TOWN and district councillor Keith Wheatley says the Government’s announcement on a cash and planning boost for cycling to help the UK get back to work after Covid-19 is good news for Wellington.

“When I was elected a year ago one of my campaign issues was to promote the creation of a safe cycle lane on the A38 from the town to Taunton,” said Cllr Wheatley, who represents Wellington East on Somerset West and Taunton Council.

“The funding and urgency that the Transport Secretary has promised brings that project so much closer to reality. It’s already a priority within our new council but when you get Westminster behind you, these things can move much more quickly.

“Many people commute to work or college in Taunton and although we have a fairly good bus service between the two towns there are going to be lots of reasons to reduce the number of people using public transport once the coronavirus pandemic is under control.”

At present the six-mile A38 route is a fairly easy 30-minute ride on a mostly flat road. What stops most regular and occasional cyclists using it is the heavy traffic and narrow carriageways, putting cars and lorries too close for safety, Cllr Wheatley says. He feels wide verges and a little-used pavement make a cycle lane easily possible.

Cllr Mike Rigby, SWT’s executive member for Transport and Planning, said: “We are bringing forward our plans to deliver a Wellington-Taunton cycle route as a result of the opportunity this new policy provides.

“It fits perfectly with our green environmental policies and anyone who travels that route knows how desperately we need to reduce vehicle congestion and pollution.”

CO2 emissions from transport are calculated at 50 per cent of all Somerset West and Taunton’s carbon dioxide output. Swapping the car for a bike on a local journey reduces carbon emissions to zero.

Taunton Area Cycling Campaign chairman Pip Sheard said: “Our work shows that many people would like to cycle but safer infrastructure is vital to enable them to. More cycling will create large environmental, health and social benefits.”