The municipality will not pave the cycle path between Smalhoorn and Zuidveld after all. Two years ago, Midden-Drenthe decided to resume plans for paving the cycle path on the ‘quiet side’ of the Oranjekanaal, after they had previously been put on hold.
It involved a path of about five kilometers, which would be paved to create a ‘safe and comfortable cycling connection’ from Hoogersmilde to Orvelte. On the north side of the Oranjekanaal, cyclists can use the main road, where cars can drive at sixty kilometers per hour. On the south side, cyclists can take a path that partly consists of sand paths.
The plans for asphalting those paths caused concern among local residents. According to them, the dirt roads along the Oranjekanaal are crucial for preserving the cultural-historical values of the area. Dirt roads are also important for biodiversity, the working group of about eighty residents of Central Drenthe emphasized in the municipal meeting. Finally, a paved and widened road would create unsafe traffic situations for cyclists and walkers.
Although the council of mayors and aldermen states that the experts they consulted come to different conclusions, the council sees it as undesirable to continue with the implementation of the plans. ‘Based on signals, we conclude that the construction of a cycle path on the sand path near Orvelte is not feasible at the moment.’
“We are very happy that the alderman listened to the wishes of local residents. This is very good news,” says Joke Wolff of the Oranjekanaal Conservation Sand Roads Working Group. Wolff is positive that the municipality wants to look for alternatives together with stakeholders. “We have confidence in that.”
However, the task of the working group is not over yet, Wolff emphasizes. The municipality writes that it has received ‘positive signals’ for the paving of sand paths near Hijken and the Zwiggeltersluis. “We still have work to do. We heard in the working group that people there also find it a great shame that the dirt roads are being lost. Those residents can indicate even more clearly that they find the preservation of the dirt roads important.”
Moreover, the working group wants to prevent the plans from being reconsidered in the future. “We will work as a working group to ensure that the dirt roads are given a certain status, so that the paths are permanently preserved in the future. They are of great cultural-historical and ecological value.”