The Vale of Glamorgan’s draft Rights of Way Improvement Plan (ROWIP) appears written to downplay cycling.
The cycling section says lamely:
“…limited cycling opportunities in the Vale of Glamorgan. In recent years, efforts to develop cycling infrastructure (have) looked to build on earlier initiatives, such as the Penarth to Sully cycle route.”
Those efforts were zero; this sentence might reflect the opposition of Cllr Ernest (Sully member and ex-Cabinet) to progressing the Penarth-Sully route along the dismantled railway, promises of which have long been ignored.
The ROWIP quotes fine words from the Unitary Development Plan
“Cycling development is seen as particularly important for leisure and commuting purposes. Disused rail lines will be safeguarded for future use, including cycling or pedestrian use.
But it fails to show the actual cycle-route proposals in that Plan. These include the river Ely Bridge and the Dinas Powys to Ely route via Cwrt-yr-Ala lane, as well as the Penarth to Sully and Aberthaw to Cowbridge rail-lines.
The previous Conservative Cabinet was keen on landowner objections to the latter and possibly other planned routes. Was that the real reason for cycling being written out of the ROWIP?
Are there any Vale cyclists prepared to take this on; lobby the new Cabinet Member (Gwyn John) to amend the ROWIP before it comes up for approval in the autumn? It’s required under Section 60 of The Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000 and has failed the stated requirement to assess “the existing and likely future needs of" cyclists.
Cardiff Council involved cyclists in drafting its ROWIP and produced a far better policy.
Max Wallis
