Now we know that Cycling City may be expected to pay for the land in Brislington that the authorities want to build a main road on... this email goes to Cycling City boss Colin Knight, copied to his political masters:
".....as you probably know, at last week's Cabinet public questions Mark Bradshaw explained that the project could (I think would) include land purchase along the old railway cutting between Tescos and Sainsburys. This seems like a raid on the cycling budget, as the same land is being lined up for a major road project. I wonder, therefore, if any purchase using cycling money might be used to put the land in some kind of Trust. That would offer future protection for the route - and if it must eventually become a main road, at least the land sale value could be restored to the Trust to use for other cycling purposes."
Do you think I'll get a clear reply?
[ADDED 11pm:]
Impressive, this! A reply just received. And it is clear.
"......The likelihood is that we will have to buy the whole railway cutting for the section north of Tescos/Callington Rd. As you will know, the Callington Rd link is a long way off, but if land acquired for the cyclepath were to be used for a road or rapid transit then I think it would be right that money should be transferred to the cycle budget as recompense..... "
plus a bit more about other local aspects of the route that I'd raised. Thank you Colin.
3 comments:
I got a thing in the post (living as I do next to the MFI store) talking about this proposed bike path along the disused railway line. It was from Peel investments who appear to own the retail park, and talking mainly about building a lovely cycle path, whilst sneaking in mention of doing some building work and carpark/road alterations.
I can send you a copy if you want, might further muddy the waters of who owns the land. It would appear from the map they only own up as far as the bath road bridge, making it a thoroughly useless cycle track to nowhere, but possible a nice little bit of park if they can cure the mattress dumping problem.
Their e-mail address is brislington@peel.co.uk I havn't got as far as sharpening my pencil yet. Not sure if I should support it as I can't decide if it is good, or merely the lesser of two evils.
Don't know who is getting cycle city funding or for what... but the money seems good for greasing many wheels.
Thanks for that - but I think land ownership issues are best left to the lawyers!
Why aren't the neighbours jumping up and down about turning the railway cutting into a major road? They really intend to build it, putting a bid in within a couple of years. Latest mention I can find is in this WoEP draft from October. They'll go through the motions of looking at BRT or cycling 'alternatives', but the current S. Bristol Link consultation shows what a sham that is.
Well I would imagine the neighbours arn't complaining because there has been nothing in the post from the council about it (planning applications, consultation documents etc). It would also cure some of the traffic problems in the area.
There will definately be some land ownership issues to resolve as currently on that line is the council depot, the bretheren church car park, a self storage place, and part of a Tesco Extra, plus it would appear that the bit by the trading estate is owned by the land owners of that.
They might also struggle to get enough width for much of a road, that was a twin track rail line, but the existing road bridges only just allow for that width.
It would be a clever use of space to turn it into a road, as currently its dead land and completely out of sight to most people. Obviously it would be better if it was still a railway line, but thats another story entirely.
I am hoping there will be a Tesco's to Sainsbury's cycle path to rival the Bristol-Bath path, then when it gets turned into a road we can all protest about that as well.
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