 Here we see part of the Cheyney Road campus of Chester College as viewed from the old Mickle Trafford-Deeside railway line, photographed at
the end of 1997. Not much evidence of bicycling students here!
Nontheless, this is an obvious and beneficial location for providing
cycle and pedestrian access between the college and the projected greenway-
there is plenty of space, the slope down from the line is moderate and a ramp
could be easily constructed here, thus providing a valuable commuter route for
Chester's large student population.
It
seems
a
shame
that
the
gate
connecting
the
campus
with
the
towpath
of
the
Shropshire
Union
Canal
(which
we
shall
cross
soon),
another
valuable
car-free
route,
is,
for
'security
reasons',
currently
kept
permanently
locked-
as
was
remarked
upon
in September
2000 by
a
correspondent
in
the
local
press:
"It looks to me as if the surfacing of the canal towpath and creating
the Sustrans route down the old Mickle Trafford to Shotton railway line could
have more potential to improve the health of many Cestrians than a whole raft
of central government sponsored health initiatives could ever hope to achieve.
The number of people of all ages who are walking and cycling because of this
new network is evidence of the beginnings of culture change within Chester.
People are realising that walking and cycling are a pleasant and realistic alternatives
to taking the car for short local joumeys.
We now have surfaced traffic-free corridors running north to south (the canal)
and east to west (the Sustrans route) and they link up with each other. Instead
of planning to spend millions of pounds on putting in the car-dependent busway
against the will of most Cestrians, the Joint Councils should consider spending
just thousands on creative ways to expand this network.
What we need is more access points and feeder routes leading off the main corridors
e.g. Iink up the Deva link road cycleway by a ramp to the canal beside Chester
College.
Whilst on the subject of Chester College, it's ridiculous that even though it
is bordered on one side by the Sustrans route and on another by the canal that
it still doesn't allow access into campus for students or lecturers from these
routes. We are not talking "rocket science" here but it seems too much for the
intransigent "powers that be" at the college. Let's see some action on this.
Graeme Lyall, 47 Oaklea Avenue, Hoole, Chester |