The council shares this latest piece of good news. Ed
The latest public footpath to benefit from improvements is now in use by the public.
Public footpath R55, which runs between Great Preston Road, Ryde and the bridleway, which is adjacent to the Ryde to Sandown railway line; was recently upgraded, thanks to the Isle of Wight Council’s rights of way team, working closely with council contractors.
Hobart: Great team effort
Councillor John Hobart, Cabinet member for environment and heritage, said,
“This latest scheme is a continuation to the council’s commitment to improving the quality of the walking and cycling infrastructure across the Island, to include improvements for equestrians whenever possible. It is also a great team effort by all involved. The path is extremely popular urban route with dog walkers, business users and school children alike, and is a vital link between the two areas for those wishing to travel more actively on foot or two wheels.
“The importance of locally available public paths should not be underestimated as our public rights of way network plays a vital role in maintaining the health and well-being of Island people.”
Prime time to carry out vital jobs
While many of us may be tempted to stay in the warm, winter and early spring is the prime time for the rights of way team to carry out vital jobs such as this project.
Darrel Clarke, council Rights of Way manager, added,
“This is just one of a number of projects undertaken recently, that will ensure our rights of way paths are accessible and safe to use all year round.
“The hard work by the council’s small rights of way team, with the contractors, provides a much needed improvement to this popular route, which will predominantly be used for walking and cycling.”
Before and after
Click on image to see larger version
Multi-user path
The improvement works were carried out jointly by Taylor and Taylor Groundworks and Pete Faithful Quality Timber Supplies. The path had previously been very narrow and prone to be wet and muddy.
The Rights of Way team cleared vegetation along the path, before a chalk sub base with a gravel top surface was applied at a width to enable multi-use all year round.
Similar work in Newchurch
This project follows on from the creation of a multi-user path between Newchurch and Langbridge, earlier this year, where the release of part of the Newport to Sandown cycle track NC9 from a covenant preventing horse use means riders, cyclists and walkers are now able to share the path.
Previously, horse riders had to use the road network to bypass this section to access the rest of the nearby bridleway network.
