Dorset cyclists invited to help plot county-wide cycle network

Cyclists in Dorset are being given an opportunity to help shape the future of the county’s cycle network. Dorset County Council has extended the invitation as part of plans to develop a county-wide network of bike routes to encourage more people to cycle through the provision of safer and easier routes to key destinations.

An online mapping tool on the council’s website lets cyclists draw their favourite routes on a map, enabling them to be assessed for suitability by the county council. Full instructions on how to plot your route are given, and although the council says that it only works in Internet Explorer, it provides advice for people using other browsers, or you can simply describe your proposed route.

The council point out that suggestions should be “feasible,” and although it underlines that cycling is not allowed on footpaths, it adds that it welcomes suggestions regarding footpaths or bridleways that could form part of the new network subject to a change of designation, as well as ones using the existing road network that may require cycle lanes or other infrastructure to make them bike-friendly.

It adds that it has already identified a number of routes, wither in local planning documents or as a result of earlier consultations, and these will be added to the routes proposed by cyclists and appraised to identify ones that enable “the greatest numbers of journeys to work, education and other essential services safely and conveniently.”

The deadline for submission is 26 February, following which there will be a second round of consultation, which will highlight priority routes and invite comments on what could be done to make them better for cyclists. Anyone wishing to be involved in that is asked to provide their email address when submitting their route.