More spaces to park your bike

Residents of and visitors to Wilmslow are benefiting from improvements to cycle parking facilities across the town.

The scheme was initiated by CycleWilmslow who approached Cheshire East Council's School Travel Team, Sustrans and Northern Rail through the Wilmslow Station LAP Group.

The £50,000 scheme was jointly funded by Cheshire East Council, Network Rail and the UK's leading sustainable transport charity, Sustrans.

It consists of improved, and in some cases new, cycle parking facilities at the station, Wilmslow High school and three locations within the town centre: near Bank Square, Wilmslow Leisure Centre and the REX building on Alderley Road.

Peter Foster, North West Regional Director at Sustrans, told wilmslow.co.uk "We administer grants on behalf of the Department of Transport and our aim is to encourage sustainable travel.

"For the school it is important to try and encourage the next generation to walk and cycle to school for their own personal health and also to stop congestion. Here at the railway station, the transport hub, lots of journeys are short and people can be active if they cycle or walk here. We always find when cycle parking is provided at stations like Wilmslow, commuter stations, they use them."

Cllr Rod Menlove, Environmental Services Portfolio Holder, added 'When they went in at Crewe, sixty bikes appeared from nowhere, I know it is a larger station but it is indicative that if you make the facility available then people use it. It gets people out of the car, helps with traffic congestion, is healthier and much better for the environment."

Rob Sawyer, chair of CycleWilmslow which represents local cycle users said "CycleWilmslow are delighted with the improvements to cycle parking delivered by this project. In addition to safer cycling routes, bike users need somewhere secure and well located to park their cycles. I'm grateful to Sustrans, Northern Rail and Cheshire East Council for working with us to make this a reality."

Photo: (l-r) Peter Foster, Rob Sawyer, champion cyclist Christian Braybrooke (15) from Wilmslow High School, Cllr Ruth McNulty, Cllr Rod Menlove, Pam Williams Station Manager Northern Rail and Anne Brander Senior Student Manager at Wilmslow High School.