Plans for £4.6m walking and cycling path between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum a step closer

Long-awaited plans for a £4.6 million walking and cycling path between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum are a step closer to becoming a reality.
Aberdeenshire Council carried out an active travel options study last year which identified five potential options.
But now one of these, the Meldrum Meg Way and Daviot link route, looks most likely to come to fruition.
The proposed path is expected to be created using cash from Transport Scotland.
The update is sure to be a welcome one for residents who have been pushing for a shared path for more than two decades.
Both Inverurie and Meldrum, Bourtie and Daviot Community Councils wrote to the local authority back in 2003 asking for a route between the two settlements.
A path would run north from Inverurie through Uryside to the Portstown link road as part of the preferred route.
It would closely follow the line of the disused railway line to eventually reach the B9170 at Oldmeldrum.
This traffic free path would be suitable for all ages and abilities, and would have a safe crossing at the link road.
It would also branch off to Daviot using quiet roads.
In total, the route would be 3.7 miles meaning cycling time between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum is just over 20 minutes and walking time is 1 hour and 17 minutes.
It is hoped the path would benefit pupils living in Daviot who attend Meldrum Academy as well as residents looking to catch the train at Inverurie.
While active travel provision in Oldmeldrum is limited, Inverurie has multiple routes across the town.
These paths give residents access to key locations including the Garioch Sports Centre, shops, schools, the library, and Inverurie rail station.
There is also a shared use path available between Inverurie and Kintore with proposals to continue a route into Aberdeen along the A96 corridor.
The Meldrum Paths Group initiated a community e-bike rental service that allows people to hire an e-bike for a day, week or month at a time.
Around 640 residents gave their thoughts on the project through an online survey last summer.
It found that more than half of participants didn’t travel by bike at all as they felt the roads were not safe, specifically the B9170 connecting Inverurie and Oldmeldrum.
Feedback found that a high-quality active travel link between Inverurie and Oldmeldrum needed to be safe, traffic free, direct and accessible.
If this was in place people would consider walking, wheeling or cycling for work or leisure.
Staff at Meldrum Academy were asked for their input on the project too.
It was suggested that the school could use the route for fundraising events such as sponsored walks.
Meanwhile, PE staff could use it for cross country running to save pupils from running around the town.
The proposal recently went before the Formartine area committee.
Councillor Paul Johnston revealed he has been following the path project since it was first created “a long time ago” but said it was “wonderful” it had reached this milestone.
He also said the proposed route would link the Formartine and Buchan Way to places like Pitmedden, Tarves and Craigdam.
Mr Johnson added: “This is the beginning of something quite excellent for the north east, we would actually have a proper cycle network connecting our villages and towns.”
The committee unanimously supported the proposal, but it will go before their Garioch counterparts later this month.
A final report seeking permission to press ahead with the project is expected to go to the Infrastructure services committee by the end of the year. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

  ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​