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Oxford Road goes Dutch for Clean Air

news release

Love Your Bike are inviting people to join a special ‘Oxford Road goes Dutch for Clean Air’ Bike Friday cycle ride from Whitworth Park on Friday 30th June. [1]

The bike ride has been organised as part of national Clean Air Week and celebrates the opening of the Oxford Road corridor cycle route that is encouraging more people to cycle. [2]

Catherine Thomson, from Manchester Friends of the Earth’s Love Your Bike campaign said: “Providing safe and convenient cycle routes encourages more people to cycle and is good for peoples’ waistlines, bank balances and for the air we all breathe. It is great to see the Oxford Road cycle route completed – now we need to create a network of safe and convenient cycle routes across all of Greater Manchester”

We all want to know our air is healthy. But too many of us breathe dirty air every day, especially in our towns and cities. Air pollution is a hidden killer and it hits children, older people and the poorest hardest.

Clean Air Week (24th June – 2nd July) wants to get the nation talking about air pollution – and the government listening before it publishes its final plan on 31 July.

The government’s draft Air Quality Plan should be a plan to deal with the shocking air pollution crisis that blights the lives of so many people in the UK – especially vulnerable children and older people.  But it’s not. [3]

ENDS

CONTACTS FOR COMMENTS

Pete Abel, Love Your Bike campaign. Mobile: 07951 642858

Graeme Sherriff, Manchester Friends of the Earth, transport campaign co-ordinator. Mobile: 07948 405071

Notes to Editors:

[1] Meet at Whitworth Park, corner of Oxford Road / Moss Lane East entrance  at 8.30am, Friday 30th June. Route will finish in Albert Square for the June rides.

[2] See Clean Air Week (24th June – 2nd July)

[3]  A new report – Unmasked: the true story of the air you’re breathing – suggests that dirty air is a problem in far more places than the government has admitted, as Friends of the Earth reveals the initial findings of their citizen science air pollution experiment.

See Unmasked: the true story of the air you’re breathing

[4]  Bike Friday provides a range of cycle rides into the City Centre from various locations into Manchester from various starting places around Greater Manchester and also works with companies and local authorities in Greater Manchester to promote cycling, improve cycle facilities and to encourage more people to continue cycling to school, work and for leisure all year round.

Whether you’re new to cycling, returning to your bike after a break, or cycle every day, join us on Bike Friday. We ride at a moderate pace and have experienced ride leaders. It is entirely law-abiding – we do not try to slow down the traffic. All welcome (bring a bike).

The Bike Friday cycle rides start at 8am from Chorlton Library, Levenshulme Station, Prestwich Pizza Express, , Stretford Mall and Withington Library and normally finish at approx 8.30am at Eastern Bloc, Stevenson Square, M1 1DN in the Northern Quarter. The Worsley, Middleton – Victoria Avenue East, Stockport/Heatons routes start earlier. See the website for details. The Bike Friday cycle rides take place on the morning of the last Friday of every month (except December). The rides go a moderate pace, have experienced ride leaders, are entirely law-abiding and can help people develop more confidence in their cycling abilities.

For details of the routes see: www.bikefriday.org or join the Bike Friday Facebook group www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=99198337652

[5] Bike Friday is coordinated by Love Your Bike (Manchester Friends of the Earth) and Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign (GMCC)

Love Your Bike is an award winning Manchester based campaign aiming to promote cycling and help make it an even more attractive, accessible and fun way to get around. Co-ordinated by Manchester Friends of the Earth, the campaign works in partnership with other like-minded organisations. See www.loveyourbike.org

 

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