WORK is under way on a new cycle-way through the Dingle Park - but according to one local cyclist, opinion on the necessity of the route and the use of funding for the scheme is divided.

The route is part of a planning and transportation scheme to provide a cycle-way/path through the Dingle, to link up with Pont-y-Werin – the bridge across the River Ely.

The Vale of Glamorgan Council, which is carrying out the work with the help of Welsh Assembly Government funding, said it is the opening stage of a wider project.

"We are doing phase one this year and will complete the scheme in early summer when additional WAG-Sewta funding is given," said a spokesperson.

But cyclist Marc Buehner said that while some bike riders see it as useful, others think it is a waste of money.

"I think the current project through the Dingle is indeed an ‘end-of-financial-year’ project, where spare money is used to do something that is just the beginning of a larger project which won't be completed for some time to come," he said.

"Personally, I can see the advantages of a surfaced route through the Dingle in terms of bypassing Windsor Road - and once we have a new disability-compliant and cycle-friendly bridge over Dingle Road station, this route has the potential to be even more useful.

"However the problem is this - what do you do once you reach the end of the Dingle by the 'Brains Bridge'?

"Then you are back to the bottleneck of Windsor Road, and it is hard to see the advantage of the path in this light."

Some local cylists see the scheme as a waste of money on a low priority project, with relatively little impact, while the ‘tough nuts remain uncracked’.

"I agree that there are more important things cycling-wise that need to be done in Penarth than putting a lane through the Dingle," added Marc.

"But they are harder to do, require more money, and need long-term planning.

"What we really need is a bigger vision and a long-term view. The council's recent u-turn with the Arcot Street cycle lane shows that cycling is not thought of at the planning stage of big projects, that the planning process is still aimed at motor traffic and improving vehicle flow, and that cycling provision is, at best, an afterthought.

"I think it is this that makes people angry."

A Vale Council spokesperson confirmed the long-term plans for the Dingle, saying: "Dingle Road station has a new bridge proposed as part of better connections in Penarth and the Pont-y-Werin linkages, but we've had agreement and WAG funding to start the cycling-pedestrian link element this year - so we are doing the first stretch now.

"We will carry on when we have finished the designs to accommodate the increasing levels and contours at the other end of the park a bit later."