Locals are being asked for their views on new pathways being proposed between rural Lanarkshire communities.
Residents in Glespin and Douglas are invited to take part in a consultation as part of the Make Your Way project, focussing on progressing sustainable travel priorities in Crawford and Elvanfoot; Glespin and Rigside; and Douglas Water before April 2022.
People can get involved online or by picking up and dropping off paper copies to Crossburn Kitchen Café, before Monday, February 21.
It follows an initial survey in June last year, where Glespin residents voted for the progression of a Feasibility Study for a path to Douglas, as a priority project which would enable them to walk, wheel and cycle more in the villages.
Crawford and Elvanfoot residents voted for a Speed Reduction and Pedestrian Safety Feasibility Study, and Rigside and Douglas Water residents voted for the provision of new benches.
Questions in the consultation include perceptions of safety when walking and cycling locally, barriers to active travel, preferred alignment and characteristics of a new path, and any other considerations around traffic and pedestrian/cyclist provision that should be taken into account.
Community responses will be collated alongside landowner and stakeholder discussions to form an Options Appraisal and Feasibility Study which may be used to apply for funding to progress the proposed pathway through subsequent design phases.
Make Your Way is supported by Paths for All’s Smarter Choices Smarter Places, Strathclyde Passenger Transport and South Lanarkshire Council ’s Renewable Energy Fund.
It is managed by Rural Development Trust’s Community Action Lanarkshire programme.
And it is part of a year on year programme, running since 2016, which targets sustainable travel in rural Lanarkshire and has included community mapping and the development of Sustainable Travel Action Plans to date.
Pathway proposals between Glespin and Douglas align with strategic plans to link the River Ayr Walk and Clyde Walkway, by East Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council.
Ashlay Smith of Glespin community group, told Lanarkshire Live : “We hope that as many people as possible take the short amount of time needed to complete the survey.
"Responses will help turn the path from a study into a reality which will allow Glespin children to walk or cycle to their Primary School, link us to shops and facilities in Douglas, and provide a safe walking route for health and recreation, accessible for all.”
The Make Your Way programme has also included Bikeability levels 1 and 2 in Crawford, Douglas and Rigside Primary Schools, as well as the installation of Make Your Way active travel maps and wayfinding, the development of sustainable travel information packs and Community Cycling Days in Rigside Playpark (23 October), Glespin MUGA (6 November) and Crawford Playpark (20 November).
Anyone wishing to discuss the proposals in more detail can contact makeyourway@ruraldevtrust.co.uk or call 01555 880 551.
The consultation is available online which can be accessed here.
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