LONDON COLNEY: The push to create a cycleway along the A414 from Park Street to London Colney may finally be on track after Herts Highways agreed to consider the route, nearly two years after a petition was presented.

At a recent Highways Joint Member Panel meeting in St Albans, district and county councillor Aislinn Lee said she would like to see the route established. Vegetation has been removed to enable Herts Highways to investigate footpath widths and the possibility of creating a shared use route for both bikes and pedestrians.

Speaking after the forum, attended by Herts Highways representatives and county and district councillors, Cllr Lee said she was keen to see progress given that the request for the cycleway stemmed from a petition submitted in July 2009. She went on: “It has been hanging around for a long time.”

Dedicated “formal” cycleways attract additional funding to keep them maintained at a certain standard. Cllr Lee said councils liked to encourage people to walk or cycle, but “if adequate paths aren’t provided, how can people be expected to do that?”

Herts Highways is to report back to the panel on the issue. The request is one of about 20 petitions considered or being resolved by the panel.

One, a request for a pedestrian crossing in Marford Road, Wheathampstead, dates back to 2002.

Other petitions to be considered include the introduction of 20mph zones across St Albans, presented in January 2010, and a pedestrian crossing on Folly Lane.