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.
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.
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.
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.
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. Watton and Griston link Norfolk Cheshunt, crossing the A10 to reach the Lee Hertfordshire
East Midlands Scheme County NoteCarlton-le-Moorland and Bassingham LinkHoldingham and Sleaford over the A17 road LincolnshireCompleted 2010Links through Watermead ParkLeicestershire 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 Scheme County Note Derry - greenway and cycle path Peace Bridge Strabane - River Mourne Bridge and links Dungannon Park Connections Ballymoney Railway Bridge and links Omagh - riverside path and new bridges Three Mile Water greenway
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. 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 Cardiff: Pont y Werin 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. 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 Scheme County Note Bradford Living Streets – Manchester Road Bridge Yorkshire Bridlington to Flamborough Head Coastal Yorkshire Scunthorpe Ridgeway connections Yorkshire Killamarsh – Halfway Tram Terminus, Rother Yorkshire Harrogate, Ripley and the Dales Yorkshire Brompton-on-Swale – a bridge across the river Yorkshire
References