Bridgend Council has decided to pause work on upgraded walking and cycling facilities in Bryntirion and Cefn Glass following feedback from a public consultation.
An upgraded active travel route – which would include new crossing points and segregated two-way cycling facilities along Merlin Crescent – is a planning condition linked to a new four-classroom block being built at Bryntirion Comprehensive.
This would be the first of a three-phase programme of walking and cycling upgrades stretching from Bryntirion Comprehensive to the Broadlands/Bryngolau junction.
A public consultation exercise (pdf) held over the spring and summer generated a lot of negative feedback on the plans.
75% of those who took part opposed the scheme as proposed. Additionally, 85% said the proposals wouldn’t encourage them to walk or cycle any more than they do now.
Some of the issues raised include the disruption the works would cause, the liabilities and potential for accidents at driveways along the route, changes to bus stops and the loss of grass verges.
In the annual update to the council’s strategic transport projects (pdf – p8), council officers said that due to the “considerable level of opposition” BCBC would not include the project as part of its 2025-26 bid for active travel funding. Instead, the scheme will be deferred/put on hold “whilst further public and political consensus is sought”.
