Power to the people

Don’t be put off by bureaucracy – self-organisation and determination can force change

Somewhere in a small town in Somerset, tucked behind the council offices, is a diminutive path with a huge impact. It may only be 275m long, but this new route, ducking under a handsome stone bridge carrying a busy A-road, has seen 104,000 cycling and walking trips in its first 12 months. Considering that small town, Shepton Mallet, has just 10,000 inhabitants, that’s impressive. An unlikely chain of events, key to the path’s success, involved a change of heart by a large Government-owned organisation, whose hand was forced in turn by a small group of committed, vocal campaigners in Yorkshire. For years, a branch of National Highways infilled its historic railway bridges, just like the one in Shepton, under the guise of health and safety, and cost savings. NH’s Historic…

You're reading a preview of

Cycling Plus (Digital) - 1 Issue, August 2024

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.