Latest on Yate Spur Cycle Path

Thank you again to everyone who signed our Yate Spur cycle path petition. Just before Christmas Claire Young had a response to the petition from a council highways officer. It confirmed that:

• The completion of the route is a priority for the council
• The new crossing point on Westerleigh Road was due to be completed before Christmas.
• Subject to final approval of the funding, the next significant section, providing an off-road cycle path from the Westerleigh Road crossing to Broad Lane and improving the existing track from Broad Lane to the Dodmoor level crossing, will be implemented in 2015/16. The funding would also cover drawing up plans for the final section.
• Subject to planning, agreements over the lease/purchase of non-Council owned land and the approval of a future funding bid, the aim would be to complete that final section in 2016/17.
• The council continue to look for further funding opportunities that might allow earlier completion of the route.

At Claire's request, the petition was passed to the Local Economic Partnership (LEP) Investment Board, which was considering funding for the 2015/16 work at its meeting on 12^th December. They approved it, but the programme has to be formally signed off by the Strategic Leaders Board at their meeting on 9th January. Hopefully this will be a formality, but the Investment Board kindly referred the petition on to them so they too would be aware of the strong support for this scheme. The Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee on South Gloucestershire Council will then have to approve the Local Transport Capital Programme, including externally funded schemes like this one, at their 25^th March meeting.

Although we are close to securing funding for the next section, we still need to get funding for the final section. We are therefore keeping the petition open and will continue to press for the path’s completion.