Cyclists, walkers and horse riders will share an off-road route across a Gower common after funding was secured for the scheme. The off-road path will link the recently-completed Mayals Road shared-use and cycle path to Bishoptson, via Clyne Common. It is one of several bids for "active travel" schemes submitted by Swansea Council for 2022-23.
Wales's 22 councils bid annually for active travel funding and this time around, Swansea secured £7m of the £60m available. It had hoped to get a bit more, so not all of the elements of the schemes put forward will go ahead.
Further details will be announced a cabinet meeting on June 16. However, the council has confirmed the Mayals to Bishopston section has funding. Swansea already has a sizeable network of shared-use paths, and adds to it every year. You can read more stories about Swansea here.
The bids submitted were for an expansion of what the council terms the Swansea northern strategic route, which covers areas such as Penllergaer, Gorseinon and Pontarddulais. Funding was also sought to enhance links for cyclists and pedestrians between Penllergaer and Fforestfach, and between Morriston and the national cycle network route from Swansea to the Brecon Beacons.
A portion of the £7m - £1.1m - will be spent investigating and designing new routes for following years. These include one from Sketty to the city centre via Sketty Road and Walter Road, another along Morfa Distributor Road and the adjacent River Tawe, and another on Pont-y-Cob Road, Gowerton.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Cllr Andrew Stevens, cabinet member for environment and infrastructure, said Swansea had again been successful in its bids. "We have been working extremely hard for a number of years, creating new walking and cycling routes that give residents and visitors alternative ways to get around without needing to use a car," he said.
“Our aim is to make walking and cycling a serious option for people, even more so with fuel prices continuing to rise across the country. Residents have already taken part in city-wide consultations on new routes so that we can plan ahead and we will continue to work with residents, cycle groups and other representative bodies to ensure new routes help achieve our aims.”
The council has also secured £1.2m of Welsh Government funding for public transport-related projects in 2022-23, although some of it is for design and development work. A third of it will be spent developing the regional South West Wales Metro proposal, which aims to create a modern, joined-up transport network including trains, buses, community transport, taxis, walking and cycling.
It will also be spent on new bus stops and bus priority improvements. Cllr Stevens said: “We need to ensure busy routes used by public transport services are improved and can assist in making bus services more reliable and more attractive for potential passengers."
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