York school welcomes overdue completion of cycle path 18 months after work began

A major off-road cycle path has finally been finished in York, 12 months later than scheduled. Local teachers have welcomed its completion after expressing concerns that it was potentially putting pupils in danger while they used it in a half-finished state.

The £1.3m path between Wigginton Road and Haxby Road on the A1237 is part of the i-Travel York initiative which aims to improve residents’ travel options and to encourage greater use of sustainable and active modes of travel.

The path was supposed to have been completed in spring of last year, but poor ground conditions and difficulties building a bridge over the York to Scarborough railway line meant that work came to a standstill and costs rose from £700,000 to £1.3m.

Despite signs at either end, saying that the path was closed, local schoolchildren were still using the path in its incomplete state. At one point, they were forced to walk along a narrow verge, dangerously close to passing traffic when crossing a railway bridge.

Andy Faint, a teacher at the nearby Joseph Rowntree School, told the York Press:

"We’re delighted that this new off-road route is now open. It provides an even safer route to and from our school, which in turn will encourage even more of our students and staff to travel to school by bike. We’re very supportive about promoting sustainable travel – research shows those who cycle or walk to school can demonstrate a measurable increase in concentration that lasts for up to four hours."

The council says the path will provide a safe cycle route for 15,000 people living in that part of York and we have previously reported how 60 per cent of pupils who responded to the council’s consultation on the path said that they would use it to ride to school.

North Yorkshire Police have also welcomed the development, looking upon it as a way to reduce casualties on York roads. Jonathan Gibson, senior development manager at the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, said: “This investment will make York a better place to live and work and become more sustainable in transport terms.”