MP launches new Findon cycling and walking pathway
Andrew Griffith MP joined the official opening of Findon’s new cycle/walk pathway funded by £1.2 million of Active Travel funding.
The new A24 off-road route is the first Active Travel project funded from £2.35million of money from the Department of Transport. It connects Findon Village – the gateway of South Downs National Park – with Findon Valley. A significant stretch of the new path is off-carriageway.
The scheme was approved by West Sussex County Council in April 2022.
The official opening was attended by Cllr Joy Dennis, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at West Sussex County Council, Cllr Deborah Urquhart – county councillor for Findon and Angmering, Findon Parish Council, residents, and Landbuild who undertook the building project.
The off-road 3 metre wide shared-use cycling and walking pathway has been built on the eastern side of the A24 from the junction with Findon High Street and runs south as far as May Tree Avenue in Findon Valley. Existing footways on the route have been widened to accommodate walkers and cyclists safely.
Andrew Griffith said: “The new pathway is a great piece of new local infrastructure. The county council was successful in bidding for Active Travel funding and I am pleased that their first project was in Findon Village but it wouldn’t have happened without the support of the local community.
“I hope to see many more cycling and walking pathways laid in other South Downs villages – including from Arundel to Ford – to connect them to train stations, schools and shops and provide a sustainable alternative to jumping in the car for short trips.”