Wiltshire News
Warminster clear-up for cycle routes
1:00pm Friday 10th February 2012
Warminster cyclists are getting together with local volunteers to clean up two country lanes, making them safer and easier to use.
Bartholomew Lane and Newopaul Way, on the west side of the town, have become dark and overgrown. The former also has blind corners where cyclists could endanger pedestrians.
With the help of Warm-inster Environmental Team Services (WETS), a volunteer group set up to tackle such tasks, the cyclists hope to get enough volunteers together to clear the paths in March.
Colin French, a representative of the Warmin-ster Cycle Group, said: “It is a well-used path, as it is a safe, traffic-free short cut into the town.
“We are planning to widen the path back to its natural boundaries, trim the hedges back, square off the corners to improve visibility and generally tidy it up a bit.
“We are also looking at ways of slowing people down on the path, perhaps including a stile, as it has a few right-angled turns. It is an odd-shaped path.
“Newopaul Way, as well, is an excellent route from the Portway Estate up to the industrial estates and would make a much safer route for people to cycle or walk into work than the roads.”
Mr French approached the town council last month and won unanimous support for his plan.
The council got approval from the land owner, Wiltshire Council, pending confirmation of group numbers and approval of equipment.
“This is just the sort of thing we want to get behind,” said WETS member George Jolley.
“You can wait for the council to deal with these problems, if they have the funding or the staff available, or you can get involved yourself in improving your town.
“Although our members are volunteers, they know what they are doing and if there are any jobs which require more specialised equipment we know who to contact.
“If you leave things for someone else to do, they just deteriorate and become more of a problem.
“I think there will be about 10 people from the cycle club and around six from WETS, so any volunteers who want to give us a hand would be most welcome.”
The Bartholomew Lane path is named after English/American child star of Hollywood films Freddie Bartholomew, who appeared in Captains Courageous (1937) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936).