[Wera Hobhouse (second from left) with (left) Arthur Girling of Sustrans, Cllr Ian Halsall (second from right) and others.]
Bath’s MP Wera Hobhouse has been out on her bike and making a visit to the recently reopened Devonshire Tunnel – on the Two Tunnels route – recently reopened after flooding.
She also met up with representatives from Sustrans, the charity who look after the National Cycle Network.
It’s UK-wide network consists of over 12,000 miles of signed paths and routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and exploring outdoors, and provides a vital backbone to the country, connecting communities to each other and helping neighbourhoods come to life.
For Sustrans, a liveable city or town has social connection at its heart, and clean air and green space for all to live and play in. They believe the places we live, work and enjoy ourselves should be planned around people, not cars, with the resultant reduction of the traffic in our neighbourhoods creating flourishing communities and thriving businesses.
In Bath, Sustrans is well-known for its successful work which started in 2005 in partnership with both Bath and North East Somerset Council and a local grassroots campaign to convert part of the old Somerset and Dorset railway route. The popular shared-use path opened in 2013, almost fifty years after the last trains rumbled through it.
The so-called Two Tunnels route, a 13-mile loop around the city now sees 275,000 cyclists and walkers travel through it each year, on their way to Midford, Wellow, Radstock and beyond.
Recent flooding issues caused part of the route around the Devonshire Tunnel to close during the winter rain. Thanks to great collaboration with B&NES Highways and Parks departments and others, improved drainage and lighting have been installed, and further works to ensure the future sustainability of the tunnel are expected to be in place by the autumn.
Welcoming Wera to the reopened section of the route, Arthur Girling, Principal Public Affairs and Policy Adviser at Sustrans, said “It’s great that Wera Hobhouse MP understands the importance of the Devonshire Tunnel for her constituents. We valued meeting her and showing her the improvements we are making so that people can reliably use the Tunnel, however they’re travelling.
As the Two Tunnels circuit demonstrates, the National Cycle Network is a lifeline for people across the UK, supporting businesses, schools and communities in immeasurable ways. Sustrans is working hard to provide these green spaces that help areas thrive, thank you to Wera for her support as we continue this.”
Wera, herself a great advocate for cycling, responded, saying: “The Devonshire Tunnel is vital for people in Bath – whether they’re using it to get to work or enjoying an easy escape route into the countryside. That makes the flooding we’ve seen incredibly disruptive. I recently discussed this with Sustrans, and it’s great to hear they’re working with Bath & North East Somerset Council on a long-term fix.
We know that extreme weather is only going to increase. The Government must support Sustrans and landowners to ensure the National Cycle Network is reliable, whatever the weather.”
