04/12/2023
I’m Steve Kinsella.
Our much-wanted cycle route is a very trivial matter compared with what people are suffering elsewhere in the world through destruction of homes, communities, and lives, by bombs and rockets. I’m often asked whether I know when the route will open. I’ve no new information but I write this note is for light relief perhaps:
North Somerset’s current excuse for the route not being open is that when they installed the farmer’s bridge a year or two ago they forgot to build a track leading onto and off the bridge. Before that, their reason it hadn’t opened in Autumn as per their latest indication was that they were “carrying out a safety audit”. Before that I heard that they didn’t open in July because of a disagreement with the landowner over who pays for padlocks to the gates. Before that they had promised in 2022 to open in Spring 2023.
I’ve been trying to recall the many other excuses given over the past decades. These below are ones I remember. Can you remember others? Does anyone have a record? Unfortunately, I no longer have many records or notes.
(Guesses for the next excuse? Perhaps “Waiting for signage” or “waiting for a layby to be built in the lane”)
Some excuses and events I remember – may not be in the right order:
• 1980s Recognised by Council as an “aspirational” route.
• 1990s Route was shown on Sustrans map as Route 33. (I was a Sustrans “future ranger” for the route)
• 2004 Route was included in local transport plan but was not supported by Council executive.
• 2006 NSC carried out feasibility study and public consultation on the “Tidal Trail”
• 2011 Council executive stated support for the route
• Jan 2012 Well attended meeting of campaigners in Clevedon, with Sustrans, resulting in more pressure on the Council.
• 2012 John Grimshaw was surveying and designing the track on behalf of NSC
• 2013-15 NS said they were going to proceed
• Waiting for legal agreements (excuse used several times over the years)
• Waiting planning approval
• 2018 Planning achieved. Applying for funding. Waiting for more Facebook “likes”. (!)
• 2019 ? They were waiting for the Environmental agency to raise the flood banks, then they would re-design the cycle track. (No, they couldn’t work with the EA on a coordinated design.)
• 2020 ? Re-designing.
• 2021 ? Waiting for the contractor for the farmer’s bridge
• 2021? They were waiting for Environment Agency approval of the bridge (this was after they had built it)
• Waiting for the track contractor to return to site (excuse used more than once)
• Waiting for legal agreements (excuse used several times over the years)
• After 2021 See my introduction above