Dear Sir,

Active travel: I watched with interest Daniel Mumby’s recent video of his walk from Staplegrove into Taunton’s town centre.

It made me think about what route I would take and how best people living in the outer parts of our town can access the centre, without having to rely on a car and by a greener and more pleasant route.

For over 20 years I commuted to work here in Taunton by bicycle for several reasons.

The first one being the obvious health benefit that more active travel can bring to a person; another was that given the congestion on our roads now, I found it was often quicker.

I spent many years refining my route and sniffing out the options where I could cycle more along paths and less along the road.

Many such routes do exist and criss-cross our town; a small cut-through here, a proper pedestrian/cycle path there.

New housing developments have become a norm now for many towns and communities and it is so important that they factor into their planning, active travel routes and pedestrian/cycle paths alongside the roads which link into these new areas.

I have certainly seen this in many recently built new estates, and it works very well in most cases; the addition of pedestrian-only cut-throughs which link the houses to amenities and green areas where people can actively travel without the need to take out the car.

So what route would I take if I wanted to walk from Staplegrove Church to the town centre?

Well, first I would cross at the pedestrian crossing opposite the Co-op and walk through, what would be called in Sussex, a twitten through to Hudson Park – a lovely green and open space for all to enjoy as they walk through.

This leads to Bindon Road where I would then turn left and head back to Staplegrove Road.

From there, two options are presented to the active traveller.

The first would be to cut down along the path next to the allotments towards the Orchard, a wonderful community space saved from development for posterity, before heading over the wooden bridge to Longrun Meadow.

A wonderful piece of wild land, giving a springboard to our local biodiversity where you can meet up with Daniel and continue with him and his walk into town.

Or head to the next pedestrian crossing opposite Chip Lane and walk down the path to the bottom of Station Road and the top of Bridge Street.

From there across our newly repainted Town Bridge and into the town centre.

Of course, other alternatives are also possible.

Google Maps is certainly very good at showing these and often worth the effort to research for the rewards it brings.

I have discovered so much more of Taunton by following these leads, or twittens, and they certainly helped me connect up all our different communities and areas which make up Taunton as a whole.

In the end, I want to thank Daniel for taking the time to explore the active routes available around our town and I hope it encourages us all to think more about our active travel.

Next time you head into town, sniff out these other routes, those pedestrian/cycle-friendly routes which get you into town along more green and pleasant paths.

Nick O’Donnell

Taunton