Bridgwater Town Council has launched it’s tourism guide for 2023 with the first town map for many years and a special emphasis on cycling and sustainable transport. The fold out map, history and travel guide was handed out to the people of the town this Saturday morning, 28th January, on the Cornhill in conjunction with the Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign who played a leading role in the design and development of the map. Town Council Leader Cllr Brian Smedley said “Over the past few years we have themed our guides on specific areas of interest, hence we’ve had a guide to the town through our trees and parks one year and a guide through the towns history the next. This year we decided to go for a cycling based theme which emphasises our green credentials, supports the work of the Area Cycling Campaign and in particular gives everybody the first detailed map of the town and surrounds for a long time”. The map is available from the town hall and other outlets and is free of charge. The Map, which also features a history themed text by Miles Kerr-Peterson, was launched by Mayor of Bridgwater Cllr Liz Leavy.

Cllr Tim Mander (Labour, Westover) is the Portfolio Holder for transport. Attending the launch he said  “I am delighted to be part of the team that has produced this brilliant cycling and walking map of Bridgwater and its immediate surrounds. Not only does it highlight the number of safe routes around the town but also includes some brilliant includes some fascinating historical annotations.  Much thanks need to go to Gary Perret of the Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign who helped draw up the plan; Professor Miles Kerr-Petersen for his usual brilliant historical input; Councillor Leader Brian Smedley for driving forward this project and not forgetting Catherine Ryle from the Town Council for securing advertising revenue which was important in ensuring the quality of the final map”.

Sustainable Transport

Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign is a voluntary group run by cycling enthusiasts and local residents. Formed in February 2019, our main aim is to improve & promote safer cycling and the provision of new route infrastructure within Bridgwater and the surrounding areas. We also will support (where applicable) safer walking, the interests of pedestrians and all means of  sustainable transport. See our BACC constitution. The group has four main focus areas. These are, safety (concerning; new cyclists, vulnerable road users, reduction in speed limits and assessing local areas for personal safety risk), behavioural change (raising awareness of the benefits of cycling and increased physical activity), infrastructure (influencing changes to both existing and new paths and local route mapping), and communications (raising awareness through ‘our’ website, social media, the local press and via our group’s correspondence).

Active Travel

Gary Perrett from the Bridgwater Area Cycling Club said “The team here at Bridgwater Area Cycling Campaign are delighted with this fabulous new visitors’ guide and map. We have invested a lot of time in this project, using our knowledge of the local cycling network, and we’ve worked closely with the Town Council and the cartographers to produce it. Active travel – that is, walking and cycling – plays a vital role in shaping the future of all our towns and cities. The fact that cycling is given such prominence in this map is a great reflection of our Town Council’s forward-thinking approach, and we are enormously grateful to them. We are absolutely thrilled with the finished article. Thanks to FourPoint Mapping, the visual layout on the map is clear and intuitive. The result is a map that will enable anyone – visitors and residents alike – to get around Bridgwater so much more easily.”

Towards an Integrated Transport system