Friday, 13 November 2015

New bike route is further step towards 'European cycling town' vision for Cheltenham

The new route will link Bishops Cleeve with the existing Honeybourne line in Cheltenham centre.

Intended to be built inside the hedge line east of Evesham road, the proposed path will ensure the safety of cyclists and promote healthier alternatives to the car.

In part – the route is another facet to the continued plan of improving the cycling infrastructure in Cheltenham.

Taking inspiration from European Cities such as Amsterdam, Cheltenham would benefit from healthier residents, cleaner air and less congestion.

Rupert Crosbee, spokesman for cycling charity Sustrans said: "With developments taking place in Bishop's Cleeve and Cheltenham there's going to be a lot of pressure on the roads, we are consulting over traffic-free routes between the two places.

The proposal comes after Liberal Democrat Cllr Max Wilkinson presented a list of six points to the Conservative run County Council back in June of this year.

  • Lobby the Conservative-run County Council to introduce 20mph speed limits across Cheltenham

 

  • Talk to cycling campaigners in the town to find out their priorities

 

  • Introduce an active travel bill to the House of Commons and get the government to adopt it.

 

  • Encourage University of Gloucestershire students to use bikes instead of cars

 

  • Lobby the County Council to employ a specialist cycling transport engineer to make sure cycling is thought about with every highways scheme