Brislington cycle path cleared of rubbish by volunteers and local councillors

Work to clear a old railway line which will become a cycle path took place over the weekend.

The path, which was approved unanimously by Bristol City Council in March 2022, will be located on the old North Somerset railway line in Brislington and will be a temporary route for three years.

Cllr Andrew Varney and a team of 15 to 20 volunteers started the process of cleaning up the area this past weekend.

Cllr Varney said: “A mix of local people and keen cyclists got together and in just one day removed a huge amount of rubbish.

“The volunteer party were able to clear the path and mark the future route.

“We cleared all sorts of paraphernalia from the path including large wooden pallets.”

The councillor told Bristol World that he believes the route is in good shape with only a quick scraping of tarmac needed to remove some moss build up.

“It needs an access point to be installed but otherwise it won’t take long to get it into shape,” he said.

“As a cyclist I know that this project makes sense.

“It’s a no-brainer, it has been empty since the 1960s and it will make a safe, flat route.”

Cllr Varney believes that this cycle path will be a great asset for the cyclist community.

“It is the missing link of Route Three - what we have now is polluted and unsafe,” he said.

“Not the type of path you want to take children down on a Sunday afternoon.

“The new path will not only be safer but it will be better for the wildlife - which will remain undisturbed in the verges.

The five year campaign to open the path has been backed by thousands who support the existence of the cycle path.

Cllr Varney said: “I hope that it will be successful and show that the road does not need to be built.

“I think it’s important that we give people choices - if there is a good facility to cycle fewer people will be on the roads.”