News release: Bike to Support City’s Cycling & Walking Ambition

news
release

Love Your Bike are inviting people to join one of the Bike Friday cycle rides on Friday 29th September to show support for Chris Boardman’s (Cycling & Walking Commissioner) plans to make Greater Manchester a truly cycling friendly city. [1]

In an interview with the Guardian, Chris Boardman said:he wanted to “spend ‘billions’ redesigning the region’s streets and is exploring the possibility of closing parts of Manchester city centre to motorised traffic – including, potentially, the main thoroughfare of Deansgate, which runs from the Castlefield canal district right down to the shopping area of Market Street.”

Love Your Bike together with over 30 businesses and organisations across Greater Manchester including British Cycling, Cycling UK and Sustrans have created the “Getting Moving: a cycling manifesto for Greater Manchester” which highlights 5 headline actions:

* Political leadership & governance that facilitate the transition to a cycling city
* High standards of design to enable all people to cycle confidently and safely
* Sustained promotion of cycling as a mode of transport
* Safe cycling and safe driving through facilitation and enforcement
* Integration of cycling with other modes of transport. [3]

By appointing, Chris Boardman as Cycling & Walking Commissioner, Andy Burnham, the new GM Mayor has demonstrated political leadership on cycling & walking.

If we are to achieve TfGM’s target of 10% of all journeys in Greater Manchester to be made by bicycle by 2025 [4], then, now it is time for the GM Mayor, the 10 GM Combined Authority counci leaders and national Government to step up to the plate and invest in creating a truly cycling friendly City.

The recently completed Oxford Road Corridor cycle route has shown that protected cycle lanes are possible and evaluation reports show a doubling of the number of people cycling on this route.

Catherine Thomson, from Manchester Friends of the Earth’s Love Your Bike campaign said: “We know that many people would like to cycle but they do not feel safe on our busy and congested roads. To get people from ages 8 to 80 cycling – we need to create a safe and convenient network of cycle routes.”

The Oxford Road scheme has shown what is possible and we fully support Chris Boardman’s plans for similar cycle routes across Greater Manchester. Now it is time for the GM Combined Authority leaders and national Govenrment to provide the investment to create a truly cycling friendly City.”

 

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] The Cycling and Walking Commissioner’s plan is due to be discussed with the GM Mayor and GM Combined Authority leaders.

[2] Guardian, 31st August 2017, Chris Boardman: riding a bike on UK roads feels too dangerous for me.

[3] See https://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/loveyourbike/cyclingmanifesto/

[4] Our aim is to increase the total number of journeys made by bike across the city region from 2% today to 10% by 2025, making it a mainstream, every day and aspirational form of transport. http://cycling.tfgm.com/pages/Cycle-City.aspx

[5] 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

[6] 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