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Cycleway

Getting Around Better

When we travel we usually aim to get somewhere for any number of reasons. We invariably take the car as it's convenient, private and quick.

What if you could get on your electric bike or scooter and cycle to work, to the nearest town, rail or bus station? What if you could walk and cycle safely along multi-use paths that doubled up as wildlife corridors; wide tree-lined avenues with regular drinking stops and artistic creations to admire along the way.

What if you realised that imagining it was a great way of making it real? Sharing our creativity with others helps form collective visions, ambitions and actions, bridging the gap between aspiration and actuality.

What Is To What If. Rob Hopkins 2019

The coronavirus lockdown has enabled us to discover that roads are less congested and the old stressful rush-hour has dissolved, giving way to cleaner air and the sound of birdsong, with savings made from not having to buy petrol or diesel a welcome bonus.

Now is the time to draw up plans for the multi-use paths we want to see. The government has brought out a £2bn fund to support active travel so the money is there.

I would like us all to suggest cycle-ways and footpaths we would all like to see woven into the landscape we call home. So why not get out your maps and put on your imagination caps and write to me with your proposals? Safe and beautiful ‘Greenways’, as these routes are being called, beckon. A Greenway joining Gloucester to Chepstow would be magnificent.