Pier to Pier Way - Clevedon

[T4tomo]

Apparently, the issue is with a farmer that will not give allow access to complete the Tutshill Greenway, which is a pretty key section to the whole infrastructure.

Isnt it the fact that as the route passes through a working dairy farm, the farmer is (rightly from a safety point of view) insisting that the pedestrian /cycle way is separate from his farm / vehicle access, and he's holding out for a separate bridge to be built (obviously not at his cost) to facilitate that separate access.

 

[AlanW]

Isnt it the fact that as the route passes through a working dairy farm, the farmer is (rightly from a safety point of view) insisting that the pedestrian /cycle way is separate from his farm / vehicle access, and he's holding out for a separate bridge to be built (obviously not at his cost) to facilitate that separate access.

In truth I don't know the "in's" and "out" are as to what the issue is for the farmer, but if what you are saying is correct, then yes, I guess he has a valid point?

 

[mjr]

In truth I don't know the "in's" and "out" are as to what the issue is for the farmer, but if what you are saying is correct, then yes, I guess he has a valid point?

What valid point would that be? There are loads of places where cycle routes share with farm vehicle accesses. I can even think of two near me where cycle routes go across the main farmyard, one of them between farm buildings (which can be, er, interesting in the downhill direction when it's muddy and wet).

 

[AlanW]

Maybe if the farmer is moving cattle four times a day (in/out for milking twice a day) over a small bridge then maybe he does have a valid point.
But l guess to really understand it all you would need to visit the site and talk to the farmer in question and understand his reasoning.

 

[MidnightRider]

FARMERS
Farmers carry insurance - it may be the insurance premiums or other related insurance factors are causing the need to separate the access ways. Look at all the stuff over people being killed by cattle lately. It may be as basic as s/he cannot afford the jump in premiums etc and adjustment of the access will mitigate that.

Farming is a hard life, its one of the high risk of suicide occupations. Sometimes people just seem to see it as running some kind of giant lawn where the farmer just nips out for a quick mow now and again. Farming is physically dangerous and so farmers will have awareness of the risks for others, for those less aware of animals and machinery.

COUNCILS & BUDGETS
More likely is the timing of the projected finish of the project. All government budgets run from early April to the end of the following March. This means they dole out money with caution for the first 3/4 of the year, in case of unexpected emergency spending (road collapses, flooding, pandemics etc). The last 3 months they would hope to have a reasonable sum left in the pot, if no emergencies have occurred. Then they have to spend like mad, as if they do not spend all the money allocated its reduced the following year (an insane system). As the path in question is not critical, it may have been very desirable to complete, but certainly not critical.

Given the estimated timing of the path completion (spring 2024) I would personally guess in 2023 the local council had expected to have enough spare money left in the final 3 month period to finish off the path (someone had said it looked as if it was in progress, doubt this would have got that far if the farmer was not co-operating). I would guess, given the state of potholed roads etc that the budget for completion has been used up elsewhere on high priority stuff and there is in fact no money left to complete the coast path out of the 2023/24 budget allocation.

If this is the case, it would be helpful of councillors to let the public know and understand. It would be very wrong, if its a budgetary thing, to let the farmer take all the flack for the governments poor financial allocations to councils. Look how many councils are going broke and how many desirable services have been cut (toilets, libraries, support for vulnerable groups).

A costal path, much as I hope to use this one myself, is very low priority if compared to very pressing issues.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Isnt it the fact that as the route passes through a working dairy farm, the farmer is (rightly from a safety point of view) insisting that the pedestrian /cycle way is separate from his farm / vehicle access, and he's holding out for a separate bridge to be built (obviously not at his cost) to facilitate that separate access.

Well it doesn't pass through the farm, the route uses the (I think public) road which goes to the farm. The clip below might help. Clearly the option exists to create a separate metaled fenced 'way, but that then causes the farmer access issues across it.
As @mjr says, that old track line looks good.
On my travels I've been tempted to go down there and have a good recce, but it's a long diversion.
As soon as this is open I'll use it to get from Bridgwater to Bristol/Severn Bridge. Currently I go north (Woolavington/Mark/Tarnock) and along the Strawberry Line (and tunnel, NCN 26).
Burnham > Brean> NCN33 > Weston and then 'Pier to Pier' gets me to Clevedon, and then the back road to the Avon Bridge.