RCT council wants people’s views on the latest stage of a new major walking and cycling route in the Rhondda Fach.
The Rhondda Fach Active Travel Route is a new walking and cycling route between Maerdy and Stanleytown in the Rhondda Fach Valley and a consultation is underway on the third phase.
The route as a whole will follow the alignment of the former railway line along the valley floor and will include links to local communities, shops, schools and leisure facilities.
The route has been split into five phases and phase one was completed in December 2023 with phase two to be completed during the spring of 2024.
Phases three and four, depending on funding availability, will be completed during the spring of 2025 and phase five during the spring of 2025, again, depending on funding availability.
Phase three of the route will provide a walking and cycling link between the route and the community of Maerdy and will start adjacent to Station Road and link to Blake Street and the rear lane of Richard Street in Maerdy.
The route as a whole will be 7km in length with this latest section set to be around 1.3km in length.
The second phase of the Rhondda Fach active travel route, which takes it as far as Ferndale, was approved by the council’s planning committee in November and will run from the southern side of Station Road, Maerdy, as far as a point around 340m to the north of the A4233 at Ffaldau Terrace.
This path is a section of former railway line which connected Maerdy Colliery to its junction, at Porth, with the line from the Rhondda Fawr valley and is around 1.5km.
The phase two section is currently an unsurfaced footpath which is used by walkers and cyclists which will be upgraded to a 3m wide route with any surface water drained to the nearby river.
The consultation on phase three will be open until February 19.
