A COUNCILLOR has said that cyclists will always look to use roads rather than designated cycle paths because it is the safer option.

Cllr Justin Cole told members of Wellington Town Council’s policy and finance committee on Monday (August 12) that roads were always preferred by cyclists.

“People who cycle don’t use cycle paths because they aren’t very safe due to pedestrians using them as well,” he said. “Cyclists will always want to use the road.”

Cllr Cole, a cyclist himself, said that cycling in Wellington was not a pleasant experience.

“It’s not good cycling around here,” he said. “It should be because we’re in the countryside, but it isn’t.”

He suggested that efforts should be made to make cycling a more attractive proposition for people.

“We should be looking at making cycling safer and attractive in Wellington,” he said. “How can we make it safer to cycle from one end of Wellington to the other?”

His comments came during a discussion about plans to create a cycleway between Taunton and Wellington.

The Greenway would follow the disused Grand Western Canal and connect the towns with a traffic-free corridor.

The Grand Western Greenway Association is looking to have plans drawn up for Phase 1-2 of the route from Wellington to the East Nynehead Road and from Taunton to Allerford.

The association’s Charles Biscoe has said the plans could cost up to £8,000 to prepare and asked, in an email, if the town council could contribute funding.

But the request did not meet with much support – at the moment – from councillors.

Cllr Janet Lloyd said: “I’m guessing they’re looking at between £6,000 and £8,000 and starting from the Wellington end, but what they are talking about isn’t in our parish.

“I don’t see why we should pay money for anything which isn’t in our parish? Couldn’t they bid for funding from the National Lottery?”

Cllr John Thorne said: “I’m not a great fan, but I would like to see the project go-ahead. But it’s not the answer for cyclists wanting to cycle from Taunton to Wellington.

“We aren’t going to get people cycling down there at 30mph weaving in and out of pedestrians and people with pushchairs.”

Committee chairman, Cllr Mark Lithgow, said that to get a cycle path along the A38 between Wellington and Taunton would never happen because there would be too many landowners involved.

“The Greenway is do-able in my opinion,” he said. “But I know someone who cycles from Bath to Bristol along a greenway and it was lethal with dog walkers and pedestrians having to jump out of the way of cyclists who were trying to do Personal Best times.”

Councillors were disappointed that Mr Biscoe was not present at the meeting and said he needed to be invited to a future meeting to discuss the project.

Cllr Cole added that if The Greenway Association wanted to apply for money “they need to fill out a proper grant application form rather than just write an email.”