The Woodside Link Cycling Celebration event has been a long time coming and now it’s almost there. For Central Bedfordshire, this is quite a big deal.
In the Dunstable, Houston Regis area there is loads of construction work going on and this includes a couple of new roads which will supposedly ease traffic congestion and connect up with the M1 motorway. The Woodside Link Road will not be cycle-friendly at all when it is open, in fact I can’t see why anyone would want to ride along it since it simply goes to the M1 motorway.
Therefore someone has organised this Cycling Celebration event on 10 December ahead of the road opening sometime next year. It will be an opportunity to cycle along the new road in a Skyride manner with no cars, vans, lorries and the like causing problems.
I think this is brilliant. I’m not completely sure how it has happened although I suspect lots of people, including the locally excellent Luton & Dunstable Cycle Forum have had some influence. Actually I blogged about this before but can’t claim any credit for this welcome development.
On the map below, you can see the new road from Houghton Regis across to the new M1 junction which is also being constructed. Might as well give the A5-M1 link road a mention too as this is also being constructed at the same time, albeit a little further behind it seems.
I must say the A5-M1 Link Road looks very tempting when I see it on my way to work. By that I mean I’m tempted to have a run on this road, early one morning. Currently it looks as if most of the heavy work has been done with tarmac in place and some bridges being are constructed right now.
So the cycling celebration event looks set to be quite a landmark day. I gather one of the local cycling clubs are organising some junior time trials and then it will be open for all to have a ride up and down. The only draw back is it being in December, so I’m not sure how many will go along. I’m certainly planning to go and am looking forward to seeing local cycling stalwarts there too.
Wanna know more?
Here’s a link to the Central Bedfordshire Council website with more information on the new roads.
Luton & Dunstable Cycle Forum’s Facebook page is worth clocking if you’re a local cyclist
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There are wide shared use paths on both sides of the new road, and it will mean you can go from the current National Cycle route 6 at Parkside Drive, follow the path around where it goes underneath the new road, and then heads due south, next to the M1, to join onto route 6 again, to then go underneath the M1. As the intention is to have wooded areas up there, long term it will be a nice little route.
Also it provides an alternative to using the toucan crossing that will be installed across the new road to then get onto Pastures Way. In fact, long term, I’d expect Route 6 to follow that way, as in a few years time Pastures Way will be opened up with a roundabout going onto the Woodside Link Road, and new houses built alongside. Going that way on a bike, although slightly longer, avoids the current conflict on the section past the houses on Kestrel Way.