Cyclists say it's time for council to 'stop dragging its feet with warm words but little tangible progress'
Cycling safety campaigners will be riding through Taunton this lunchtime to call for more investment and better infrastructure.
Last updated 1st Sep 2021
The so-called 'wake up’ rally will finish at Somerset county hall just after midday - with the council being handed an alarm clock.
Campaigners say while the authority has funded four schemes in recent years, they are all 'add ons' and not new routes.
The council say it continues to try to balance the needs of all road users - and bid for funding for schemes.
A spokesperson for the Taunton Area Cycling Campaign (TACC) said: "Action to improve cycling needs to start now.
"Somerset CC has to stop dragging its feet with warm words but little tangible progress. Design and maintenance of cycling infrastructure needs to improve.
"TACC has tried to support the County Council in a variety of ways, putting our own time into this.
"The Government is calling on Highway Authorities to enable active travel. Numerous polls show strong public support for better cycling provision. The pandemic showed the appetite for walking and cycling more, when the threat from car traffic is reduced. There is a climate emergency.
"The county has funded four major road schemes in as many years in Taunton. We are struggling to think of any new free standing cycling routes in the same period (other than add ons to road schemes). Somerset County Council-please do some meaningful implementation."
In repsonse, a spokesperson for Somerset County Council said: “We are committed to making improvements to encourage cycling and would like to thank Taunton Area Cycling Campaign for sharing their latest ideas.
"We hope they understand that in designing and delivering schemes we have to balance the needs of all road users, including pedestrians, and sometimes there are funding or practical limitations which mean we cannot accommodate all requests.
"We are keen to continue our ongoing engagement with TACC, and other cycling groups, to both highlight the case to Government for further funding for cycling infrastructure in rural counties such as Somerset and work along our contractors to improve how cyclists can be accommodated during major road works."
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