A commuter cycle path from Wellington to Taunton could take ten years and £6 million to create.

A feasibility study into the proposed cycleway was commissioned by Wellington Wheelers Cycling Club in 2019 with half of the £3,300 cost funded by the town council.

But some two-and-a-half years later the project team working on the scheme has made little headway and councillors are still waiting to be officially told the outcome of the study.

Town councillor John Thorne, who is also one of Wellington’s two county councillors, told the WWN: “It is such an exciting project and one which over time will transform the local transport network.

“We want to get cars off the road and make travel more sustainable to reduce our community’s carbon footprint as much as possible so I find it hugely frustrating and disappointing that we have seen so little progress with the cycleway.

“Earlier this year we were hearing that construction work could start before the end of 2022 and now suddenly they are talking 2031-32.

“I was totally supportive of the plan and at the time it seemed fairly straightforward because there is a pavement which runs all the way along the north side of the A38 from Wellington to Taunton.

“I think we all thought the plan would be to look at how to widen the pavement to create a safe cycle path for people to get to and from Taunton for their work.

“But the project team seem to be trying to apply ‘rocket science’ where it is not needed and I understand their focus has largely been on the much more problematic south side of the A38.

“To make matters worse I believe they have also been looking at an option to take the cycle route completely ‘off line’ and go through the countryside via Bishop’s Hull, Bradford-on-Tone and Nynehead before veering back to Wellington.

“They really seem to have lost the plot and used the town council’s money and the other half of the funding which they received from the then-Deane council for some grandiose plan of their own.

“I appreciate they will not be happy with my criticisms and may say it is not that simple, but if that is the case then they should come to the town council and talk to us about it so we can have a better understanding and maybe look at how we can help.”

Project group member Chris Brossard recently gave a presentation to parish councillors in West Buckland where he told them Citizens UK and Taunton Area Cycling Campaign had taken on the planning of the cycle route.

Mr Brossard said the group was talking to each parish along the route and asking them to find a ‘cycling champion’ to help support the initiative.

He said a decision had not yet been taken on whether the route should follow the north or south side of the A38.

It was estimated the cycle path could increase cycling between Wellington and Taunton more than tenfold from 50 to 100 journeys a day to between 600 and 1,000.

Mr Brossard said the cycleway was probably still ten years away and there were many partnerships to be formed and funding streams to be accessed to help raise the estimated £6 million cost.