Monday 20 October 2008

OI' ON YER BIKE!

Let's all praise Councilor Debra Gratton for the announcement of a fantastic £4.8million scheme to literally get us on our bikes.

The government has awarded the city "Cycle City" status and the cash that comes with this status will mean new routes, bike hire centres and training courses and there will be repairs to existing cycleways. There will also be a Cycle Recovery Centre that will recycle donated bikes.

Any Initiative that will free up congested roads and create leisure routes will be great for our city and will also help with the cities and individual carbon footprints. Of course it will also have an impact on the health and fitness of the citizens that take part.

Glebedale Park, from Victoria Place to Glebedale Road, Harlington Drive to Weston Coyney Road, Goms Mill Road to Cemetery Avenue and the A34 to New Inn Lane along the brook will benefit from the scheme within the next year.

Councillor Debra Gratton, portfolio holder for sport and leisure, said: "Stoke-on-Trent's Cycling City status means that we can move forward with plans to transform the city into a flourishing centre for cyclists.

"We are aiming to encourage cycling as both a means of transport and a way for people to get fitter and healthier in their free time.

"It is a huge project and we are thankful to have been given such a significant sum to use.

"The city council is confident that at the end of the three year plan, cycling will be an integral part of everyday life in Stoke-on-Trent."

I think that we should all welcome this initiative and congratulate Debra for her hard work and vision in securing this funding and backing this scheme.

It makes a real change to report something positive that is happening in our city and we here at pitsnpots hope long may it continue..

What do you think about this scheme? Will it encourage you to get your bike out?

Would you consider cycling to work?

Read the Sentinel article by following this link:

http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/council/4-8m-scheme-create-Cycle-City/article-411252-detail/article.html

6 comments:

Helen said...

Would I consider cycling to work?

NO!!

Sorry but never, ever ever!
I commute down the stairs to my laptop, how enviromentally friendly is that?

Seriously though, I still wouldn't consider using a bicycle as a means of transport to work, even if I did travel to work. I have a car & will use it.
The only bicycle I use has no wheels, stays in a stationery position at the lovely air conditioned gym, placed nicely in front of the TV. How do I travel to the gym? Car of course.

Cycle lanes are a joke anyway, they stop halfway along a road or are part on the road part on the pavement, useless.

Anonymous said...

Debra is well hot!

nicky said...

I like my car - nice car.

Wouldn't consider cycling to work, too far on extremely dangerous roads largely not in SOT so these cycle routes wouldn't help. Also couldn't carry the amount of stuff I take to and from work on a bike.

I would consider cycling for leisure, indeed very ocassionally do, trouble is though Helen you are right, the cycle lanes are so bitty you just can't be bothered.
In fact I got the SOT cycle map to investigate further, but they are all like that, they just stop and start all over the place, particularly at awkward road junctions. What you need is nice continuous tracks that go a decent distance. The ones described here sound a bit short.

Now this is a Stafford Borough issue but I think it's a shame we can't cycle round Trentham Lake. I walk round it all the time but it would still be good to bike it for a change but it's not permitted. It's a bit rough but I've done Cannock Chase so I can do anything.

Anonymous said...

Debra Gratton. Wasting her time on the council, nice bit of eye candy.

Anonymous said...

Its pitty this had nothing to do with her, the orginal document taken to EMB Briefing did not have her name on it until she cried out "Put my name on it". In the process she has upset many officers within the Transport Department ... over rated councillor taking credit for others work.

Anonymous said...

But come on, she is a tidy peice!!!