Powys County Council has secured further Welsh Government funding to extend and improve the county’s active travel routes.
The council says it is committed to improving facilities for residents wishing to make short journeys on foot or by bike. Through engagement exercises and consultations, active travel routes which could either be improved or introduced have been identified and added to the council’s Active Travel Network Maps (ATNM).
The latest Welsh Government Safe Routes in Communities and Active Travel funding will support the following schemes included in the county’s ATNM:
• Llanidloes Llangurig Road Active Travel scheme
This Safe Routes in Communities scheme will upgrade the existing footpath on Llangurig Road, approximately from the Cae Gwyn junction, to create a shared use path leading directly to the primary school and high school, improving accessibility, and allowing more pupils and their families to walk or cycle to and from school.
• Welshpool Active Travel phase two
This forms the second phase of a multiphase Active Travel project and will focus on improving the surface of the path between the retail park and the bus interchange. The scheme will also look to improve access to the canal towpath by means of installing a Disability Discrimination Act-compliant ramp, creating a direct link to the active travel path recently established on Severn Road.
Matt Perry, the council’s Chief Officer – Place, said:
“We are delighted to have secured this latest instalment of Welsh Government funding, which allows us to keep the momentum going and begin work on the next set of active travel projects.
“Welsh Government have made it clear that active travel must be the natural mode of choice for short everyday journeys, or as part of a longer journey in combination with other sustainable modes, and the continued investment into practical active travel routes within Powys, like these planned for in Welshpool and Llanidloes, will help towards achieving this vision.”
Active Travel funding comes from Welsh Government with support from Transport for Wales, through a dedicated grant known as core allocation, and larger grants for specific projects which local authorities can bid for in a competitive process.
