Public can shape Flintshire's new walking and cycling routes

Flintshire County Council’s first three in-person active travel consultations have been taking place today (Thursday) but members of the public can make their views known up to November 2.

The authority’s Transport Strategy Manager Lee Shone and his Streetscene team started their consultation at the Jade Jones Pavilion in Flint at 9am before heading to Mold Leisure Centre from 12-2pm.

They will finish their first day of consultation at Deeside Leisure Centre between 3-5pm.

On Friday, October 23 they will be at Broughton and Bretton Community Centre between 12-2pm and on Tuesday, October 27 you will find them at Trelogan Community Centre, also between 12-2pm.

According to Lee, the consultation is to find out what the public think of the proposed active travel routes – practical safe routes for cyclists, pedestrians , wheelchair users and mobility aid users connecting them to places of work, retail centres to reduce car use.

But they also want your suggestions.

“We have to consult on these plans every five years,” he said, “It’s an opportunity for people to tell us whether we have missed off a route that local people really need.

“Alternatively we may be planning to clear or establish new routes where they are actually no longer needed. Perhaps local amenities have moved, the local school has relocated to a new building.

“If active travel routes are not giving people the option to choose walking or cycling over the car because they are not in the right places we need to understand that.”

The active travel consultation areas cover Holywell and Greenfield, Flint, Connah’s Quay, Shotton and Garden City, Mold, Buckley, Broughton and Hope, Bridge End and Penyffordd.

The proposals do not include the planned new A494 River Dee crossing, which will have active travel measures built in from the start to connect to the existing network.