OPINION


Network, I met communities trying to solve this problem in their areas – sometimes even delivering routes themselves. It brought me face-to-face with some of the most dynamic and can-do people I’ve ever met; most of them working as volunteers to solve these gnarly problems in their free time.


Some had literally laid paths by hand. Most


had navigated a minefield of public opinion, landowner opposition, funding and legislative barriers, as well as institutional indifference or incapacity in local and national government. Whether you think it’s right or wrong


that residents are driving these paths, if they hadn’t done it, those safe routes wouldn’t exist. This includes the Strawberry Line in Somerset, the Chisholm Trail in Cambridgeshire, and countless smaller, crucial connections. For every success story, though, there


landowners, to dealing with local media, I was able to outline the most likely path to success, as told to me by these amazing local groups. The Frome’s Missing Link group in Somerset spent a decade negotiating with landowners; in return for land access for the path, they went to considerable lengths, erecting fencing, rebuilding a wall, and even improving one farmer’s driveway. With substantial local support and fundraising,


‘THERE IS HUGE


UNMET DEMAND FOR THESE GREENWAYS, WHICH BECOME


are dozens of communities trying but failing to make a difference: those who have come up against intransigent landowners, or who have simply burned out after decades spent trying. I was curious about how the select few had succeeded with their paths, so I spoke to successful groups in Somerset, Kent, Dumfries and Galloway, East Sussex, Sheffield, Chippenham and Cornwall, to find out their magic formula, if there was one. After many interviews, site visits and online research, hey presto! I produced a toolkit to help others follow in their tyre marks. I realised that what these groups have in common is their ability to build a groundswell of support for their schemes from across their communities – from landowners, to politicians, to local businesses. They developed relationships and remained positive and dynamic in the face of challenges. The toolkit uses their examples and tries to distil what they do into bite-sized sections for others to hopefully follow. From where to deliver a route, to how to approach


ASSETS TO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, REAPING HEALTH BENEFITS, EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES AND BOOSTING LOCAL ECONOMIES, NOT LEAST TOURISM.‘


they delivered the latest mile of tarmacked path last year. This leaves a mile before they can connect Frome all the way to Bath, on a largely flat, accessible, traffic-free path. It’s a miracle they got this far. I spoke to two powerhouse women behind the Keir, Penpoint and Tyrnon path in rural Scotland, who finagled funding from a potpourri of sources to deliver a 2.4- mile multi-user trail between villages. Residents voted for the path as a top local priority, and now local people, including mobility scooter users, can access anything from jobs to nature. They hope it will help keep young families in the


area, who might otherwise have left. On the Isle of Sheppey, a Light Rail Greenway


is taking shape thanks to an enthusiastic group who


galvanised support across the business, social and non-profit sectors locally, as well as landowners and politicians, to start delivering the island’s only traffic-free walking and cycling route. There is huge unmet demand for these greenways, which become assets to their local communities, reaping health benefits, expanding opportunities and boosting local economies, not least tourism. This is where the cycle industry comes in. Cycle shops


PHOTO: FASTMARKERS ON PEXELS


are part of their communities, as is the wider industry – and safe routes mean more customers. Groups like these need help and support, from fundraising to volunteer hours to local landowner contacts, to moral support and meeting venues. Harnessing that innate local support for safe alternatives to driving is crucial in pushing for change: it can give local politicians the confidence that a route is supported, it can kickstart construction of a stretch of path that builds momentum for more. It can help raise funding and community backing. It can also, if done right, eliminate the ‘backlash’ narrative, which happens when that local support isn’t developed and promoted. I made a public list of the 55-plus unfinished paths I know about, which I hope to add to. That, and my toolkit, can be accessed by scanning the QR code. ●


38 | June 2026 www.bikebiz.com


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