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The Chichester and District Cycle Forum is putting Prime Minister David Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ policy into action by taking control of Bike Week in the area, as reported by the Bognor Regis Observer.
The Forum plans to take the Bike Week reins from the local council and promote it at schools, libraries and doctors’ surgeries.
Chichester and District Cycle Forum co-chair Sarah Sharp spoke out at the South Chichester County Local Committee, asking for £300 to get the ball rolling: “I believe that volunteers want to do things as quickly, as efficiently, and as cheaply as possible because they have the passion. All bureaucrats do not seem to have this urgent desire to bring about change in society.”
One of the Forum’s projects is a plan to work with a haulage company to invest in a project giving away fluorescent safety vests to school children to help keep them safe on the road.
Sharp added: “Our community group is trying to bring about change. We were advised to come to this meeting to ask for six changes to some cycle routes in the area. We were told officers will now think about this. It was an officer who told me to come to this meeting, we don’t seem to have got very far this evening.”
The move came after a discussion over a new county council pilot scheme which is aiming to coax communities into embracing the Big Society idea.
Bike Week runs from Saturday June 18th this year.
