To Cllr Steve Lydon and Canals Trust:

Oh dear, oh dear. What on earth is going on at Bowbridge?

Unlike many other people, I really don’t have a problem with the road being a single lane over the canal, but I do have a massive problem to how the path has been completed in this area.

Many people have been supporting the canals trust for decades.

Many like my partners father, with a view to using the tow paths as and when they are completed and opened.

However these people are now getting older and possibly disabled or in wheelchairs.

On top of this people use pushchairs along the canal and Cllr Lydon in your case, saying how lucky we are to be providing for cyclists (your quote in Leaders Diary in Stroud Life this week), Bowbridge fails in all ways to provide.

The only people that can access this area is fully able bodied.

Why do I come to this conclusion?

Only very steep steps from the road.

The path under the road is extremely narrow with limited headroom as the road bridge encroaches on any average sized persons head and then steps up and down on the Stroud side of the road.

Where are the ramps and wide spaces for all, that have been promised throughout the Stroud canals?

This would allow for everyone to use it.

Maybe it doesn’t matter as this area is past Stroud.

Is that it?

Not good enough.

At all levels, there is complete failure by all to provide for all.

What a sorry state and such a shame that when you had such a good chance to achieve, its appalling.

Yours disappointed

Mr Ray Relph

Stroud

Dear Mr Relph,

YOU will be pleased to hear that volunteers are due to construct a step-free access ramp around the problems you identify at Bowbridge Bridge.

Nobody has promised ramps and wide spaces for all along the canals - it simply isn’t possible to create anything that meets modern access criteria within the 230 year old infrastructure at the bridge and lock, so an access ramp will be constructed from the canal towpath up to Eagle Mill Close.

We’ve already constructed the opposite end of this access beyond the Bowbridge housing.

These sort of projects take time, both in getting the necessary permissions from the housing association, but also in getting funding from local councils.

When constructed, the Eagle Mill Close access will be adopted by Gloucestershire County Council’s rights of way team.

I hope this answers you question.

Believe me, my volunteers would have constructed this access a year ago, but (as ever!) bureaucracy gets in the way.

Jon Pontefract

Canal Project - Volunteer Manager

Dear Mr Relph,

Ref. Your Letter ref Bowbridge Accessibility

Thank you for your letter of the June 30.

In terms of access I wish to record the following.

Work by Gloucestershire County Council is now complete at Bowbridge and the contractor has moved off site.

SDC are still awaiting completion of the necessary legal agreements to allow Canal volunteers to construct the ramp from the towpath through into Eagle Mill Close.

A further problem has been discovered in that the channel leading up to the bridge is not deep enough.

Last year’s dredging operation, funded by Newland Homes, could not be completed due to the ongoing bridge works – and we had been advised that the bridge contractor would therefore clear the canal.

The depth-testing operation, carried out by Canal volunteers, meant that Linda Webster was almost certainly the first person in 90 years to pass underneath Bowbridge Bridge in a boat!

I trust this helps correct any misunderstanding and gives you an update on where we are ref Bowbridge.

Cllr Steve Lydon

Stroud District Council leader