Connect2 Explained
Connect2 was a five-year project run by Sustrans beginning in 2006 to develop new walking and cycle routes in 79 communities around the UK.
Project
Connect2 was a five-year project run by Sustrans. It involves the creation of new cycle and walking routes, bridges and other facilities in 79 locations around the UK. It aims to create new networks of local paths, improve cycling and walking access and to connect local areas.[1]
Sustrans launched the 'Connect2' project in August 2006 in a successful bid to win £50 million from the Big Lottery's 'Living Landmarks; The People's Millions' competition. It was one of four shortlisted projects competing in a public vote for the grant and Connect2 was announced as the winning project on 12 December 2007.[2] [3]
It is estimated that Connect2 will pass within half a mile of: 3,280,000 people; 1,426,000 households; 1,355 schools; 500,000 pupils; and 57 of the most deprived boroughs in the UK. With the aim to give the benefits of: 61.5 million trips a year are expected to be made on the routes; 79,500 tonnes of could potentially be saved per annum if each of the journeys had replaced a car trip; £135 million of funding in total will be generated by Connect2; and 116 local authorities are working to deliver Connect2.[4]
Schemes
There are 79 Connect2 projects around the UK and distributed throughout the regions. The tables below were compiled from a complete list of Connect2 projects available on the OpenStreetMap wiki under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.[5]
East of England
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Norwich - connections to Whitlingham Country Park | Norfolk | |
| Royston railway crossing | Hertfordshire | |
| St. Neots - a River Great Ouse bridge | Huntingdonshire | |
Cambridge to Wicken Fen
(Wicken Fen Vision Spine Route) (The Lodes Way) | Cambridgeshire | Under construction. Substantially complete 2010. Further bridge work to 2013.[6] |
| Watton and Griston link | Norfolk | |
| Cheshunt, crossing the A10 to reach the Lee | Hertfordshire | |
|
East Midlands
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Carlton-le-Moorland and Bassingham Link | | |
| Holdingham and Sleaford over the A17 road | Lincolnshire | Completed 2010 |
| Links through Watermead Park | Leicestershire | |
| Northampton - Briar Hill and Upton Park, River Wellingborough, Rushden, Higham Ferrers. | | |
|
London
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Islington Walking and Cycling Routes | | |
| Croydon Park links | | |
| Paddington - Westbourne railway bridge and links | | |
| South Bermondsey - disused rail bridge links | | |
| Bethnal Green and new bridge over Regents | | |
| Havering - Ingrebourne Valley links | | |
|
North East England
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Bedlington and Cramlington Connection | | |
| Ingleby Barwick, Yarm, Eaglescliffe and Blyth Ferry | | |
| Durham- Belmont to Newton Hall over Belmont | | |
|
Northern Ireland
North West England
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Nantwich to Crewe along the A530 corridor | | |
| Marple and Stockport, Goyt Valley connection | | |
| Huyton - The Statt Moers Park Links & Rochdale Canal Towpath Connections | | |
| Carlisle - Kingmoor and Currock | | |
| Padiham, East Lancashire Loop | | |
| Sale- Bridgewater Canal connections | | |
| Chester connections over the Dee | | |
| Northwich - Riversdale Swingbridge | | |
| Everton Park and the Mersey | | |
| Bury - the Woolfold Gap | | |
| Maryport Station Links | | |
|
Scotland
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Glasgow - completing the Bridge to Nowhere | | |
| Dumfries - connecting two railway paths | | |
| Perth to Scone - River Tay Bridge | | |
| Hamilton, Chatelherault, Larkhall links | | |
|
South East England
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Links to the north Kent coast | | |
| Dartford Riverside | | |
| Hastings and Bexhill coastal connections | | |
| Southampton - Itchen Riverside Path | | |
| Shoreham - harbour crossing | | |
| New Forest - Common Connections | | |
| Banbury, Oxford Canal links | | |
|
South West England
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Bath, Two Tunnels | Somerset | |
| Bristol - Ashton Park, Long Ashton | Somerset | |
| Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton | Devon | |
| Ottery St Mary over the river to school | Devon | |
| Weymouth to Portland - Olympic connections | Dorset | |
| Bournemouth and Hurn | Dorset | |
| Connecting Salisbury, Alderbury and Wilton | Wiltshire | |
|
Wales
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Tintern - connection over the River Wye | Monmouthshire | Dropped in 2011 after problems obtaining planning permission.[7] |
| Monmouth - local connections | Monmouthshire | |
| Merthyr Tydfil- Trevithick Trail to town centre link | Glamorgan | |
| Treforest - University links and connections | Glamorgan | |
| Port Talbot to Cwmafan and the Forest Park | Glamorgan | |
| Rhyl bridge at Foryd Harbour, River Clwyd | Flintshire | |
| Glamorgan | |
| Newport to Caerleon | Monmouthshire | |
| Carmarthen to Johnston riverside links | Carmarthenshire | |
| Clydach, Afon Tawe Bridge | Glamorgan | |
|
West Midlands
| Scheme | County | Note |
|---|
| Worcester - a Severn Bridge at Diglis Lock | Worcs. | http://www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/schemes/project_detail.php?id=151 |
| Shrewsbury - The Severnside Gap | | |
| Birmingham - Sutton Coldfield, and the Plants Brook Route | | |
| Kenilworth to Berkswell Greenway and Rugby | | |
| Leicester Road Viaduct | | |
| Hereford - The Rotherwas Sewage Bridge | Herefordshire | |
|
Yorkshire
Notes and References
- Web site: Connect2 - FAQ. Connect 2. 2009-07-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20090813123144/http://www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/misc/faqs.php. 13 August 2009. dead.
- Web site: The People's 50 Million - Summary of the programme. Big Lottery Fund. December 2007. 2009-07-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20081122025031/http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_livinglandmarks. 22 November 2008. dead.
- Web site: Routes scheme tops lottery vote. BBC News. 2007-12-12. 2009-07-15.
- Web site: connected - Spring 2009 - Issue 1. Connect2. 2009. 2009-07-15.
- Web site: WikiProject Sustrans Connect2. OpenStreetMap. 2009-07-15.
- Web site: The Wicken Vision - Lodes Way. National Trust. 2011-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20120113112200/http://www.wicken.org.uk/vision_lodesway.htm. 13 January 2012. dead.
- Web site: Home Page. Wye Valley Communities for Safe Cycling. 8 November 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120210004659/http://www.wyevalleycycling.org.uk/index.php?id=0. 10 February 2012. dead.
