Greater Manchester’s cycling investment gets ministerial approval.
Transport Minister Norman Baker MP has seen the results of Greater Manchester’s cycling investment first-hand with a visit to the area’s flagship cycle hub.
The City Tower Cycle Hub, the first of its kind in Greater Manchester to offer showers, toilets, changing areas, lockers and secure cycle parking, all for less than £1 a day, has been delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in partnership with Bruntwood.
This and the first district-level hub at Bury Interchange are the first of more than 10 hubs being delivered as part of TfGM’s £6 million Commuter Cycle Project, which was awarded £4.9 million from the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF).
The project is also providing free bike maintenance sessions and free adult cycle training, where qualified cycling instructors help people who want to start cycling to work get to grips with riding safely on the area’s busy streets and roads.
Almost 1,000 people have taken part in the maintenance sessions held to date, and more than 700 people have taken up the training offer.
TfGM also works with businesses across Greater Manchester to provide a wide range of support services, including travel surveys, bikers’ days, training and try-a-bike sessions among others.
To find out more about the Commuter Cycle Project, visit www.tfgm.com/cycling.
Norman Baker said, “I very much welcome the further investment in sustainable transport in Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester, irrespective of party control, has for a long time been at the cutting edge of good transport delivery, and I am delighted this continues.
“Greater availability of sustainable transport options will play a key role in helping this Coalition Government deliver transport solutions that build the local economy, reduce our impact on the environment, and improve the health and wellbeing of our families, friends and colleagues.”
TfGM is also delivering new and improved cycle lanes and infrastructure across Greater Manchester as part of a broader £53 million LSTF programme, which includes £32.5 million of DfT support.
It is also developing a Greater Manchester bid to the Government’s Cycle City Ambition Grant. The CCAG is available for infrastructure improvements that will encourage people to take up cycling, as part of a transformational long-term cycling strategy.
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, said, “Greater Manchester is the home of British Cycling and our ambitious plans aim to make that association not just a matter of geography but of a shared philosophy, a culture of cycling.
“That is why we are leading a major investment in cycling, on a scale never before seen in Greater Manchester, the benefits of which, a healthier, fitter, greener and more active and sustainable society, will last for generations.
“We hope to be able to go even further with a successful bid to the DfT’s new Cycle City Ambition Grant, and I look forward to seeing the details of that bid come together in the near future.”
City Tower Cycle Hub
The City Tower hub provides a welcoming reception and entrance area, a large open plan cycle store capable of holding around 200 bicycles and modern changing facilities.
National cycle retailer Edinburgh Bicycle Co-operative is also based in the hub, providing members and non-members with bicycle repair and servicing facilities, cycle-based maintenance training programmes, and the opportunity to collect goods ordered online.
The hub is open from 6am to 8pm in the week and from 8am to 5pm at the weekend and on bank holidays. It operates on a membership basis, with access gained by use of a smartcard. For membership details, click here.
