The new cycle path in Salisbury’s River Park is causing confusion for cyclists, raising concerns about safety and accessibility.
Salisbury: So, there’s this new cycle path in Salisbury’s River Park, and it’s causing a bit of a stir. Construction kicked off in summer 2022, but you know how it goes—there were some delays. The winter was super wet, the wettest since 1871, which didn’t help things. But they’re aiming to have parts of it open by summer 2024.
They’ve done a lot of work, like creating a 50-meter wide green park through the Central Car Park and adding over 650 meters of new and improved cycle routes. Sounds great, right? Well, not everyone thinks so.
One local cyclist, Ian Selmes, gave it a go but ran into some issues. He usually rides the old path but thought he’d check out the new one. It was all good until he hit a snag at the end near the public toilets. He couldn’t turn left because the road was one-way, and going straight was a no-go due to new EV charging bays. His only choice? Turn right into traffic, which he felt was a recipe for disaster.
Ian was pretty disappointed, saying it seemed like a great path but the end was poorly planned. He’s thinking of going back to the old route instead. The Environment Agency, along with local councils, has been working on this river park to improve the area and reduce flooding risks.
Cllr Tamara Reay, the Cabinet Member for Transport, mentioned that the plan was for cyclists to turn left onto Avon Approach Road, just like before the work started. Right now, it’s tricky because of the one-way traffic. But they’re working on it! They’re planning to make some changes to the access and improve signage to help cyclists navigate better.
Everyone’s looking forward to the completion of the Salisbury River Park, and the councils appreciate the patience of local residents and businesses during this big project.
