The University of Chester and the Chester Cycling Campaign have together produced a tube-style map showing cycle routes between key destinations in the city and beyond.

Cycle tube maps serve a similar purpose to the world famous London Underground map in giving cyclists a quick overview of the local cycle network.

Such maps are also a useful lobbying tool as the maps easily illustrate to local decision-makers where a desired network of infrastructure would be best placed and the quality of the existing network as gaps are readily visible.

Tamara Hunt, sustainability officer at the University of Chester, said: “We started working on this project last summer. The Chester Cycle Campaign came up with the idea and the proposed approach and we felt it would very much meet the needs of our students and staff. In addition, it will be useful to other local cyclists as well.”

Dr Helen Southall, a senior lecturer in the university’s faculty of Science and Engineering, commented: ”Producing this map provided a great opportunity for the Chester Cycling Campaign to try out an approach which has been used with success in other cities.”

Members of Chester Cycling Campaign

Helen, an active member of the cycling campaign, provided the essential link between the two parties involved.

She added: “Students and cycling campaign members worked together in a number of workshops to collect the raw data that was then distilled into a draft version. This was then carefully adapted by the university’s graphics team to produce the final easy-to-read version.”

The local Chester Cycle Network Tube Map shows off-road, quiet and segregated cycle routes in and around the city. University of Chester students will find it particularly useful in planning journeys between university sites, including Thornton Science Park, Kingsway and the Parkgate Road Campus.

There are broadly four types of routes detailed on the map: traffic free, segregated cycle paths, cycle routes on road and those for experienced cyclists only. Each type of route is colour-coded for easy identification.

The map is available as a free PDF download from the Chester Cycling Campaign website . Printed copies of the map are also available to students at the University of Chester.