MEMBERS of a cycling campaign group protested in Taunton as they claim they have had a year long wait for a meeting with Somerset County Council. 

More than 20 protestors from Taunton Area Cycling Campaign (TACC) gathered on Gipsy Lane in Taunton on Saturday (April 27) and criticised Somerset County Council’s choice of Gipsy Lane for cycle route investment as they say they believe it is a 'poor and unsafe choice for cyclists.'

The protest comes after TACC made statements at Somerset County Council's planning committee last year while discussing the Staplegrove Urban Extensions and called for joint working with Somerset County Council(SCC) to plan the walking and cycling infrastructure needed to support the housing development.

TACC said it has been asking for a meeting with the county council to discuss the plans for more than a year but the council has not responded to them.

Marion Nieuwenhuizen, TACC member said: "TACC is keen to ensure that the new Staplegrove extension’s cycling and walking network has a good link to the town centre so its new residents will choose to cycle there. "The route could also be used by residents of Kingston St Mary.

"It seems incredible that the County Council are unwilling to discuss this with us.

"We believe that if the Garden Town project is to succeed, the County Council must come out from behind their closed doors to work with groups like ours. "

At the protest TACC members said that they think a route running along Clifford Avenue and Leslie Avenue is the most direct route for cyclists and it has had a series of constructive meetings with the Staplegrove land promoters.

Chris Rix, from the Residents of Staplegrove Action Group and a member of TACC, said: "The county council’s preferred route using Gypsy Lane is indirect and merely 'dumps' people onto Greenway Road, a very busy road.

"We have proposed to them that the funding should be directed to the route via Clifford Avenue which is direct and needs to be widened in places."

A spokesman for Somerset County Council said: “We are extremely disappointed with the insinuation that we are taking decisions behind closed doors and creating an unsafe environment for cyclists.

"We would like to make the following points:

  • We have sought to engage fully with TACC over the development of a new local cycling and walking infrastructure plan for Taunton and have met with them on many occasions over the past 18 months.
  • There are many regulations governing when we can legally request developers to fund off-site transport improvements – in this instance it was not legally possible for the Council to secure the works that TACC requested as planning obligations attached to the Staplegrove development.  We are writing to TACC to fully explain the reasons for this.
  • We are only a consultee in the planning process and cannot dictate to the planning authority what conditions are attached to planning permissions. 
  • We will ensure that any works undertaken are fully safety audited as the safety of road users is our highest priority in any discussion in relation to new development or changes to the transport network.   
  • We will continue to seek funding via all available funding sources to improve Taunton’s cycle network including the route highlighted by TACC.