£800k is ‘wheely’ good news!

Just One More Bike, in Market Place, and Greenan Cyles, in Bridge Street, have described the news as a ‘great investment’.

Speaking to The News, Amanda Sanderson, from Just One More Bike said: “Starting a business during lockdown has got to be one of the hardest things to have 
done, let alone try to continue during the second.

“That being said, it prompted many people to get out and about on foot and on cycle which lead to a boom in bike sales and cycle repairs.

“Historically, the government and health professionals have always promoted ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle, but never really supported local authorities enough to improve trails and pathways sufficiently to encourage more people into the countryside.

“Our local authorities now have been given a chance to improve the way we as a nation can get to our destination.

“Now £800k won’t fix everything and we won’t wake one morning to find a safe, pleasant and peaceful way to get out and about however, this money will absolutely encourage partnership working and the pooling of resources to make funding go further.

“We are on the edge of the Wolds and always hear from customers that pathways are covered in nettles and are overgrown, cyclists struggle to use road bikes on trails because paths have deteriorated and are susceptible to more punctures and subsequently is easier to go by road.

“Improvements to cycle routes and pathways will not only encourage more people to use them, it will undoubtedly reduce the need to use a road this will in turn reduce the number of road traffic accidents and deaths.

“What we have noticed since starting out, that our bike sales specifically e-bikes, are being purchased by the older gentry and I mean over 70s.

“This is fantastic to see and we can only hope that improvements can start as soon as possible.

Jacob Greenan, owner of Greenan Cycles, added: “It’s a great investment and we are hoping that it will make a real difference to cycling, 
especially as we have some great local routes already that just need a bit of sprucing.”

Last month, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced funding allocations for the second round of their active travel fund – with £799,900 on its way to Lincolnshire.

The funding is to be used to give people more opportunities to choose walking and cycling for their day-to-day journeys, to boost active travel and reduce traffic congestion.

The new money could fund measures including:

• ‘School streets’, where roads around schools are closed to motorists at school times

• Low traffic neighbourhoods, where residential side streets are closed to through traffic to stop rat-running

• Improvements to pedestrian environments

• Segregated cycle lanes

In the first round of the active travel fund, Lincolnshire County Council received £105,500 and invested in new cycle parking across the county, and the part-pedestrianisation of Horncastle Market Place.