Paths and
Access
A safe, welcoming and barrier-free access to people of all ages and abilities is essential for getting to and enjoying our local nature and landscapes in Riverside, in addition to connecting it to the town centre, places of interest and further destinations.
Encouraging walking and cycling is a great way to improve health and well-being whilst offering an environmentally friendly way of travelling to work, school and shops.
Riverside's current paths and cycle routes offer a reasonable facility at the moment - the riverside path from Lover's Loan to the Cambuskenneth Bridge and at Forthside and National Cycle Routes 76 and 765 provide good access to our open spaces and connections beyond.
Riverside Naturally feels there is plenty or opportunity to enhance our paths, our ideas include:
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Additional riverside path behind Abbey Road and by linking the old harbour to the Forthside path would create a continuous off-road route
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Improving the standard of existing paths, routes and pavements
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Ensuring that Riverside is well connected to new planned routes within Stirling and beyond
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Investigating the possibility of public access to the Queenshaugh loop behind the bowling club
Riverside Naturally has been in contact with Sustrans, the national cycling charity and we are keen to work with them and the Council on walking and cycling initiatives in Stirling.
Key routes planned for Stirling are:
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City centre to Forth Valley College via Raploch
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Train station to University via Cowane Street and Stirling Bridge
- with consultation meetings hopefully in the coming months.
The Inner Forth Landscape Initiative wishes to work with us in promoting long day walks within the Inner Forth, with links through Riverside. This is an exciting development and it would be great if Riverside could become part of a future waymarked and interpreted route.
Regular cyclists will be aware of the difficulties in negotiating the Manor Powis roundabout by bike to gain safer access to Clackmannanshire's fabulous off-road network. A new link avoiding the roundabout is planned and we eagerly await and support its development.
Things for the future:
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Several largely traffic free routes linking Riverside with Raploch, Kings Park, Corton, and Bridge of Allan already exist. Have you used them?
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What local access improvements would help you to walk and cycle?
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Route 76 goes right "Round the Forth", linking Riverside with Fife and East Lothian, and the Clackmannanshire and Forth Bridges, offering many great journeys within
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Would public art help to encourage use of and enjoyment of routes?