With the current emphasis on Active Travel and delivering quality infrastructure for non motorised modes of travel, not least cycling, the following have expressed support for upgrading the nature trail on the former Dee Valley rail line between Cowen and Cynwyd. :-
Simon Baynes MP
Quote:- Very happy to help and support.
Cllr Mabon Ap Gwynfor, Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales.
Quote:- I have called for the railway line to be developed into a cycle path/walking path and have had meetings with some on this thread to advance that. Ken Skates MS and former MP Susan Elan Jones have written letters of support as well having visited the site and walked some of it with me. A group was set up under Corwen Town Council to push this forward, and Cynwyd Community Council have stated their support as well. There are draft plans, but so far it’s not reached the point of having shovels in the ground. It’s much needed as it would connect Cynwyd and Corwen, allowing people to travel safely from one community to the other, cutting carbon emissions, and boosting the local economies of both communities.
Ken Skates. Minister for Transport, Economy and North Wales.
Quote:- More than happy to support this and be involved in discussions. As Mabon says, Susan and I have supported this previously and I know he’s done a lot of work in this area.
Philomena Hearn, Clerk to Corwen Town Council,
Quote:- I am confident that I can speak on behalf of Corwen Town Council to say that we wholeheartedly support the development of a safe cycle route between Cynwyd (and even Llandrillo using the old railway) and Corwen and that it is something desperately and urgently needed. Perhaps we can form a working group and get this off the ground, turning this in to a reality and not a pipe dream talked about for years and never realised.
Howard Sutcliffe AONB Officer and Ranger Service Manager
Quote:- As the Countryside Manager of the site, I have always supported the idea that the railway line becomes a cycle track, which could help staff from Ifor Williams commute to work, as well as the leisure offer for walking and cycling. Since opening up the Cynwyd end of the line some 5 years or so ago, it has been interesting how that community has embraced the opportunity to use the route, the fairy wood has sprung up as a response to Covid19.
Roy Spilsbury. Cycling Advocacy Representative, CyclingUK
Quote:- CyclingUK wholeheartedly supports the development of this former rail line as an Active Travel Route. It would serve an important dual purpose as both an attractive leisure and tourism facility, and as a most useful route for everyday utility journeys by bicycle. The traffic on the alternative B4401 between Corwen and Cynwyd is known to be a discouragement to non motor users (NMU’s) in general.
Wales Active Travel Act 2013 states:-
Fear of road danger from motor traffic is the most significant barrier to achieving more cycling.
Main roads usually provide the most direct, coherent routes to important destinations, but they are the places where fear of and intimidation by motor vehicles is greatest for users’
Related:-
Dee Valley Walks (Corwen-Cynwyd)