Leighton-Linslade is the smallest of ten new Cycling Towns set
to benefit from receiving a proportion of the largest investment
in cycling the  country
has ever seen. On June 19th 2008, the Transport Secretary announced
£100m funding for the new towns, together with six existing
demonstration towns. The funding is intended to transform them into
areas where cycling becomes the preferred local option, improving
the environment, congestion and fitness for 2.5 million people.
Cycling England’s award to Leighton-Linslade will be primarily
spent on a programme of promotional activities that will encourage
people to ride their bikes around the area, including:
• National Standards Cycle Training delivered to all local
schools and offered to clubs located in the town.
• Cycle Training for adults to up-date their skills and gain
confidence to ride on the roads.
• Beginners Cycle Training - for those who have never ridden
before.
• Led cycle rides for various groups - parents, businesses
for team building, monthly cycle rides starting from the town centre.
In addition, regular email updates to all contacts will ensure that
people know of any events they might like to participate in.
Dr Bike sessions (bike checks and fittings) will be run at schools
and at local events such as the May Fayre, Carnival etc. and Bike
Tryouts will also be available, where people can have a go on a
variety of bikes and accessories to help them find a bike that suits
their needs and lifestyle.
There will be additions and improvements to cycle routes, cycle
lanes and cycle parking facilities across the area and there are
also plans to add to off-road facilities in order to promote the
sport of cycling in a variety of different ways.
The challenging target over the next 2.5 years is to double the
number of local journeys made by bike. The Cycling Town bid details
the following objectives for the end of 2010/11:
• To increase the number of children regularly cycling to
school from 1.2% to 3.5%, measured by school travel plan surveys.
• To increase the number of commuters regularly cycling to
the station from 50 to 150, measured by surveys of the use of cycle
parking.
• To double the number of people who cycle to the town centre,
measured using the Automated Traffic Counters (ATC’s) in the
High Street.
• To double the number of cyclists using key routes, measured
using ATC’s in eight locations.
In many ways Leighton-Linslade is a typical market town, with a
small shopping centre, issues with local traffic and town centre
congestion and potential loss of retail diversity and vitality.
There are around 200 market towns with populations under 30,000,
and around 100 over that figure, representing a significant percentage
of Britain’s population.
Leighton-Linslade has drawn inspiration from similar sized towns
on the continent where 20% of trips are made by cycle. The success
of the Cycling Town project will demonstrate that such towns can
help sustain their commercial centres by committing to a cycling
culture.
Success will ensure that Leighton-Linslade is viewed as a beacon
for the move towards everyday cycling, transforming the town into
a truly sustainable and cycle friendly environment.
If you are interested in any aspect of cycling, would like a downloadable
Cycle Map, or to find out more about the Cycling Town project, please
contact GoCycle on 01525 635111.
Email: gocycle@leightonlinslade-tc.gov.uk
Website: www.gocycleleightonlinslade.org
Copies of the Leighton-Linslade Cycling Map are available free from
the Town Council offices.
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