Cycle Shrewsbury gets underway

Shropshire Council’s Cycle Shrewsbury campaign goes live next week (Monday 11 May 2009) with lots of activities and information to help local people get cycling.

Shrewsbury was awarded cycling town status last summer (2008) and £1.8 million, provided by Department for Transport via Cycling England, will be invested in making cycling easier, quicker and safer and encouraging more people to start cycling on their local journeys.

As part of this exciting new status, work has started to improve cycling routes and facilities, provide cycle training for adults as well as children, and encourage more people to cycle to school and to work.

Announcements from Cycle Shrewsbury include:

• A new Shrewsbury walking and cycling map to guide people around the town. This is available from a number of locations around the county including libraries, tourist information centres, cycle shops and on the council’s website.
• Dr Bike will be visiting Shrewsbury supermarkets from 11 - 15 May to do free cycle health checks: people can just turn up with their bike between 3pm and 5pm at ASDA, Old Potts Way, (Monday and Thursday), Tesco, Harlescott (Tuesday) or Sainsbury’s, Meole Retail Park (Wednesday and Friday).
• The team will be visiting the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 19 May to provide information and advice for staff.
• The campaign website www.cycleshrewsbury.co.uk is now up and running with information, advice, competitions and special offers.
• Shoppers at the Darwin Centre from 18-24 May will be able to watch a short film about Cycle Shrewsbury and pick up maps and leaflets.
• Work will finish soon on the Greenfields ‘Greenways’, part of the improvements funded by the Connect 2 lottery award which will make it easier to walk and cycle between the town centre and the north of the town.

A fun and inspiring new logo has also been chosen to appeal to all age groups and identify all the different elements of the Cycle Shrewsbury project.

These are just a few of the events and activities that will be continuing over the next two years to help bring about a major increase in cycling in Shrewsbury

Emma Bullard, Shropshire Council’s promotions manager for Cycle Shrewsbury, said: “We know that many people would like to start cycling but are put off by not knowing where to get practical advice on routes, training or what kind of bike would suit them. We hope that the new website will be really useful; it will also have competitions and special offers to encourage people to get involved. People can also contact us by phone on 01743 255435.”

For more information, people should visit the Cycle Shrewsbury by following the link on this page.

8 May 2009

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