In a letter seen exclusively by the Guardian, the West Midlands mayor, Andy Street, wrote to the government-owned HS2 Ltd this week asking that it keeps haul roads and maintenance tracks alongside the rail route for conversion to a future cycleway, rather than dismantling them.
Street said he had the backing of all the local authorities along the route to connect these paths with local roads, along with a plan to fund it, and that the plans would "maximise HS2's benefits for the region".
The HS2 Cycleway was conceived a decade ago as an "emerald necklace" linking communities from London to Birmingham, along the railway line.
With HS2's future uncertain, and because of its complexity, much of the cycleway may never be realised.
Street said: "I'm determined to maximise HS2's benefits for the region and a high-quality active travel route, enabled by HS2 construction and supported by local authorities, is a no-brainer for so many reasons.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 23, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
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