Colchester: Town gets cycle status

7:50am Thursday 19th June 2008

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COLCHESTER is to become a pioneering "cycling town" after winning millions of pounds of funding.

About £2.1 million of Government cash will be matched by local authorities in a bid to dramatically increase the number of cyclists using Colchester's streets.

The bid, led by keen cyclists in the borough and backed by Colchester Council and Essex County Council, is one of 11 selected by Cycling England from a shortlist of 73 towns and cities across the country.

Transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick was today set to make the official announcement at the town's North Station.

Bid leaders are due to meet with Cycling England in Birmingham today to finalise the details but the bid included three components to help meet a target of having a car-free town centre by 2020.

Pam Nelson from the Colchester Cycling Campaign, said she was delighted with the news, and spoke of her desire to turn Colchester into a place like Copenhagen, where cycling is seen as fashionable.

"I'm just really thrilled about it," she said.

"We've put an awful lot of work into it, but the hard work has yet to come.

"I think the unusual thing about our bid is that it was us as the local cycling community who approached the authorities and said we have got to go for this funding."

Alongside a campaign to make cycling more appealing, the funds are to be used to improve infrastructure in the town centre and to offer potential cyclists lessons to increase their confidence.