Long awaited path improvements are about to get underway on National Cycle Network Route 41 between Lawrence Weston and Avonmouth.
Sustrans is working with partners to deliver a safer and more accessible route for everyone who wants or needs to use it.
The route follows Lawrence Weston Road over the M5 and under the M49 in between the two outlying areas of Bristol.
The key commuter route is being upgraded.
With the potential to provide a popular commuter route to the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area, the path will benefit from vital upgrades.
This includes surface upgrades, accessibility improvements, ecological investment and crucially lighting installed on this predominantly unlit route.
Enabling more people to commute under their own steam
These improvements will enable more people to access places of work without having to use a car.
In choosing to travel under their own steam, people will not only save on the running costs of a car as the cost of living rises, but also feel the many personal benefits. Active travel helps our health and wellbeing as we can regularly spend time exercising in the great outdoors.
Lighting and improving access to the route
Adding lighting will make the route feel safer and more welcoming to people outside of daylight hours, whether they are on shift work or travelling during the winter months.
Modifying an existing restrictive access point will enable more people to use the route, whether walking, riding a bicycle, or using a wheelchair, adapted cycle, or mobility aid.
Amongst the upgrades, lighting will be installed on the route to make the predominantly unlit space safer to use in the darker hours.
Making the route usable all year round
Together with the resurfacing making for a smoother journey, and the lighting guiding the way during the darker hours, the upgraded surface will also address the current drainage issues to make it safer for use all year round.
The project will aim to improve the space for all, delivering the upgrades with sensitivity to the existing environment, as it hosts a waterway that is home to a variety of wildlife.
Construction begins in October
Construction is set to begin on Monday 3 October and continue until spring 2023.
The route will be closed during this time, and signposted diversions will be in place to guide people walking, and cycling, around the closure via nearby streets.
The work is being led by Sustrans, as part of the charity’s England-wide Paths for Everyone programme to enhance the National Cycle Network supported by the Department for Transport, and is delivered with thanks to input from Bristol City Council and Mott MacDonald.
Improving access to employment opportunities
Upgrading the path between Lawrence Weston and Avonmouth will improve access to employment opportunities in the area.
By making the route suitable for use all year round, and around the clock, active travel will become a viable and enjoyable way to travel to and from work or nearby amenities without the need to rely on, or have access to, a car.
I look forward to seeing this section of path transformed, enabling more people to walk, wheel or cycle on a safer and more accessible stretch of the National Cycle Network.”
Helping people to embrace active travel
This is an important area for walking and cycling that has been blighted by fly-tipping for many years. This is why I’m really pleased to see work to improve this cycle path starting, and delighted to be supporting this project.
It will mean more people can access it, throughout the year, and get all the wellbeing and connectivity benefits.
And, with our commitment to achieving net zero by 2030, we need more people to embrace active travel and providing good cycle paths is a big part of this.
Photo: @JonBewley Sustrans