A “LONG-AWAITED” cycling and walking route between Weston and Clevedon has been officially opened on Friday afternoon (12 July).
The Pier to Pier Way is a new 13-mile route designed to appeal to commuters, leisure users, and tourists.
It consists of quiet roads and new or improved traffic-free sections and was described as a “missing link” and a central section of the North Somerset Coastal Towns Cycle Route.
North Somerset’s new MP Sadik Al-Hassan attended the opening and said: “I’m so pleased that one of my first duties as local MP is to attend the launch of this wonderful new facility and I know how much so many people have been looking forward to this day.
“As a trained pharmacist, I feel very strongly about health and wellbeing and this will be an amazing addition to the outdoor activity attractions in North Somerset, opening up accessibility to our county’s glorious countryside and stunning nature.
“But it’s also just the start of a new era to get North Somerset moving again.
"Over the next year, work will be carried out to complete the missing link between the Pier-to-Pier Way and the Strawberry Line — really opening up the network of off-road cycling opportunities and making a big contribution to our greener travel plans.
“And I am looking forward to the local delivery of Labour’s transport pledges: improving our railway infrastructure; paving the way for renationalisation of train services; and handing back local control of our buses to provide regular and reliable operations on vital routes.”
Mike Bell, North Somerset Councillor for Weston-super-Mare Central, attended the official opening too.
He said: “I'm delighted that the ‘missing link’ of Tutshill Greenway is now open and the Pier to Pier Way route can be used by local people and visitors.
“It provides a great route from Weston to Clevedon for cyclists, walkers, and riders and I am sure it will be very popular.”
The complex Pier to Pier project involved installing a new bridge over the river Yeo at Tutshill to separate the cycle path from the agricultural traffic in the area.
It includes a new one-mile traffic-free route crossing the Yeo and Oldbridge rivers and is based on the line of the former Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway.
This link allows pedestrians, cyclists, and equestrians to avoid the busy A370 and save four miles on their usual journey.
The project has been funded by The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, Sustrans, National Highways, the Department for Transport and North Somerset Council.
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