Bristol Cycling City Plans Unveiled

Release Date: 13-Feb-2009

Bristol and South Gloucestershire Councils are proud to announce their detailed plans to double the number of regular cyclists in Greater Bristol. The plans – which have been approved in principle by Cycling England – will create:

· 13 miles of new track

· 18 miles of improvements to the existing 73 miles of off-road track

· 21 miles of on-road improvements on major routes into the city

Cycling England awarded £11.4 million to Bristol and South Gloucestershire Councils which is matched by the authorities’ existing financial commitment to cycling bringing the total to £22.8 million.

The councils are developing a network of routes which will link some of the most important locations in the area. The emphasis is on making cycling attractive to everyone by creating direct, convenient, legible and easy-to use routes.

The main elements are:

£17.6 million worth of infrastructure improvements including:

Bristol

new long distance routes to the north and south of the city centre linking the Northern Fringe with the new Hengrove Park development
two large 20mph speed limit pilot areas within Bristol – at Easton and Southville - as lower traffic speeds are shown to increase cycling
a trial to close one side of Prince Street Bridge to motor traffic
city centre improvements to provide better links from east to west and a new route from the north to south of the city linking the Centre to Broadmead and Cabot Circus
options to improve sites with the highest number of cycling accidents
in addition, the Connect 2 project will provide a new traffic free link from the centre of Bristol to Ashton Court and onto Long Ashton and North Somerset.

South Gloucestershire

to provide a continuous, safe route on the A38 - one of the busiest traffic routes in the area. Lack of cycling infrastructure on the A38 currently acts as a barrier to cycling between the main places of employment, education, shopping and housing in the area.
Emerson's Green & Bradley Stoke – to improve and link existing residential paths to houses and local amenities.
advance Stop Lines at traffic lights. These offer cyclists a real advantage over queuing traffic. We aim to install them at as many sites as possible.
cycle routes between Emersons Green and Yate, Bradley Stoke and Cribbs Causeway and Parkway Station and Cribbs Causeway.

Additional measures include:

contraflow cycle streets
improved timings of existing signal crossings
cycle signage and parking, implemented sensitively to the street scene
new links to the Bristol Bath Railway Path
bus priority measures to provide benefits to cyclists on busy roads.

£3.1 million will encourage cycling in communities, workplaces and residential areas:

adult cycle training
low-cost recycled bikes
free cycle parking
group / social bike rides and activities
grants, incentives and promotions to businesses to increase levels of cycling
match–funded grants to provide cycling facilities (cycle parking, showers etc)
cycle training
loan bikes
low-cost bike purchase schemes
advice for groups or one-to-one sessions
information, maps, route guides and other resources
promotional activities and events
bike maintenance sessions
help setting up and running a network of voluntary cycle advisors
small grants available for cycling initiatives
support for existing or new cycling projects.

£ 2.7 million is to deliver support for schools:

Many schools are already being proactive in promoting cycling to school. This new funding means we can offer additional resources, cycle training, advice and support. These include:

free Bikeability Cycle Training for Year 3 pupils upwards through school-based courses.
funding to enable 72 schools to become ‘Bike-It’ schools over the next two years. Supported by a dedicated Sustrans Bike-It officer to help remove barriers to cycling and get pupils more active, using fun, innovative, well-resourced initiatives.
a new grant scheme to offer funding to install cycle storage or organise bike to school initiatives.
support for parents and carers to encourage them to take up cycling.
adult cycle training for parents and teachers, lending out bikes, offering free bikes and organising fun local events.

The principal aim of Greater Bristol Cycling City is to double the number of regular cyclists from 20,000 to 40,000 by 2011.

Councillor Terry Cook, Bristol’s Cycling Champion, said: “We can be very confident when it comes to meeting this challenge. Cycling is a core element of our transport policy and we have a rich pool of talent and a lot of experience in delivery. We know we can encourage more people to choose the healthy, fast, economical travel-to-work option.

“Cycling is already a practical every day activity for many Bristol citizens. Investing in infrastructure, including creating better links between home and work, coupled with education, training and fun, will bring cycling to more residents. Cycling is so much more than a better way of getting to work. It improves your whole quality of life.”

Councillor Mark Bradshaw, Bristol Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development, said: “The cycling culture in Bristol is already very strong – particularly in areas where the infrastructure is good. We know we can further enhance this and create more demand in areas of the city where we improve infrastructure and provide training. The bicycle can be a realistic and convenient mode of transport for more people as part of their everyday lives.

“I am keen to create more measures to encourage people out of their cars for some journeys – in particular short ones and those from home to work. We want to reach a point where travelling to work on a bike, on foot or by public transport is seen as the norm. It’s about achieving the widest range of smarter choices in our city and Cycling City is a wonderful opportunity to widen the appeal of cycling.”

Councillor Brian Allinson, executive member for planning, transportation and the strategic environment, said: “This initiative will help to create a network of routes across South Gloucestershire, encouraging more people to take up cycling. Not only will this will provide health benefits, it will also help tackle congestion on our roads.

“Some of the planned schemes include providing a safe, continuous cycle route along the A38, better links between residential areas and amenities in Emersons Green and Bradley Stoke, and free cycle training for schools.

“The council will also be investigating new cycling links to our villages to encourage even greater cycle usage.”

Author: Kate Hartas

For all media enquiries relating to this press release, please contact Corporate Communications on 0117 922 2650.

To link to this page directly, use the URL
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/redirect?oid=PressRelease-id-29512088

Subscribe to our free email bulletin service and get the latest news and information about consultations and events happening in the city - www.bristol.gov.uk/newsdirect