Families enjoy £1.1m cycle route after official opening
Juliette and Kevin use the new pedalway with daughters Amelie and Kate. Picture: Norfolk County Council - Credit: Archant
Families in a village close to Norwich have been enjoying life on two wheels since a new major cycle route was completed last month.
Liz Cox with husband Leon and children Toby, 14, and Rosie, 12, enjoying a family ride on the new cycle route. Picture: Norfolk County Council - Credit: Archant
The Blue Pedalway, which connects Wymondham with Sprowston via the city centre, opened in July after the completion of the final 1.3 kilometre stretch along the B1172 at Hethersett.
Norfolk County Council said the scheme aims to “encourage more walking and cycling by making people feel safe”, while also providing improved access to sustainable transport.
The Wymondham to Hethersett section was paid for by £1.1million from the Department for Transport’s Transforming Cities Fund, and is one of six schemes funded by a £6.1m windfall from March 2019.
Martin Wilby, cabinet member for highway and infrastructure, said the authority “hopes to deliver more schemes like this across the county and will seek additional funding through all available means to achieve this”.
Juliette and Kevin use the new pedalway with daughters Amelie and Kate. Picture: Norfolk County Council - Credit: Archant
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“We have already seen a 40pc increase in cycling across greater Norwich in recent years and post lockdown numbers are continuing to rise,” he added.
The council says it has seen a four-fold increase in usage on the route since 2018, and has also received positive feedback from families in Hethersett.
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Liz Cox, who lives in the village with husband Leon and children Toby, 14, and Rosie, 12, said: “Our children are at an age where they are starting to get more freedom to go out with their friends.
“I would have really worried about them cycling into Wymondham, but the new off-road route gives me added peace of mind to know they are safe and we’ve had some really enjoyable family rides too.”
Meanwhile paramedic Juliette, who has been using the new route with husband Kevin and daughters Amelie, seven, and Kate, five, said it had been a great was for her young children to gain confidence on two wheels.
“I was initially getting them to ride along with me while I went for my daily run, during the height of lockdown and we are now cycling up to 10 miles as a family.
“We use it for going to the shops, running errands in Wymondham and love whizzing along the new off-road route, which is so much safer.”
