-time equivalent jobs.
Route co-ordinator for Sustrans, Rupert Douglas, said: “In planning this route, we’ve been quite aware of the success of the other coast to coast routes. C2C, Hadrian’s Cycleway, Walney to Wear and the Trans-Pennine Trail between Southport and Hornsea all attract thousands of cyclists each year.
“This route fills a gap. Scenically and historically it offers a lot, so we’re hoping it will be just as popular as some of the other routes.”
It is hoped that a southern version of the route will be approved at a later date, following a public enquiry into the creation of a bridleway. It would carry straight on at Brimham Rocks and cross the tollbridge across the River Nidd, before running through Ripley, Bilton, Knaresborough, Tockwith and Long Marston.
The new route is the latest addition to the National Cycle Network, which Sustrans has been expanding for 15 years. In 1995, it got lottery funding to create the country’s first 2,500 miles of cycle network. By 2000, it had created 5,000 miles and there are now 12,000 miles of safe cycle paths.
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Weather for Harrogate
Saturday 11 February 2012
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