Manchester has declared its ambition to be Britain’s No 1 city for cycling by 2017, with plans to launch a bike-hire scheme, increase training for cyclists and expand cycle path networks.
The city council has released its Cycling Strategy report in which it pledges to “explore opportunities to bring forward a cycle-hire scheme for Manchester”, seeking to develop a “privately funded” system similar to the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme in London.
The report says that plans to launch a bike-hire scheme as part of a bid to the Transport Innovation Fund had originally been rejected, but that several small-scale hire schemes have been set up around the universities of Manchester and Salford and at Piccadilly Station.
“Nevertheless, Manchester still has an ambition to introduce a city-wide cycle hire scheme subject to it being privately funded,” the report adds.
The council estimates that there are about 20,000 people in Manchester who want to cycle, but do not. “The challenge is to convert this latent demand into participation,” the report says.
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The report also pledges to improve road surfaces and fix potholes in the city, to provide additional cycle parking across the city, to reduce vehicle speeds in residential areas and to “articulate the economic and health benefits of cycling as a means of justifying investment”.
It also aims to “ensure that adequately sized, safe and secure cycling facilities are designed in to new developments”.
The report makes reference to the eight demands made in the Times Cities fit for Cycling campaign and confirms that Manchester City Council is an official signatory to the campaign, which also has the support of the Manchester MPs Sir Gerald Kaufman and John Leech.
In line with key demands of the campaign, the council report pledges to “continue to deliver cycle training to both adults and school children” and to “work to reduce the risk of conflict between large vehicles and cyclists”, as well as implement an “upgrade” to cycling infrastructure with on and off-road cycle paths.
Manchester is the home of British Cycling, the sport’s governing body, which said it was “proud” to be working in partnership with the council. Sir Richard Leese, leader of the council, said: “We hope that this strategy will help cyclists at every level — from novice through to experienced and competitive cyclists — and make cycling a real transport option for people in Manchester as well as promoting recreational and sport cycling.”
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Nes Bear, 32, author of the I Bike Manchester blog, said that she was heartened by the council’s ambitions to have Manchester ranked No 1 for “all forms of cycling” in the Active People Survey by 2017.
“It’s exciting. Cycling has grown so much in the past five years in Manchester and the number of cyclists on the road has exploded, so I am hopeful,” she said. “More cycling training for adults would be amazing to give them those new skills.”
The new Mayor of neighbouring Salford, Ian Stewart of Labour, confirmed to The Times that Salford was also considering a bike-hire scheme and welcomed the chance to work in partnership with Manchester City Council on the cycling strategy.
Two more cyclists were killed on Britain’s streets this week, taking the total death toll so far in 2012 to 40.
An 8-year-old girl, named locally as Amber Cameron, was killed on the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday on Tuesday when she was hit by a bus while cycling near her home in Elderslie in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Residents expressed their anger at the problem of speeding motorists in a residential area.
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A male cyclist in his 40s, who has yet to be named, was killed on the same day after a crash involving two cars on the B1150 in Norwich.
In Wales, Michael Lundstrum, 29, of Dwygyfylchi, appeared at Llandudno Magistrates’ Court yesterday on four charges relating to the death of Susan Griffiths, 47, a mother of five who was knocked off her bike near her home while cycling to work on December 9.
Mr Lundstrum is accused of causing her death while being uninsured, failing to stop after an accident, making a false statement to obtain insurance in October 2011, and having one defective tyre on his Ford Mondeo. He was bailed until August 1 when he will be committed to Caernarfon Crown Court for trial.