A CYCLING group which sparked a Twitter storm by praising a bicycle route in Aberystwyth has now back-pedalled.

Sustrans Cymru had praised the new shared-use footpath and cycle path on Boulevard St Brieuc.

But the group has now done a U-turn saying it should have been less enthusiastic with its praise after members of the public slated the path.

Tweeters criticised the scheme called it “terrible”, “hopeless”, and a “total waste of time, money and effort” for both cyclists and pedestrians.

The criticism led to Sustrans Cymru director Steve Brooks releasing a statement admitting that it was a mistake to praise the scheme.

He said: “Some people called out a tweet that we posted about new infrastructure in Aberystwyth.

“Like you, we want to make Wales one of the best countries in Europe for walking and cycling. Whilst progress is being made, Wales still has a long way to go, and I share the impatience of many that we’re not there yet.

“Part of our role in Wales is to champion best practice. That means praising local authorities when they’re making progress and calling out what we see as poor infrastructure.

“Sometimes the difference between good and poor practice is obvious, sometimes it’s not. And sometimes we make a wrong call.

“We listen to and reflect on what people say, and we learn.

“In terms of the scheme in question, was it an improvement to what was there before? Yes.

“Could it have been better? Yes.

“Should we have been less enthusiastic to praise it? Yes.

“To make Wales better, we need to push the bar on what good infrastructure looks like. This more than ever now extra money is being invested in active travel in Wales.”

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