New wheelchair-friendly footpath opens in Walsall linking arboretum and Birmingham city centre
A new wheelchair-friendly footpath has opened in Walsall creating an off-road route linking Walsall Arboretum and Birmingham City centre.
The works, which took just over a week to complete, replaced dilapidated steps and footpath near Moat Bridge on Rushall Canal, just behind the Longhorn pub on Sutton Road.
The project cost £24,000, funded by Walsall Saddlers Rotary Club, the Rotary Foundation, the Paddock Action Group for Climate Change and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Ashley Gray, from the Walsall Saddlers Rotary Club, said: “For years walkers and cyclists with mobility issues have been unable to access the canal towpath which is located in the heart of the local community.
“Lack of funding has been the primary issue but with ideas from the Paddock Action for Climate Change group and Walsall Saddlers Rotary, a disabled accessway has been completed.
“The towpath from Moat Bridge to Birmingham City Centre has already been refurbished. This path now completes the link from Walsall Arboretum to Birmingham without having to use the road network.
“Residents can now fully appreciate a quiet haven in an urban area with its wide range of wildlife along the canal and surrounding woodlands.”
Mayor of Walsall, Councillor Louise Harrison, added: “I want to congratulate Paddock Climate Change group, Saddlers Rotary Club, Walsall Open Spaces Unit, and the Canal and River Trust for building this wonderful path. I’ll definitely be walking down here again.”
