Chester gears up to celebrate International Car Free Day

Sep 17 2009 Chester Chronicle

IF YOUR bicycle has been gathering dust in the shed for far too long, there is no better time to bring it back into operation than Car Free Day next week.

Developing cycling opportunities in West Cheshire has been identified as a high level activity by Cheshire West and Chester Council. The authority is hoping this will help encourage even more people to swap four wheels for two when International Car Free Day takes place on Tuesday.

Cycling is seen as an essential life skill for long term health and well-being, in addition to being a viable option for sustainable transport and for reducing carbon emissions.

Chester is one of 17 official Cycling Demonstration Towns, securing a £2.4m bid over the next three years. The initiative aims to improve Chester’s cycling infrastructure and cycling opportunities, making cycling a genuine option for all Chester residents and visitors.

The project gives Chester a share of the largest investment in cycling the country has ever seen, almost £100m.

The money will transform these nominated towns into areas where cycling becomes a genuine option, improving the local environment, city centre congestion and fitness of 2.5 million people.

The lasting legacy of Chester as a cycling demonstration town will be to double the numbers of cyclists in the city through the development of a cycling-friendly infrastructure, and activities, opportunities and support made available to all sectors of society.

National events, local events, free bike maintenance sessions, schools bikeability and family cycle training classes are just some of the ongoing activities.

While September celebrates International Car Free day, October sees the opening of the new Chester Greenway.

EVENTS

A series of popular free cycle maintenance sessions have been organised.

The next appointment with ‘Doctor Bike’ is on Saturday at Hawthorn House, Hawthorne Lane, Lache, from 9.30am-3.30pm.

Bicycles will receive a free health check, minor surgery is performed and prescriptions written. Punctures are fixed, gears tuned, new brake blocks fitted and cables replaced, all free of charge. These sessions are always popular and are strictly first come first served, so turn up early.

September 22 is International Car Free day, offering an ideal opportunity to leave the car at home and bike to work. Take this opportunity to find another way into work or school, taking a sustainable mode of transport; bus, rail, walking or hop on your bike.

If you’ve always fancied cycling, but never learnt, now is the ideal time to start.

The Cycle Chester team will be running more adult cycling courses, running over a four week period in Blacon and Hoole. The courses are ideal for the young and young at heart. The team have had enquiries from both complete beginners and those wanting to regain their confidence.

To register for the next course contact the Cycle Chester team on 01244 973948. Courses are free with a £10 refundable deposit.

If you have time to spare on Friday afternoons, the Friday Bike Project meets at the Water Tower Gardens each Friday between 1-4pm to repair, re-build and recycle old bikes.

The project provides tools, parts and a qualified cycle mechanic to guide and give advice to volunteers. Bikes can be purchased for a small donation to the project or they are re-distributed to local charities.

The new Greenway extension route from Hoole to Mickle Trafford is officially opened on October 25.

Welcoming walkers, joggers, dog walkers and cyclists this follows the New BMX track at Westminster Park and the Riverside Promenade around the racecourse as the first of the infra-structure projects coming under the Cycle Demonstration Town project.

The pathway is officially launched with a sponsored walk fun day on behalf of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd.

The Cycle Chester team will be at the New Scene starting point; free bike maintenance, cyber bikes (adult bikes attached to a frame and linked to a laptop that runs a virtual reality cycling course) and cycling information will be available throughout the day.

The Curzon Park River crossing feasibility and impact study have started. The Devalink feasibility and planning permissions are scheduled for 2010.

The New Dee Bridge appraisal and feasibility study is scheduled for 2013.

Through Cycle Chester, Cheshire West and Chester Council has been offered free cycle training to all the Chester area primary schools, aimed at Year 6 pupils before they move up to secondary school.

Bikeability is the three stage cycling proficiency test for the 21st century, designed to give the children the skills and confidence to ride their bikes on today’s roads.

More than 150 children have received level one and two training from qualified instructors at six schools. At level one, pupils are shown how to perform a simple safety check on their own bike, how to choose and fit the correct helmet, bike-handling, rear observations and hand-signalling skills on the playground before venturing onto the road.

Level Two is carried out on quiet roads, coping with traffic in a real-life environment.

The pupils are encouraged to make assessments and take decisions on what they see, rather than always doing the same thing like negotiating a junction or passing a parked car safely.

A new free cycle map is now available to pick up from the Tourist Information centre or downloaded from the cycle Chester web site www.cyclechester.com, highlighting the many cycle routes around the city.

To download a poster for Cheshire West and Chester Council's Car Free Day please click here