Chester’s cycle network gets backing from new council

Dec 12 2008 Chester Chronicle

CHESHIRE West and Chester Council’s executive has vowed to support an ambitious programme of improvements to Chester’s cycle network which the outgoing city and county councils have been working on for the past two years.

Cycling England awarded Chester Cycle Demonstration Town status in June with a grant of £2.4m towards the £7m scheme. The national cycling organisation Sustrans has contributed £1.25m through lottery funding while the North West Development Agency has earmarked a further £900,000 to support the scheme.

Cheshire West and Chester Council which will be responsible for delivering the programme from next April, is confident that the current shortfall between the project costs and the secured funding, now at £3.4m, will be met byŠfurther grants and a willingness to revise spending proposals if necessary.

On that basis the new council has agreed to underwrite the shortfall so that the money already raised does not have to be returned and to allow the outgoing councils to continue negotiations with other funding groups over the coming months

The Cycle Chester programme includes:

Bikeability training offered in all primary schools in over the next three years.

Greater promotion of cycling across Chester.

A new cycle/footbridge bridge over the River Dee linking Boughton to Handbridge.

An improved foot/cycle path to the Riverside Promenade using the Curzon park railway bridge.

Extending the Millennium path from Fairfield Road through Guilden Sutton and Mickle Trafford.

Linking the Millennium path from Chester University campus to the Deva Link and possibly the canal.

Upgrading the existing city centre cycle network.

CWC portfolio holder for environment, Councillor Neil Ritchie, said: ”The executive of the new council have expressed enthusiastic support for this project, which will go hand in hand with a new cycling network in Northwich, supported by Sustrans Lottery funding and, following recent success in attracting government Growth Point funding, improvements for cyclists in Ellesmere Port and other towns.

“We hope to make it easier and safer to use this sustainable and convenient means of getting about for all everyday purposes, including getting into our city and town centres.”