More safe routes for walking and cycling

More than £3.6m worth of transport and active travel improvements will be made in Bridgend County Borough over the next year thanks to grants from Welsh Government.

A total of £3,657,980 has been awarded to Bridgend County Borough Council to fund construction work of new safe routes for pedestrians and cyclists, new active travel routes, accessibility improvements at a number of bus stops, and to provide road safety and cycling training for schoolchildren as well as Pass Plus courses for new drivers.

Some of the funding will also be used to carry out feasibility studies into traffic flows on the Penprysg Road bridge which crosses over the railway line in Pencoed. The study will look into the possibility of a new road bridge which would enable the level crossing on Hendre Road to be closed, improving capacity on the South Wales mainline.

The active travel improvements being planned by the council include new shared pedestrian and cycling routes linking Brackla to Bridgend town centre, between Pencoed and the Pencoed Technology Park, a route connecting Coychurch with both the Waterton Industrial Estate and Retail Park, and improvements around Coity. Work on all of those schemes is due to start in October and be completed by spring 2020.

The Welsh Government funding is also enabling the council to complete the initial phase of a ‘Safe Routes to School’ scheme around Newton Primary School. The active travel route along the Eastern Promenade has been extended through to the school along New Road, and the school is also benefiting from new cycle and scooter storage.   

The new Active Travel schemes are all being created in response to demand from local residents who have told us which routes they would like to see improved so that they can choose a healthier, greener form of travel for shorter everyday journeys as part of their daily routine. An extensive active travel network is gradually taking shape in the county borough.

A number of notable schemes have been completed during the last 12 months alone, including an off-road route between Coychurch and Pencoed Comprehensive School. Within the last year we’ve also created a wider footway along the A48 to connect Brynteg Comprehensive School with Picton Court, and made enhancements to the footway between Bridgend Bus Station and Derwen Road to enable use by both cyclists and pedestrians.

All of these improvements have been made possible thanks to Welsh Government, and we are very grateful for their continued support.I also welcome the new pedestrian and cycling route that the housing developers Persimmon are currently creating between the Heol West Plas roundabout and the hospital along the A4061

Councillor Richard Young, the council’s Cabinet Member for Communities