Swindon Borough Council seeking views on locations of new cycling stands

Swindon Borough Council is seeking views on where people would like to see cycle stands located in the town.

Over the last few months, the council has carried out a number of improvements to cycle routes in the borough thanks to £731,500 in funding from the Government’s Active Travel Fund.

Small businesses and community or charitable organisations can also apply to have cycle stands installed for free. An online survey is now open until the end of February to allow people to send their views to the council.

Last year, surface improvement work on cycle paths was carried out on the Old Town Railway Path, which runs from Signal Way in Old Town to the bottom of Kingshill Road, and on Kingsdown Lane between Highworth Road (South Marston Business Park) and Blunsdon (Turnpike Road).

In October, advisory cycle lanes were also installed on Marlborough Road between the junction at Signal Way and Coate Water roundabout.

Councillor Maureen Penny, Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for highways, maintenance and waste services, said: “Getting more people out of their cars and onto their bikes is one of my key priorities because it will not only reduce congestion on our roads but improve air quality and aid our borough-wide climate change ambitions.

“We are very fortunate in the Borough to have some excellent cycle routes already and the recent improvements we have made to the network over recent months using the Active Travel funding is further proof that we are absolutely committed to supporting sustainable transport in Swindon.

“New cycling and walking routes are an integral part of all our new housing developments and we have a long list of further improvements to existing routes we will look to implement if further funding becomes available.

“But it is no good having all these marvellous cycle routes and encouraging people to get on their bikes if people have nowhere to park their bikes when they get to their destination. So if you are cyclist, or someone who would consider taking a bike in the future, please fill in our survey so we can make it easier for you to make that decision to leave the car at home.”

The cycle parking survey, which is open until the end of February, can be found here. Businesses and community groups can apply for free cycle stands to be installed on their land here.

Read the January issue of BikeBiz below: