THE SEARCH IS ON FOR ONE CYCLING CITY AND TEN NEW CYCLING TOWNS
A national drive to boost cycling kicks off this February as Cycling England launches a competition to find the country's first Cycling City and ten new Cycling Towns. Cities and towns keen to revolutionise cycling in their areas have been invited by Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England to come forward with bids for a share of the £47m funding for the new Demonstration Areas, which forms part of the record £140m funding for cycling announced by Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly in January.
The 11 new towns and city will join the existing 6 Cycling Demonstration Towns, which have pioneered local initiatives such as redesigning and building new cycle routes and training people to cycle safely.
Over 60 local authorities have already expressed an interest in becoming new Demonstration Towns and Cycling England looks forward to seeing their ideas and initiatives to help get people cycling as well as those of other local authorities.
The deadline for applications will be 31 March 2008 and Cycling England will announce the winning City in early June, along with at least five or six of the ten new Towns. Those areas will begin delivering their programmes in September 2008. The next four to five towns will be announced in autumn 2008.
To find 'Information for Bidders' - the background, funding available, process, timetable, selection criteria and how to apply, click here
For an application form, click here
Support will be made available to all potential applicants throughout the application process via Cycling England's local authority support team. In response to a number of requests for advice we have produced a list of key queries to date and a guide to matched-funding for new cycling towns and cities bids.
First contact should be made via tony.russell@cyclingengland.co.uk.
The existing selected towns which have been involved in the project for three years are:
Cycling England has contributed up to £500,000 per year, per town for three years, matched by equal or greater funding from the local authority and its partners.
It has also offered:
- Advice and technical guidelines on best practice design solutions.
- Access to other Cycling England funded programmes, including child cycle training and programmes in schools (Bike It).
- Support in monitoring the impact of the project.
- Promotion of the outcome of the project.
Cycling Towns of the Future conference, 21st November 2007
Information and presentations from the recent 'Cycling Towns of the Future' conference are available by following the above link.
