New cycleway on the Shroppie

Published: Wednesday, 02 May 2018

PART of the Shropshire Union Canal towpath around Chester is to be upgraded to a cycleway.

At a cost of £680,000 a one and one third mile length of towpath between Chester and Ellesmere Port will be upgraded, Alan Tilbury reports.

'Essential transport infrastructure'

According to Roy Newton, Transport Director of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership:

The funding would go towards ‘essential transport infrastructure designed to overcome walking and cycling barriers to key economic destinations’.  Whatever that means, and adds:

 “The package aims to deliver high outputs against a relatively low level of investment—most significantly in terms of improved access to employment, housing, training and education and provides health, congestion and environmental benefits.”

The result however is that boaters should take care of flying cyclists, especially if the length is turned into a time trials section.